Picture request - crop full vs empty - experienced chicken people plz help

[Celticdragonfly]

So I'm learning about chickens. Our baby chicks get here in one week! Very excited. I'm doing LOTS of reading up, as my daughter - future vet tech who's very interested and will be primary chicken person - is drowning in high school homework. So I learn, and pass on to her what I can.

Right now I'm learning about crops, and all the many, many problems they can have. (Seriously, I'm amazed anybody keeps chickens alive)

I have seen a picture of a chicken with a very full crop. I have seen various pictures of chickens with impacted or sour crops.

Please, I'd like a set of pictures of the same chicken, with a full crop in the evening, and an empty crop in the morning.

I think a selection of various chickens pictures in pairs that way would be a good article.

 

[duluthralphie]

These things seldom happen..

Relax and enjoy the birds... they are easier than goldfish.. they eat. Drink and poop...

Keep them warm.. let them have a cooler area.. do not handle too much as chicks... everything will be fine.

 

[Acre4Me]

I second @duluthralphie - don't worry too much about crop issues. Yes, they can happen, but not usually until they are older, and the majority of chickens go through life without any crop issues. Your daughter will be enjoying them in the sunshine this summer, when school is out, so she will have time to learn all about teenage and adult chickens!

Overall, a full crop is a bulge on their front of their chest. It should not be hard. They fill it up with feed and it empties into the rest of their digestive system, so the bulge goes away. It should be empty when they are getting off their roost in the morning. And the cycle of eat and fill crop, drink water, poop will resume for the day.

There are things that can cause crop problems - the most common ones I've seen mentioned on BYC are long grass or long hay or straw. So, give them chopped grass/hay/straw if you give any of these when they are older.

Enjoy the chicks and your first worries will include:

1. lethargic chicks (give a bit of Nutridrench and supply electrolyte water for the first few days - along with fresh water)
2. Poopy butt: each batch of chicks we have had include 1-4 that will get poopy butt for the first few days, while the rest do not. Hold gently, rinse bottom off in warm water, dry them off (use hairdryer if necessary, but a soft towel can do the trick). Check 2-3x per day till no more poopy butt.
3. Splay legs: provide brooder base with good traction - especially first several days. We use puppy pee pads as they are absorbent, white (can monitor poops), with good traction , then we move to large shavings. Also, they don't try to eat the puppy pee pad, so they eat their feed and drink their water - no confusion on what is food.
4. Warmth: just jeep a watch on how they are distributed, and make sure they can get away from the heat if they choose. And make sure they cannot get jammed in a corner.
5. Names.

Enjoy the chicks! I hope they are all healthy fluff-balls!