Full vs. Impacted

[Cha Cha Chicken]

How do I tell the difference between a full crop and a impacted crop? A few of my chicken's crops have gotten to around tennis-ball size, and one is making a strange "swallowing" movement a bit like in this video:

 

[remuda1]

If the crop is full at night before they go to sleep, check it first thing in the morning before they go out. If it's empty, it was full the night before. If it's still full, chances are you have an impaction.

 

[jeslewmazer]

Quote:

I feed a mix feed with whole corn in it. Sometimes if they eat right before roosting the next day they will still have some left in the crop, but not much (not enough to make it feel full) a few pieces. In the video it looks like the hen is trying to swallow, to push down something she ate. I see this sometimes in my chickens that are trying to (what I think is) over filling their crop or ones that need a drink to was down the food.