Chicken with soft swollen chest-

[ChickenFanTeresa]

I would appreciate any help you chicken lovers can give. I have a 3 year old Langshan chicken who is still healthy, but has a soft, enlarged spot on her chest the size of a baseball. The feathers are falling off the spot. She seems fine otherwise- she has always been quiet. She is eating and drinking just fine. Does anyone know what this is? Should I be taking her to an avian vet, and if so, is anyone familiar with one in the Fort Worth area?
(The area on the chest is to the right of center, and is actually midway between her neck and her legs. It does not appear to bother her when we gently press on it, but she is not a very expressive chicken anyway. She has always been very passive).
Thank you so much!!

 

[nurse_turtle]

It's a full crop.

 

[ChickenFanTeresa]

This may be a stupid question, but what do I do about it? Why are the feathers falling off?

 

[Silkiesandco]

Quote:
She will digest the food in her crop, and shes probably molting. My birds are like this all the time. I wouldnt worry.

 

[ChickenFanTeresa]

Thank you so very much, "Chillin with my peeps"!! You saved me a trip to the vet. I am very grateful to you!

Is there anything else I should know about a Langshan? (She is usually a voracious eater- and she seems obese- we have wondered if she has an eating disorder!) None of the other chickens (7 other breeds, some mixed) eat like she does.

Thank you!!!

 

[nurse_turtle]

To check a bird's general weight status, feel her breastbone and if the breast tissue sinks in enough that the breast bone feels sharp, she is probably underweight. If her breast areas cause the breastbone to seem deeper, she might be a fatty. More or less, if the breastbone is sharp and protruding, she's skinny and if it's deeper between the breasts, she may be obese.