Swollen crop from overeating? Or something else?

[RodNTN]

I have had chicks that have had bigger crops than that, just keep an eye on her. I think she'll be fine, though

 

[RodNTN]

Did you not even read my posts?!

My Australorp looked just like that and died! Maybe it is just an overfull crop, but it MOST DEFINITELY should be monitored closely!

What did your chicks have access to? The breathing problem sounds like some kind of respiratory related case.

 

[RodNTN]

See how this chicks crop sticks out? Completely normal

 

[FlyingNunFarm]

Looks normal to me. Yes, good to keep an eye on. Chickens fill their crop all day and digest at night while they roost. If she made a little piggy of herself it could cause problems but most likely not.

Check again in the morning. If the crop has emptied she should be fine. Chick grit can be purchased to aid in digestion. I honestly got the small bits out of my bag of regular grit.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I agree...it looks like a normal crop to me too

If you are brooding under a heat lamp, it is hard to gauge crop function since chicks eat/drink at all hours. The only way to know would be to remove the food/water for several hours after the chicks have eaten and see if the crop is going down.

 

[Saaniya]

Normal Crop Swelling Chick Eat Like Machines I Remembered I Faint When I See My Chick Having A Tumor On His Chest but it goes down overnight ..not to worry if u notice hard tight crop because of overeating ..just stop giving feed for few hours till it goes down ..

 

[Thepriceofbeauty]

You're doing fine, don't worry If she is just eating feed, she should be okay. I would get some grit soon if possible, though.

If she has a heat lamp on her all of the time, she could be eating a lot. Her crop looks normal to me.

Just to make sure though, I'll tag some experts:
@casportpony @Wyorp Rock

OK thanks a bunch! I will keep an eye on her. I did notice she

All right, back now...

As the swelling increased she started doing what we called a "penguin" torso wiggle. On the last day when she stopped eating and drinking we knew we had to take action.

We dug up threads where people had discussed using a fine hypodermic needle to puncture the skin above what were "air pockets." Of course if an air sac was inflamed we wouldn't want to puncture that! But it visually looked similar to this "air-pocket-under-the-skin" thing. We thought the swelling was pressing on her air sacs and making breathing difficult. After a few unsuccessful hours of trying to get her to eat or drink (she refused) we decided to act. We knew she wouldn't survive if we did nothing. We tried. It was not a success.

When she passed she expelled a huge mass of that sticky saliva-looking substance. To this day I have no idea what it was. But I believe that viscous substance was in her respiratory system (hence the air bubbles). And because it was so thick and sticky... passing air through it would be almost impossible, no wonder she struggled to breath...

Sorry I got the number of "days old" wrong in my last post. The pattern of her illness was like this:

At 4 days old (on her 5th day) she began showing signs of lethargy and swelling. We used Nutri-Drench and by the end of the night she perked up. At 5 days old (her 6th day) she was improved and the swelling seemed to go down during the day. In the evening it began to increase, though she was still eating and drinking. At 6 days old (her 7th day) she woke to MUCH lethargy and increased swelling. She refused to eat or drink. After 5-6 hours of us trying to get her to eat/drink unsuccessfully, we decided to attempt the procedure. She was very lethargic with very labored breathing and was very uncomfortable.

So that is the tale of beloved Katy and it was one of the hardest things either of us has ever dealt with. I'm sure many people would find that ridiculous. By the way, we were/are first time chicken parents. So we got hit with this right out of the gate...

Don't lose hope! But perhaps our experience can help you gather clues in order to decide on the best course of action.

Best wishes to you and your little one!

Oh boy! Sorry to hear you had to go through that. I will definitely look into the nutri-drench. She's currently eating now, and seems fine so hopefully I'm just over reacting

 

[HoopyFrood]

OK thanks a bunch! I will keep an eye on her. I did notice she

Oh boy! Sorry to hear you had to go through that. I will definitely look into the nutri-drench. She's currently eating now, and seems fine so hopefully I'm just over reacting

Likewise, I just wanted to give you a heads up. I'm surprised people are saying this is "normal" - it must be my inexperience? All I know we is had six chicks. Five of them NEVER had a bulging crop and they were/are perfectly healthy. One of them did have a bulge and she died from whatever it was. For anyone who would say this is "normal" it would be nice if they could explain what happened to my chick!

You're doing everything right! The most you can hope for is normal eating and drinking and active behavior. And offering chick grit is never a bad thing in case they eat anything they shouldn't (which ours did - and still do - constantly).

Good luck!!

 

[FlyingNunFarm]

@HoopyFrood not to dredge up the past and painful memories but you didn’t mention if your chick was pooping. From the details you’ve given I would say impacted crop. Impacted isn’t necessarily sour. I agree the op should keep an eye on this chick. You never know how each individual will be even with all other factors being the same.

 

[MattCopeland]

Did you not even read my posts?!

My Australorp looked just like that and died! Maybe it is just an overfull crop, but it MOST DEFINITELY should be monitored closely!

I'm sorry my opinion differed from yours. No need to get sensitive about it.