1 yo Speckled Sussex hen with puffy "balloon" crop

[catfalls]

She started acting strange a couple of days ago with some head/neck twitching. Her crop feels like a balloon full of air, we can't feel anything in it. She isn't eating at all and not drinking much, though she did pass droppings this morning.
Just in case it's related, I've been giving the flock (over 20 birds) fresh grass clippings every other day since we stopped them free ranging last month due to concerns with exposure to the bird flu. They have an enclosed 500 sq ft. run. None of the rest of the flock is exhibiting any similar symptoms.

 

[Eggcessive]

Have you provided any granite poultry grit in a pan separate from feed for the gizzards to grind up the grass, since they are not getting out to roam on their own? I would check her crop again first thing in the morning to see if has emptied some. It sounds like she may have been adjusting her crop. You might want to give her 1-2 tsp of chilled coconut oil cut into small slivers to peck. Can you try giving some watery scrambled egg or very watery chicken feed?

 

[catfalls]

Have you provided any granite poultry grit in a pan separate from feed for the gizzards to grind up the grass, since they are not getting out to roam on their own? I would check her crop again first thing in the morning to see if has emptied some. It sounds like she may have been adjusting her crop. You might want to give her 1-2 tsp of chilled coconut oil cut into small slivers to peck. Can you try giving some watery scrambled egg or very watery chicken feed?

Their run has grit floor, so she has daily intake. Her crop feels empty, just ballooned full of air. I'm thinking of running a tube down her throat to try to relieve the pressure. I'll try watery egg in the morning but she's not responded to food or water.

 

[catfalls]

She has no interest in eating the watery egg, but she did drink quite a bit of water when I roused her this morning. She immediately started regurgitating it, similar to someone attempting to belch or induce vomiting. She has had similar neck/crop twitching and spasms for a couple of days now

 

[Eggcessive]

Does it look like she is adjusting her crop? Could she have a leaking air sac in her chest? Those can happen if they are bumped or injured. Is she pooping anything? Can you see anything inside her beak or throat?

 

[catfalls]

She only pooped a couple of times after we transferred her to a cage yesterday. She just drank more water and isn't having any spasms currently and now she's scratching and pecking in the shavings but still not eating. There's nothing in her beak or throat. I don't know how to tell if she has air leaking into her chest.
She just pecked at some chick feed, but didn't partake in eating, now she's back to scratching and pecking in the shavings again.

 

[Eggcessive]

Feel and examine crops of the other chickens to compare with what you are feeling with hers. If you press on her crop, does any air come up, or does it feel like liquid in the crop? A leaking air sac can become large with air under the skin. There are 9 air sacs throughout the body. Here is a video of removing air to reduce a leaking air sac:

 

[catfalls]

We've had a flock of 20+ hens for almost 17 years, so I'm pretty familiar with how crops normally feel. Hers feels like a water balloon, it's quite swollen but doesn't feel impacted at all and we don't smell any odor (e.g. sour crop). The swelling is definitely her crop. I feed the flock fermented organic mash every morning and she just ate all that I gave her, so hopefully it makes it through her system without issue.

 

[Eggcessive]

Okay, well l was confused when you described it as a balloon full of air. It probably is very slow, and she may develop sour crop. Most of those I have treated unsuccessfully had something going on, such as reproductive disorder or infection, cancer or water belly that put pressure on the crop. One I had had a gizzard that was not functioning, and worms can also cause the pressure. You could try to tube feed her, but there is usually a reason they chose not to eat. Let us know if she starts to eat. B complex vitamins, especially thiamine which is in most chicken vitamins and nutritional yeast, can help to increase the appetite. Your fermented feed should have some as well.

 

[catfalls]

Okay, well l was confused when you described it as a balloon full of air. It probably is very slow, and she may develop sour crop. Most of those I have treated unsuccessfully had something going on, such as reproductive disorder or infection, cancer or water belly that put pressure on the crop. One I had had a gizzard that was not functioning, and worms can also cause the pressure. You could try to tube feed her, but there is usually a reason they chose not to eat. Let us know if she starts to eat. B complex vitamins, especially thiamine which is in most chicken vitamins and nutritional yeast, can help to increase the appetite. Your fermented feed should have some as well.

She has been eating well since yesterday but still has the puffy crop and related neck/head spasms. I still don't smell any suerkraut odor around her head and she's otherwise acting normal