Swollen crop: to worry or relax

[JensHens1987]

Hello! I know this has been posted about a dozen times on here, but the difference in my scenario is that a 10 day old Orpington with what I assume is a swollen crop is otherwise perfectly healthy: drinking water, eating, maybe straining a bit for a small dry poop but I didn’t take notice of it until the past two days. Eats a lot. Very active. I am brand new to all this so I have nothing to compare it to to say the crop is just full of food because she eats all the time or to say maybe she got into a pine chip (which I’ve since removed- never witnessed anyone eating them but wasn’t sure) and she is now impacted. Do you intervene on an otherwise healthy looking chick or just continue to watch and only start doing interventions if they become ill looking?

 

[BlessedmamaAELE]

Do you have a photo? Of chick, crop, and poo? Are you sure it’s swollen? When they over eat it does bulge a bit. What kind of waterer do you use? May not be getting enough fluid. Try massaging the crop, should help and make sure the chick is getting lots of fluids.

 

[JensHens1987]

Do you have a photo? Of chick, crop, and poo? Are you sure it’s swollen? When they over eat it does bulge a bit. What kind of waterer do you use? May not be getting enough fluid. Try massaging the crop, should help and make sure the chick is getting lots of fluids.

 

[JensHens1987]

Now that I am looking at her closer she has a hard piece of poop stuck just above her vent I’m going to wash off with a warm towel. There is a little red mark on the bottom of her vent but I think she’s been picking at the stuck on poop.

 

[JensHens1987]

I’m thinking she is constipated... found the hard piece of poop above vent ... have been working at getting it off and the stimulation of the q tip and towel with warm water caused her to have about 5 hard poops. Crop actually seems smaller. Vent is pink and swollen. Will put Vaseline on it... any other recommendations??

 

[BlessedmamaAELE]

I’m thinking she is constipated... found the hard piece of poop above vent ... have been working at getting it off and the stimulation of the q tip and towel with warm water caused her to have about 5 hard poops. Crop actually seems smaller. Vent is pink and swollen. Will put Vaseline on it... any other recommendations??

Her crop looks pretty normal, as well as her poo. Vaseline is fine. Just make sure she is drinking well. Maybe dip her beak in when u visit to ensure, she’s getting enough fluids! Keep her vent clear as you have. Personally by the pictures doesn’t look like anything of concern to me!