ChickenZiy1207
Chirping
- Nov 25, 2020
- 17
- 13
- 61
Hello, I have a 3 1/2 year old ISA brown chicken. Her name is Sprint, and she has been a generally healthy and spirited chicken, with no prior health problems.
However, I have recently noticed her crop is more full than the others. We have 2 additional brown, ISA chickens and I've noticed their crop is emptier before I feed them each day.
They may not be completely empty, sometimes for what I assume to be grit. However, lately hers seems to be a bit fuller. It is very malleable and gritty, feeling just like normal food. It is not very much, maybe a few marbles worth? Her crop is not protruding, only slightly noticeable.
Currently, they're mainly eating chicken scratch - the TSC we usually go to has run out of pellet feed. However, I will give them eggs with leftover fruits/veggies to try an ensure a healthier diet.
From what I've seen in the box where she usually nests, her droppings are normal and full, she shows a good appetite for food, has no odd neck or breast movements/jerks, and is not drinking water in excess. She is still quite lively, if anything a bit distraught by me picking her up to examine her.
This is the second time this week I've noticed this happening - the first time I didn't feed her, gave her some water with a bit of magnesium citrate, massaged her crop and a lot of grit. The next day, her crop was empty and it seems she's digested everything that was in her crop.
(I am currently in highschool, so I don't usually have the time to feed them in the morning, but I do as soon as I get home from school, usually around 3-4pm, and there have never been any issues with the routine.)
I'm thinking this might just be her eating earlier/later than the other chickens, because of her eventually emptying her crop and being otherwise normal. But I am concerned this might be an impacted crop. I am aware that ISA chickens do not live very long, and these erratic habits may just be her time, and though I am sad at this thought, I understand it is normal and intend to further monitor her behavior.
Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!! Thank you all.
However, I have recently noticed her crop is more full than the others. We have 2 additional brown, ISA chickens and I've noticed their crop is emptier before I feed them each day.
They may not be completely empty, sometimes for what I assume to be grit. However, lately hers seems to be a bit fuller. It is very malleable and gritty, feeling just like normal food. It is not very much, maybe a few marbles worth? Her crop is not protruding, only slightly noticeable.
Currently, they're mainly eating chicken scratch - the TSC we usually go to has run out of pellet feed. However, I will give them eggs with leftover fruits/veggies to try an ensure a healthier diet.
From what I've seen in the box where she usually nests, her droppings are normal and full, she shows a good appetite for food, has no odd neck or breast movements/jerks, and is not drinking water in excess. She is still quite lively, if anything a bit distraught by me picking her up to examine her.
This is the second time this week I've noticed this happening - the first time I didn't feed her, gave her some water with a bit of magnesium citrate, massaged her crop and a lot of grit. The next day, her crop was empty and it seems she's digested everything that was in her crop.
(I am currently in highschool, so I don't usually have the time to feed them in the morning, but I do as soon as I get home from school, usually around 3-4pm, and there have never been any issues with the routine.)
I'm thinking this might just be her eating earlier/later than the other chickens, because of her eventually emptying her crop and being otherwise normal. But I am concerned this might be an impacted crop. I am aware that ISA chickens do not live very long, and these erratic habits may just be her time, and though I am sad at this thought, I understand it is normal and intend to further monitor her behavior.
Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!! Thank you all.