- Apr 17, 2012
- 10
- 18
- 79
I have a approximately 3 year old hen. Went away overnight last weekend, pet sitter was just letting the chickens out in the mornings and locking them in at night. Get home about 3pm, notice the chicken in the coop while the others are running about in the pen - not normal. She appeared to have hurt her leg, as she wouldn't stand when I picked her up and put her in the pen. Brought her into the house to give her a look over. Crop appeared full and once in the house, she was standing and giving me the stink eye. I set up the dog crate/chicken hospital in the laundry room with newspaper on the bottom and some water with a bit of baking soda added to it, massaged her crop and put her in the pen with the water, which she readily drank. No odor around her beak when I massaged the crop area and though she didn't like being confined by my holding her, she didn't seem to be in great pain or distress (mostly indignant). She seems to have lost some weight, but since they've all just gone through molt, I'm not sure if that's the cause. Figured impacted crop (maybe a feather or some grass?) and have been massaging it before and after work and it's gone down significantly, but still a small bump (like about half a hard boiled egg size, doesn't feel like all liquid, but not hard as a rock either) even though she's not eating chicken food I've offered her the past few days. Doesn't seem depressed, as when I clean the cage, I let her out (since she'll peck if cornered in the cage) and she readily wanders the house and finds a mirrored curio to go stare down (she's my bully hen - even has spurs). Poo is either grey/green hard lumps that flake apart when dry or mostly watery discharge that dries white on my wood floor (so it's apparently a bit projectile as well). Yesterday I offered her some scrambled egg, which she readily ate, but the chicken food holds no interest for her. Crop size has not changed discernibly the last 2 days. I'm financially in a bad way, but if she's not going to improve, I won't let her starve to death and will bring her to a vet (small animal - no chicken vets in area anymore), even if just to have her put down.
Any ideas of other things to try, or should I bite the bullet, take a day off work and bring her to a vet - who may or may not have an idea of what to do for her.
Any ideas of other things to try, or should I bite the bullet, take a day off work and bring her to a vet - who may or may not have an idea of what to do for her.
