Swollen crop from overeating? Or something else?

[HoopyFrood]

@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.

Hi @FlyingNunFarm ! Now worries, and a great question. I'm updating the thread I started for our sick chick last year with the details I never recorded. I guess I was grieving and by the time I worked through it I had forgotten to write things down.

In the first two days of the chick's illness she ate and drank and pooped. On the last morning when she refused to eat and drink she also didn't poop as far as I could tell for the 5-6 hours we observed her.

The crop didn't feel like it had anything hard or fibrous in it. The skin on her torso on the right side was flushed very red that day.

Would an impacted crop inhibit breathing? Whatever that substance was it was bubble filled, not as bubbly as cappuccino froth, but far more than bubbles in a carbonated beverage. Was in in her respiratory system or digestive system? I just don't know...

 

[HoopyFrood]

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

When my advice boils down to "Keep a close eye on it" stemming out of having a chick die - and you follow up with the advice "Don't worry about it." What reaction do you expect? That is BAD advice. Well bad advice for someone who cares about the well being of their chickens.

Of course a person doesn't need to panic - I said so in my first post. But I also said one should not be complacent. And I stand by that advice; this situation should be monitored.

Reply if you feel the need to, but I'm inclined to end this exchange and will likely not respond further.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

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!!

Each person has their own experiences. I'm sorry you lost a chick last year. Without a necropsy, it would be hard to know exactly what happened to your chick.

I'm sorry you feel that others may not have read your posts or dismissed your comments. That is not the case at all-forums are designed for each person to give their suggestions/opinions. It is up to the OP (person asking for help/advice) to take all comments into consideration and use that information how they see fit.

Ever chick I have ever had, the crop was very noticeable after eating-they went to bed with full crops and awoke with empty ones. It's not to say that every full crop is normal-all chickens need to monitored throughout their entire life for crop function so you can detect any problems early. I check all of my adults once a week. For chicks it's daily-I do not use a heat lamp for brooding, so it's very easy to see when chicks go in for the night that crops are full and after they have slept a full night the crop is empty.

Chicks can consume bedding and foreign materials and without a source of grit it makes it difficult to process that-this is why I advocate to make chick sized grit (crushed granite) available free choice in the brooder.

Just my thoughts.

 

[FlyingNunFarm]

Hi @FlyingNunFarm ! Now worries, and a great question. I'm updating the thread I started for our sick chick last year with the details I never recorded. I guess I was grieving and by the time I worked through it I had forgotten to write things down.

In the first two days of the chick's illness she ate and drank and pooped. On the last morning when she refused to eat and drink she also didn't poop as far as I could tell for the 5-6 hours we observed her.

The crop didn't feel like it had anything hard or fibrous in it. The skin on her torso on the right side was flushed very red that day.

Would an impacted crop inhibit breathing? Whatever that substance was it was bubble filled, not as bubbly as cappuccino froth, but far more than bubbles in a carbonated beverage. Was in in her respiratory system or digestive system? I just don't know...

It is very hard to say. I would think if the crop is overly full it could cause breathing problems. Pressure on internal structures and such. And if fluid was in the mouth as she breathed she could aspirate it then or make bubbles while breathing out. I second what Wyorp said.

 

[HoopyFrood]

Each person has their own experiences. I'm sorry you lost a chick last year. Without a necropsy, it would be hard to know exactly what happened to your chick.

I'm sorry you feel that others may not have read your posts or dismissed your comments. That is not the case at all-forums are designed for each person to give their suggestions/opinions. It is up to the OP (person asking for help/advice) to take all comments into consideration and use that information how they see fit.

Ever chick I have ever had, the crop was very noticeable after eating-they went to bed with full crops and awoke with empty ones. It's not to say that every full crop is normal-all chickens need to monitored throughout their entire life for crop function so you can detect any problems early. I check all of my adults once a week. For chicks it's daily-I do not use a heat lamp for brooding, so it's very easy to see when chicks go in for the night that crops are full and after they have slept a full night the crop is empty.

Chicks can consume bedding and foreign materials and without a source of grit it makes it difficult to process that-this is why I advocate to make chick sized grit (crushed granite) available free choice in the brooder.

Just my thoughts.

And good thoughts! Funny that we didn't see the crops noticeably on our other chicks!

Thank you for your concern! I actually don't care if someone wants to dismiss what I say out-of-hand. I may be annoyed, but there's no real bad consequence to that. This isn't an ego thing at all But I AM concerned for the well being of the chickens and, therefore, don't take kindly to advice that may lead to suffering. I suppose that is just my opinion, though So I'll just shut up now!

 

[RodNTN]

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

You're welcome Okay, just keep an eye on her but don't panic