New Chick Impacted Crop? (Update, Help still needed)

[Morgan7782]

I have a BLRW who has a HUGE lump on her breast/chest area! It's where I assume her crop is, maybe impaction? I just brought them home and they GORGED on food. Is it normal for a big bump to be on the chick? I am freaking out I just got these chicks and don't want to lose any of them. What is the difference between a full crop and an impacted crop? She is walking and acting fine, but I have never seen such a large bump on a chick. Anybody respond if you have any advice please. This chick is around 8-10 weeks old, and they did really eat a TON of food just now, so maybe it's just full and I am freaking out for no reason? I hope so.. How big can it get when the crop is full?


Update: It's the next morning and I checked on the girls. The one pullet I was worried about still has the large bump where her crop is.. How long does it take for it to go down normally? Should I take away their food for a few hours? I put some grit in there, but I am still worried about this lump... How long does it take usually for food to pass through the crop?

 

[Qi Chicken]

It can get VERY big and freaky looking. The best thing to do is just check her in the morning. 9.8 times out of ten it will be much smaller. I could never catch my chicks before they started eating in the morning so the crops were never really empty. Sometimes you can remove food at night and then recheck in the am but I am almost 100% that she is fine and since you just got them I don't think you should take the food away. I had a chick do this but she was also in considerable distress. I tried to give her some bread (tiny crumbles) soaked in olive oil but she wouldn't eat it. She was fine the next day. Don't worry until tomorrow. Raising chicks is not for the faint of heart! She and you will be fine!!!!

 

[gracielynn]

Our "mother rejected" chick we raised had that too. seemed scary to us too.

We fed her small oyster shells.. a bit one day & A bit the next. Not sure that fixed it.. but the lump did go down.
Someone else may have more info then this..

I think the Young ones just eat too much.. ours ate a grasshopper almost as big as she was !
I've seen the hens pull bugs away from the chicks too. so mother knows best

lisa

 

[Qi Chicken]

You could try some chick grit or play sand to help grind up the food. Mine tended to eat that like crazy so I was a little bit leary of giving it to them free choice. Don't give any treats other than yogurt or smashed up hard boiled egg until they have some grit. Make sure that the grit you get is appropriate for their age, I can't remember for sure how old they have to be to be able to handle #2 grit. #1 grit is for smaller chicks and can be hard to find.

 

[Morgan7782]

Thank you all! I was in a BLIND panic.. I went to chat and got the same responses, full crop. I have never seen such a full crop with my other two pullets, so it was a totally new experience. I assumed it would be like a marble more then a golf or tennis ball. I checked over all four pullets, and all four have large bumps on their chest. I kept going back in my hand saying "I know I would have felt that when I picked them up from the lady.. I know I would have noticed this." I couldn't figure out what I did wrong.

All four chicks are moving around, pooping, drinking and cheeping fine. I will go to the store and get some chick grit tomorrow, my feed store carries that special for chicks thank goodness. Man.. My adrenelan was PUMPING! I thought I was going to lose her before I hardly got her home. I am so glad to have this board.. You have NO idea! Well maybe you do heh, but man.. I was freaked out. I love these girls even in the little time I spent with them, and definately do not want one to get sick or die.

When I fed them, they DID gorge pretty heavily. Cleaned out a feeder pretty easily between four 8 week old chicks. I just had no idea the crop got so distended and shaped. Whew... Thank you all again so much. I will post an update tomorrow, they have slowed their eating a lot so they are probably full. Well obviously heh. Thank you again.