full crop - how big is too big?

[kimmybow]

How big is an impacted crop, and when does it become an emergency? A few of my girls have very full crops all the time. When is it considered impacted? I try to massage them when I pick the girls up, but the stuuf in their crops doesn't seem to move. They have access to grit - smallish, in their feed every day. They don't seem to eat too much of it, but I can't tell...

Help!

 

[BamaSilkies]

Is there a bad odor coming from crop? If they arent free range take the food out now and check them in the morning to see if its empty. If its not then could be impacted.

 

[kimmybow]

Thank you, Bama - will do. I think part of the problem is that I have hay in their enclosure to ad some weather protection - they are eating it. Could that be causing the problem?

As far as a smell, when I pick them up I don't smell anything, but then again, I'm not sniffing their beaks

BTW - they are acting normally, so I haven't been concerned until now.

 

[stoopid]

Can you post a picture? If it doesn't seem to bother them, it's probably fine.
Sometimes they can get pretty huge if they pig out on something.
As long as it goes down within a day, it sounds normal.

 

[BamaSilkies]

It could be. I dont use hay only pine shavings. One because of the possibility of impaction and fungus. If it gets wet it molds really fast.

 

[BamaSilkies]

If it is impacted there are a lot of pics on here of how to do just do a search. I posted one link to give you an idea if you cant get her to pass it.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=5103978

 

[BamaSilkies]

If it is not empty in the morning give her some olive oil and massage her crop again. Some of them say to put the olive oil on bread to give it to them. I dont suggest that you use the bread method though. Bread has yeast in it so if it stays a long time then could cause sour crop on top of the impaction. I would use eye dropper method.

 

[kimmybow]

Thanks all! I did what Bama suggested and their crops were almost all gone this a.m. - they are just piggies! How common is an impacted/sour crop?

 

[dunnmom]

My girls get really full crops, but it's really because they get fed in the morning and feel the need to eat all of it before noon. They are also piggies. Lol!