Amber Star lethargic

[HelenV]

Hi

I'm worried about my little girl.

She's approx 3 years old and stopped laying 6 months ago. Up until then she had laid every single day. I have three girls in the run and the Amber Star is definitely at the bottom of the pecking order.

Just recently she has appeared quite lethargic, not wanting to hang out with the others. Her crop is quite swollen, tonight I'm going to attempt to give her some tomotos as I read on here that the acid in the tomotoe can help to break down anything that's stuck in the crop.

Her poo seems fine and she's not being bullied by the others. Her comb and wattle are strong and she's walking slowly but firmly.

Is there anything else I should be doing to coax her back to better health or is simply something she's just going through?

Any help is appreciated.

Helen

 

[TwoCrows]

The best time to check a crop is first thing in the morning. A full crop during the day is normal. If the crop is still full in the morning, then there is a problem.

First thing you need to do is isolate her for a few days to monitor her poop, feed and water consumption. Feel her crop first thing on the roost bar. If it is very hard, then she has an impacted crop. Do not feed her for at least 24 hours or more. Use a syringe filled with olive oil and squirt about a teaspoon or two down her beak 3 times a day. That will help break down the hardened mass. On the second day you can offer her some damp layer feed, but keep up with the oil if the hardened mass has not moved.

If the crop is soft and squishy first thing in the morning, then the crop may be sour. The best thing you can do is to get all that rotting food out of her crop by vomiting her. Hold her like a foot ball in one arm and with your other hand, support her at the crop. Lean your entire body, with chicken, forward so she is nearly verticle. Squeeze and work the crop at the same time. Once the gunk starts to come out, count to 5 and lean her back up. No MORE than 5 seconds in this position as she will need to breathe. Give her a minute break and repeat this process another time.

Then keep her isolated for a day or two and only offer her damp layer feed. Nothing else, no hard seeds, veggies or anything that is not water soluble. You may need to repeat the vomiting the next morning and if she is really bad shape, possibly again the same day. After a few days, the sour crop should be healing and you can let her out. If she is kept in a run only, you can let her out sooner. You don't want her to free range eating all kinds of grasses and plant material with a sour crop.

You can also add apple cider vinegar to the water, 2 or 3 tablespoons per gallon of water. This will help heal up the crop.

Oh, and welcome to BYC!!

 

[HelenV]

Thanks Twocrowsranch, that's really useful information.

This morning she does look slightly better after feeding her olive oil and massaging her crop yesterday. Her crop today seems to have diminished and she is walking better and pecking at the ground. Coincidentally I found a soft egg inside the run which wasn't there yesterday; just can't be sure if it's hers.

I'll continue with the olive oil and massage today, see how it goes.

Thanks for your help, it's a real reassurance having a site like this to get great advice from.

Helen