What good strategies for preventing bumblefoot, for detecting it in the early stages, and for keeping their feet in good condition? I would like to make sure I stay on top on this, since it seems to be common (judging by all of the check their feet before you buy posts), because our run has been fairly damp lately, and because the poultry vet did say that one of my chickens had a callus on her foot that should be kept an eye on. How do you tell the difference between a normally full and a pendulous crop? And does this tend to be genetic,environmental, or both? The reason I'm wondering is that all of my hens go to bed with very pronounced large crops that do seem to empty by morning. They have been eating odd bits of straw. If they are developing a problem, I would want to try to prevent it. One of my chickens had a damp, somewhat messy behind tonight, so may be due for a bath tomorrow. How would you distinguish something like vent gleet from ordinary messiness?
Of course BYC is a great source of information. The Chicken Chic has a lot of articles on the conditions/illnesses you are asking about. http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/p/chicken-resources-directory.html
