Inflated Chest?

[Orpstralope]

I just walked out into the coop and before the girls roosted I noticed that a few of my red sex links (almost a year) have swollen/inflated breasts. I felt around a little bit and noticed that this inflated ball felt like a swollen crop. Most of them have been laying eggs, and eating Layena and Southern States brand layer feed mixed together. I usually give them some Purina scratch grains in the morning before I let them loose to run around (for egg purposes) and then give them food occasionally. They've been on Gallamycin and Oxy-tet343 for 2 weeks for what I believe was Coryza and just got off today. If Ihadn't given the prescription I would have lost my whole flock. For the past two weeks I've also been re-feeding them their eggs (cooked, of course) so that they def. get the prescription. Now there seems to be another problem and their crops feel puffy. They don't look too bad yet but when they walk you can see that one side of their breasts are larger. I've been doing searches on here and these are the questions I have:

How do I tell if it is a swollen crop?

Could excess eggs/scratch grains/prescrips. have caused this problem?

Is this problem fixable?

Thanks

 

[Year of the Rooster]

It sounds like it's just full, not swollen. At night when they roost is when it should be the fullest. Check in the morning to see if their crops are still full or if they are barely there. If it is empty, there is nothing to worry about and they are just eating alot. If it is still full, then you may have impacted crop problems. Since its winter I wouldn't be surprised that they are eating more than usual.

 

[chicknmania]

That's probably true. I read somewhere that young chickens eat A LOT more than older birds and especially after being sick and being on meds, they might be eating more. I remember one of our young chooks was sick but still eating and i thought her crop was unusually full a lot of times,. Good that your flock is doing better, otherwise.

 

[Orpstralope]

Awesome, I'm glad to hear some good news for once! Studying for exams and trying to play vet with my chickens is about to kill me. I'll check back in the morning and see what's new - I definately did give them a good amount of food today, and the sex-links are very aggressive eaters. Thanks
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After giving these meds, I've noticed that the girl's wattles and combs have gained color and size again. This is a good sign right? I'm, finally hoping that whatever they contracted has gone away

 

[Year of the Rooster]

Yep, those wattles sound like a good sign to me

 

[chicknmania]

Yay, that they seem like they are getting better! You have had a rough time with them. Keeping fingers crossed for their continued improvement!

 

[Orpstralope]

The other night when their crops were inflated looking they were soft when I touched them - tonight they are hard. The girls have been eating ALOT and pooping ALOT. And I feel like I feel like I only see it at night. Is this normal sounding for a full crop?

 

[Year of the Rooster]

It may depend on what they've eaten that day. As long as their crops are empty in the morning, they should be fine. If you'd like, maybe give them some grit to help them with their digestion since they're eating so much. They may just be extremely hungry. If their appetite keeps up but they are not gaining weight, I would be concerned about that too.