Impacted crops, or just stuffed birds?

[Autumnarcher]

We have a young flock of 10 chickens, they've been layng for about 3 weeks now and doing well. They get a scoop of scratch every morning, as well as their layer crumbles in the feeder. We have an ice cream tub in the kitchen we toss kitchen scraps, trimming off produce etc to give them, usually around dinner time in the evening. Tonight it was pretty full, including about 4 cups of leftover pasta salad. Tonight I noticed protruding crops on a couple of them, about the size of a raquetball. Further checking, all of them are like that. Ive never seen it before, so Im obviously pretty worried.

Is it likely they are all just stuffed from pigging out, or did I do something to plug them all up? They have their water can in the coop tonight, and I'll check to see how they look in the morning. the crops are all soft, not hard at all.

Im just worried about losing my entire flock. I'll withhold food in the morning and see how they do. Any other suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[janinepeters]

Sounds like they're just stuffed from pigging out. Four cups of pasta salad is probably too big a treat for 10 hens.

 

[Puddin Fluff]

I am no expert on this subject but they just sound stuffed. I am amazed at how big my birds will get. I do try not to give them too much in the way of scraps because they will often eat until they are stuffed. I wouldn't be too worried. It is my understanding that impacted crop happens when the food doesn't move out of the crop properly. I am not sure if eating too many "goodies" will cause it or not. Most likely, by morning, it will be back to normal.

 

[Autumnarcher]

heyre fine this morning, must have just been stuffed. Whew.

 

[terryg]

A chicken with an impacted crop will show other symtpoms and will look distressed, twisting her neck, looking listless, not eating. Hens with full crops look cheerful! Some breeds show off the full crops more than others. I have a bantam white leghorn and after eating it looks like she swallowed a tennis ball.