Crop not emptied in morning, no other symptoms

[chicken-ing]

It's been ages since I've posted here, but I'm worried sick about one of my hens again so here goes.

For the past two of three days, this hen has had a decently sized crop first thing in the morning like it hasn't fully emptied. I checked and felt her crop before she left the coop today and it had a fair amount of what felt like seeds inside though it was not squishy or hard, nor did her breath stink.
She is completely normal behavior-wise and has an appetite, albeit slowed down a bit by this horrible humid summer in the Mid-Atlantic like the rest of her flock (mid 90s and high humidity). Her poop is a liquidy yellow with some green.

Could this be explained by the heat or is it something else?

 

[ChicNmom]

The poop seems a little concerning to me. Have you tried crop massage to help move things through? Is the crop going down in size but not fully emptying overnight?

Have you felt her abdomen for any swelling?

 

[chicken-ing]

Here is a photo of one of her recent poos.

It does seem like her crop went down a tiny bit since yesterday. She doesn't like to be held for long, but I will try feeling her abdomen soon.

 

[ChicNmom]

I've only seen similar when a chicken had some kind of problem. Or ate a lot of greens. Could she have eaten a lot of grass that might have her clogged up? At least something is coming through

How old is she? Do you have an idea of when she last laid an egg?

If her crop is still full I would do crop massage with a little coconut oil and give her a stool softener to try and get things moving.

If it's not food related she could be having a reproductive problem and the inflammation is slowing down her digestion.

Do any of your other birds have anything similar happening? There are other things like worms that can affect digestion but I would think you'd see at least another hen with a similar problem.

 

[chicken-ing]

I've only seen similar when a chicken had some kind of problem. Or ate a lot of greens. Could she have eaten a lot of grass that might have her clogged up? At least something is coming through

How old is she? Do you have an idea of when she last laid an egg?

If her crop is still full I would do crop massage with a little coconut oil and give her a stool softener to try and get things moving.

If it's not food related she could be having a reproductive problem and the inflammation is slowing down her digestion.

Do any of your other birds have anything similar happening? There are other things like worms that can affect digestion but I would think you'd see at least another hen with a similar problem.

The flock has been getting some greens lately such as cabbage, carrot tops, and lettuce as well as a watermelon as a hydrating treat. They have regular layer feed available at all times and no access to grass.

She is about 4 1/2 years old, I believe she laid an egg or two in the past week but all four of my hens have laid less with the heat. Haven't seen anything similar with the others (~7 years old) other than decreased foraging, less eating, and lots of laying in the dirt as expected with these temps.

 

[ChicNmom]

Mine have watery diarrhea when my husband give them too much watermelon. But it looks just like watermelon puddles. The green color in the pic looks more like actual greens than a liver issue to me.

So If it were me I'd work on getting the crop cleared out and keep an eye on her.

It's been wicked hot here too. I've been leaving the coop door open with a fan going at night. Otherwise they are panting with their wings spread out. Our run is really sturdy unless a giant bear decides to break in but it still makes me a little nervous.

 

[chicken-ing]

She's up and active today— running around, scratching for bugs, sunning, etc. which is relieving my stress a little. I will keep checking and massaging her crop for the next few days. If her crop still refuses to empty or she starts showing other symptoms, a vet visit is probably my next move for her.

 

[chicken-ing]

Poo update

 

[ChicNmom]

The poop looks better even though it's still runny.
Maybe add some probiotics.

I've started using stool softener more often. I'll still do crop massage but after a few days the chickens get annoyed and sometimes the crop contents back up into their throat and I'm sure they hate that.

The stool softener just helps the crop contents absorb water so it's easier to move through and then helps it move through their system.

 

[chicken-ing]

Very late update, but I'm happy to report that she seems fine. She's had zero negative behavior changes, appetite changes, etc. that would be indicative of crop issues by now. She has a large appetite too and has been eating well with no overly large crop to be seen.