Just tube-fed hen, but crop feels completely empty!!!

[fanficfreezone]

We just tube-fed our hen as we have been doing every single day for the last couple of weeks. I usually feel that her crop is full after every feeding but somehow this time it’s empty? She’s not struggling to breathe AT ALL and my husband always is careful when inserting the tube because I’m always insisting about being safe so she doesn’t aspirate. She’s also not acting out of the ordinary at all. What’s going on?? I spent a good five minutes trying to feel the crop from different angles and nope! Nothing! It feels empty! She got 60cc of food so it should absolutely feel full. I’m sure she was given food because I was the one holding her.

 

[DotToDot]

I’m really sorry to hear about your hen. It sounds like she might not be ingesting her food properly. I’m sure she seems perfectly normal, but is it at all possible that she has water belly? Her fluffy leg feathers (or ‘knickers’) might look puffier, and her stomach might be bloated. Chickens are masters of hiding sickness. Good luck.