Stuffed crop? Help

[BusyBearMama]

Some of my hens over enjoyed the melon they got today and their crops look like they're just all full and they are panting a bit and hanging out with the grit... Are they ok?! Err this has never happened before. They're usually sharing just a few scraps and seem done but melons are pretty big so there were lots of scraps :-/ the pullets seem totally unaffected by gluttony but I'm worried about the hens!

 

[SilkieNation]

They may be panting because it's getting warm. Chickens don't handle the heat all that well. I'd massage their crops a bit with your fingers, moving the food etc. around. If they are really hard, you may have impacted crops, but they probably will be fine.

 

[BusyBearMama]

Thanks, that's that I did, hopefully they feel better in the morning. I gave them the Mellon because I thought it would help keep them cool :-/ its under 70 and nice and cool in the coop so I think its the pound of food they ate... Poor little gluttons :-( I hope they feel better in the morning .

 

[SilkieNation]

Just curious... How did they do? Just a case of over distended crops? I wonder how much a chicken will eat? Do they stop when they're full or will they eat themselves into a coma?

 

[BusyBearMama]

Oh thanks for checking in. They seem just fine now. I think it was just getting hot and they're young they've never been so warm in thinking they were just so excited about the Mellon they ate until nothing more could get in there. They were panting and all climbed up and were trying to eat grit . The crops were about half as full or less by early morning and they seemed back to their usual selves by evening. The younger birds didn't over eat like that. One hen looked like she had swallowed a soft ball. I gently managed their crops which they let me do and I think it helped because the panting stopped for the most part. One of them wasn't as bad but 5 were really just stuffed. I'm glad they stopped when they did. From now on I ration fruit even more like what I know they can safely eat in one sitting... Bad calculations on my part really :-/ The next days treat was scrambled eggs and we had no issues, they were totally normal about it. The lucky young birds got to finish off the Mellon later. The other good news is they've been in a great mood and they're all laying daily

 

[SilkieNation]

Well that's good to hear. They say not more than 5%, maybe 10% of their food intake should be treats so they get the balance of nutrients they need from their feed. I have a hard time abiding by this, but I try!