When do you put a hen down?

Annamaria P said:

3riverschicks - so good to here your hen is better.

Recently, a week ago, I noticed my hen had a hard lump on her right side- her crop was hard as a base ball. I also notice she wanted me to hold her.

After a full out panic, I searched the Internet blogs to find out what to do-recommendation was to have a vet appointment.

I also accessed You Tube to see how a vet did the surgery to clean out a chickens coop. Call my vet and made an appointment for The coming Monday.

I had 3 days to help her pass what ever was in her crop. This is what I read on this site, that was, for me, being new to raising chickens, a wonderful out come.

1. First, I held her by her feet, beak down, rubbed her crop gently and let the green toxins flow out her beak.
2. Then , Using a eye dropper, twice daily, gave her some unfiltered Apple cider to reset the ph in her croop along with olive oil to lube her croop to help her pass the blockage while all the time massage her croop.
3. I then let her forage for food, meal worms, lettuce bugs at will nibbling on grit and small gravel at the same time massaging her croop for 15 minutes.

At first the croop was very hard. On the second day, I notice that her croop was filled with small gravel like stuff. I continued to massage her crop even though it was beginning to feel very different. On the third day, the day of her appointment with the vet, she had passed what ever was plugging up her croop thus avoiding surgery at the vet.
Hope this helps you.
Annamaria

Click to expand...