Weird crop stuff going on...

[sixlittlechickens]

Hi,
I have 6 white silkie bantams, about months old and just starting to lay. Most of them have swollen crops, not quite squishy, not quite hard. This has been the case for about a week. Nothing else seems wrong. I can't think of anything they could have gotten into, as they are not let out of the run. They have been eating layer feed and drinking water with apple cider vinegar and get lots of veggies about twice a week. I didn't feed them veggies this week for fear of making them worse. My silkie with chronic crop problems is no worse than usual, nor is the one who is constantly eating everything. There has been one weird poop in the last few days, otherwise normal. Can anyone tell me what is going on? Is this a disease, and how can I treat? I'll attach pictures too. Thanks!

 

[Eggcessive]

What time of day are you examining crops? If you get out before daylight and examine them early morning, they should be mostly empty and flat. They will gradually fill up with food and water by evening. If one has a full crop in morning, there is a problem. Is that when you have noticed this? Do you provide granite poultry grit for them to eat?

 

[sixlittlechickens]

I mix grit into their food. I checked mid afternoon and mid morning, but I will check early tomorrow as well. Also, do you have any ideas for a chicken with chronic crop issues? Thank you.

 

[RainbowHen]

Coccidiosis can cause crop issues. What do you mean by chronic crop issues? What exactly are the symptoms you are seeing?

 

[sixlittlechickens]

The chicken with chronic crop issues is named Peanut, and she was also born with splayed legs. Since she was 4 weeks old, she's had sour crop two times, and impacted crop four times. There was also one occasion where I thought she was dead. She currently wears a crop support and has been good for almost 7 weeks, except for a minor case of partially impacted crop about 3 weeks ago. Although moving food through her is slow, she is able to do everything the other chickens do, except eat grass and other leafy stuff, and is finally gaining weight. She also gets special treatment whenever she has a bad day. But her crop is always swollen and pendulous, and if you take the crop support off, her crop swells to softball size. I can post pictures tomorrow. Thank you.

 

[sixlittlechickens]

Here is an picture from the end of an fairly good day, just feed with no veggies. It looks a little better in the picture than it actually is, but not by much.

 

[sixlittlechickens]

So it looks like the crop issues were just a two week thing. I checked today and yesterday, and they seemed fine (?) But I've been wondering if Peanut is a rooster? Pointed tail and streamers, big comb but no wattles, and not crowing or laying. Some of the eggs we've gotten do look fertilized. What do you think? Is there any other way to tell? She's not exhibiting all the rooster behaviors either. Thanks!

 

[kelzey]

could you post a picture of one of your eggs? somebody could confirm if they are fertilized or not! i remember seeing a comparison picture that someone once posted but i don’t have it myself.

 

[sixlittlechickens]

She/he crowed this morning! I think she's been crowing all along, but his crowing is really strangled sounding (probably because of the crop?). I thought it was just like a normal hen-laying-eggs kind of crow, but it's definitely different. His/her? crop was in great shape this morning, so that would explain the noise. I'll still get a photo of the eggs though.

 

[SulkyBantam]

It must be a 'he' now, I never heard of a hen crowing so young.

They are SO beautiful, I am really jealous. Yes crop issues can affect crowing, by the the way!