Thank you so very much! You are a lifesaver!Hi! There are a few things that could be wrong. Let me explain...
The first possible problem is something called Impacted Crop. This is when whatever your chicken has been eating gets tangled up and can't pass through to her stomach. This can be a big problem if not fixed because the chicken could actually starve herself. To check for this, remove the food (if you haven't already) when you lock the chickens up at night. In the morning, feel her crop. If it's hard and full it's impacted. The way you fix this is a lot of TLC. You first want to be sure that your chickens have plenty of grit available. Then, you want to gently massage it every day while making sure she drinks lots of water.
The second possible problem is Sour Crop. This is when a crop has been impacted so long, that yeast begins to grow in the crop. If the crop stays full and is squishy that's one symptom of sour crop. If you smell a putrid smell from the beak, that's a tell-tale sign. And finally, if she throws up smelly liquid, she definitely has sour crop. Fixing this is a bit more complicated. You will want to separate her from the flock in a hen hospital. Give her no access to food or any bedding for 24 hours. Just water with ACV in it. Be sure to massage the crop and give her water. So after 24 hours of no food and just water and massage, check her crop. Is it empty? If so, I would suggest giving her chick feed that you added water to, so it's a mash. Give this to her for a few days until you are sure she is ok. Then you want to reintroduce her to the flock. Some people suggest trying to make her throw up. NEVER DO IT! If she breathes in while throwing up, she will choke and die. It's not worth the risk.
Here is a website that may help:
https://www.purposefullysimple.com/how-to-treat-impacted-crop-sour-crop-and-pendulous-crop/
Good luck! Best wishes!
You are so welcome! Let me know how your chicken does!
