5 week old with HUGE CROP

[LikeTurkeys]

She died on my lap. I don't Think I held Her upside down long enough and I think She aspirated. By older...I meant 2 years old. She was part of our first chickens we got. We all loved her so much. She was perfectly fine the day before and she was leaking from her beak and her vent.

I lost my first hen the same way just a few months ago. She was a 2 year old RIR who became lethargic. As soon as she became lethargic her crop filled up. It was so full it would leak from her beak. She died 3 days after exhibiting symptoms, and it turned out (upon necropsy) that she was internally laying. Because of the advanced stage it was in, her digestive tract slowed down contributing to the crop issues.

If your hen was a very productive egg-laying breed, it is more likely that she had a reproductive problem than a hen that was not so productive. I don't know what breed your hen was or if she exhibited any other symptoms though, so it could have been something else of course. But often (especially with older hens, and not always of course), problems with the crop can indicate more serious underlying health issues.

 

[Sandy2003]

NO......do not 'vomit' a chicken.
They can aspirate the fluid from the crop into their lungs and die.

I know it’s really bad but it’s they only way we can treat it. Her crop is so large you can put ur finger thought. It’s super risky but she’s use to it and if we don’t do it she vomits on her own. Trust me I never wanted to vomit and we tried EVERYTHING but it’s the only thing that works

 

[Sandy2003]

She died on my lap. I don't Think I held Her upside down long enough and I think She aspirated. By older...I meant 2 years old. She was part of our first chickens we got. We all loved her so much. She was perfectly fine the day before and she was leaking from her beak and her vent.

I am so sorry, I know their is nothing I can say that will make you feel better. It’s so hard to treat a chicken with sour crop, you need your own coop and a special diet so I understand the constant stress and worry you are under. I really wanted to help you

 

[LoveFluffyButts]

I lost my first hen the same way just a few months ago. She was a 2 year old RIR who became lethargic. As soon as she became lethargic her crop filled up. It was so full it would leak from her beak. She died 3 days after exhibiting symptoms, and it turned out (upon necropsy) that she was internally laying. Because of the advanced stage it was in, her digestive tract slowed down contributing to the crop issues.

If your hen was a very productive egg-laying breed, it is more likely that she had a reproductive problem than a hen that was not so productive. I don't know what breed your hen was or if she exhibited any other symptoms though, so it could have been something else of course. But often (especially with older hens, and not always of course), problems with the crop can indicate more serious underlying health issues.

She had laid an egg the day before and was
Perfectly fine. It was so sudden and broke our hearts. She was a barred rock.