?impacted crop

[5th lake chick]

noticed hen had a large bulge on left side of chest 2 days ago. she seemed fine and it did go down some. but today she still is eating but the bulge is large to the left and she is limping on her left leg, I this bulge an impactef crop? It is not in the center but off to the left. I just started feeding my chickens scratch this last weeeK Coincidence or cause? Advice please. Hens are 6 months old? Also made oyster shell available last week because she laid her first egg and the shell was soft. Have not seen another egg from her?

 

[Ridgerunner]

It's hard to say. It is really normal for a chicken to really fill its crop and them retire to a safe place to digest it. That's a survival skill in the wild.

I'd suggest looking at the crop in the morning before she eats to see if it has dramatically gone down. If it has gone down overnight, it is not a problem. You can sniff her breath to see if it smells sour.

What I think might be happening is that she is like a kid with Halloween candy and no supervision. She likes the scratch so much she really stuffs her crop with it and causes that bulge.

 

[5th lake chick]

that's what I thought at first, and just let her be. but then she started limping and when I picked her up she is thin.she was still eating like crazy. I have isolated her during the day with yogurt/applesauce and mineral oil mixture, and water. the crop is hard and about the size of an egg. Her plumbing is still working, but she still seems weak and with trouble walking. She is alert and I massage the crop several time a day.
Crop may be a little smaller today. No sour smell, just a hard lump
I do have one other question. about 2weeks ago she laid her first egg, but it had a very soft shell(broken) and was only an egg white. Should she be laying more or does it take time?