How big is too big? (Crop question)

[happinesshill]

I have 4 white leghorns. They all look very small and their crops look huge. We weren't sure if it's normal or not. I felt of the buffs and they seem to have a similar size crop but they are bigger birds, so it's hard to tell. It does feel like at least three of the whites have big wads of something in their crops...but not sure if it's serious enough to require surgery. I would say that it's about 1/2 the size of a soft ball. Firm but squeezable. I did massage on them and they make weird squirting sounds inside the crop. I don't know much about chickens.......but how big is too big?
Like, would these need to be dragging the ground big or is the size I stated above too big? Thanks for any help!!
I love my girls!

 

[Miss Lydia]

what you need to do is check them out in the morning after they have roosted all night. The crop should be full in the eve. and flat in the morning... Also what type of bedding are they on? sometimes they will eat straw and grass or wheat and it can cause problems inside the crop. Even pine shaving can cause problems if they eat them. If the crop is still full in the morning then you may have a problem.. I have small chickens and sometimes their crops look like their about to explode but they are flat in the am... Let us know what you find out.

 

[happinesshill]

We penned them up separately overnight and their crops were drastically smaller in the morning!! SOOOO thankful!!
Hope this helps someone else who is new to chicken stuff.