Crop issues?

[JAR26]

Hi! One of my 1.5 year old bovin brown hens is acting odd today. She looks like she is trying to trow up. Free ranging she looks and eats as normal but in coop run she is shying away from others (not as social). No one is picking on her and one of the 3 did not lay today and im assuming it's her. I picked her up and felt or crop...feals a bit full and mushy. I initially read online about helping them empty their crop, I tried for a couple of seconds tipping her down and massaging but only a bit of drool came out and i wasnt confident enough to try it again. I gave her olive oil instead and also noticed she has a patch of feathers missing on her checks with red skin. They are not molting and everyone else seems to be doing fine. Could be sour crop, or impacted crop or some kind of worm? Thanks for any advice.

 

[Ihavesomechickens]

If you could get a photo, or even better, a video that would be great. It would be helpful to see the exact motions to see for sure.

 

[coach723]

You need to check the crop first thing in the morning before access to food or water, it should be empty then. If it's not empty then, then there could be a problem. The crop fills and empties throughout the day as they eat and digest, so it's very difficult to judge in the middle of the day. They will often fill the crop full before going to roost at night, and will digest through the night. It should be empty first thing in the morning. The motions could just be crop adjusting by the bird to help empty and move things out of the crop, they do that often especially when they have a very full crop. I would not try to vomit the bird unless you KNOW there is a problem and as a last resort, they can aspirate very easily when they are vomited. Once you check in the morning, post if there is still a possible issue, or not.
More info on crop problems and narrowing them down.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...ntion-and-treatments-of-crop-disorders.67194/

 

[JAR26]

Hi! Thanks for the replies. She sometimes looks fine and then she starts doing this again. I never seen her do that before today. See video bellow.

 

[JAR26]

 

[coach723]

Looks like she is adjusting her crop. So do the morning check to see if it's empty then. This could be normal from a very full crop, or if it's not emptying then from a problem slowing things down. How the crop feels tomorrow morning will tell where to go from here.

 

[JAR26]

Morning! I got there at 630 so saddly they were already up but i felt the healthy ones and they were quite empty and the sick one now felt firm (not as squishy). So she must have eaten something. She is still doing the head bobbing thing and seems to have plucked more feathers...could this be because of pain? I also heard her burp or at least there was a gurgling sound that I never heard before. I happened a few times while I was watching her. I think my plan would be to seperate her before bed tonight and only give her AVC water with a bit of garlic and see how she looks like the next morning and try a yogurt/egg yolk diet for a bit? Ive read some people have had success this way. Thoughts?

 

[Ihavesomechickens]

I would try that as it almost never hurts just to try.

 

[JAR26]

Hi! Me again?, so after almost 24 hours with no food, her crop is not empty and she only pooped once or twice that I can see. Crop semi mushy (not quite as dirst as when they have it full of feed but not as mushy as I felt it to be once). So...what should be my next move. If her crop isnt emtying...is that a sign of sour crop...or impacted crop? Does it need to be emptied before I give her yogurt?

 

[coach723]

First thing I would do is give fluids several times a day and do crop massage each time, see if you can break up what is in the crop and get it to pass. You can also give coconut oil, that can help lubricate things and help with constipation if that's an issue. Freeze or refrigetate the coconut oil til firm and then break in peices and put in the beak and she will swallow it. There are many possiblilities when there is a crop issue (all discussed in the links I gave you before), have your birds ever been wormed or had a fecal done to check for them? A worm load can cause a backed up crop. Reproductive problems are another common cause of slow crops, do you feel any bloat in the abdomen, between the legs below the vent? You can compare with others if you are not sure. Eating a foreign object can cause a blockage or partial blockage. Crop problems are often a symptom of something else farther down the digestive tract that we can't see. I would not feed anything fiberous at all, only water soluble things that are easy to digest. Mixing her regular feed with water to make a mash they usually like.