This morning when I went to let my 8 hens out of the coop I noted that my single Jersey Giant, Dianna (1 year old almost exactly) didn't join the exodus. I poked my head inside the coop and she was standing beside the nesting boxes. When I came home several hours later my mom (next--door-neighbor) commented that she had tossed the chickens some bread and that Dianna hadn't responded or made any attempts to go after the bread. Just sat in the shade. I had noticed that she wasn't very active yesterday when I let them out to free-range, but I thought it might be the heat and the fact that she was larger than the rest of the chickens and black.
I did a bit of reading on impacted crop and being egg bound and went out to examine her. When I picked her up, she burped up some liquid. I didn't find a hard golf-ball sized lump that would suggest an impacted crop, or anything about her vent that would suggest to me that she was egg bound, but I did notice that what I had been admiring as a very large, proud "bosom" of breast meat was soft and squishy like a water balloon. I've actually noticed for several weeks that she had a big breast, but though "well, she's a Jersey Giant". While I was gathering my supplies my mom held Diana on her lap and commented to me that several times she made these little gagging or burping motions, followed by swallowing. She didn't struggle at all while she was being held or examined, other than resisting being given fluids.)
Any ideas or suggestions? I did give her a dropper full of olive oil and gently massage her crop area and then gave her several dropper fulls of water with electrolytes. We then moved her into a dog crate lined with pine shavings and placed the crate in my mom's basement, which is a nice cool 67 degrees. When I came back a few minutes later with my water and electrolytes she was moving around and examining her new digs, but I am by no means willing to chalk this all up to the heat (especially because while it has been unusually hot during the day, it still cools down into the low 60s at night.)
I did a bit of reading on impacted crop and being egg bound and went out to examine her. When I picked her up, she burped up some liquid. I didn't find a hard golf-ball sized lump that would suggest an impacted crop, or anything about her vent that would suggest to me that she was egg bound, but I did notice that what I had been admiring as a very large, proud "bosom" of breast meat was soft and squishy like a water balloon. I've actually noticed for several weeks that she had a big breast, but though "well, she's a Jersey Giant". While I was gathering my supplies my mom held Diana on her lap and commented to me that several times she made these little gagging or burping motions, followed by swallowing. She didn't struggle at all while she was being held or examined, other than resisting being given fluids.)
Any ideas or suggestions? I did give her a dropper full of olive oil and gently massage her crop area and then gave her several dropper fulls of water with electrolytes. We then moved her into a dog crate lined with pine shavings and placed the crate in my mom's basement, which is a nice cool 67 degrees. When I came back a few minutes later with my water and electrolytes she was moving around and examining her new digs, but I am by no means willing to chalk this all up to the heat (especially because while it has been unusually hot during the day, it still cools down into the low 60s at night.)
Last edited:
