Distended crop, water pouring from mouth, 20 month old hen

[COOPhilly]

Question from a friend of mine:

Yesterday evening one of my 20 month old hens became really ill and I have never seen anything like this nor could I find any info on it in my books. Has anyone heard of this:

Yesterday evening I noticed she was wet around the mouth and down her front feathers, her crop was distended and when I picked her up she felt very light. When I felt her crop, water just poured from her mouth! It happened three times about 10 minutes apart, I don't think she had time to drink that must in 10 minutes. I separated her from others for the night. She drank all her water but had not eaten this morning. She still looks wet around the face but the body had dried.

My other three 20 month old hens haven't been laying regularly. One of them seemed a little wet this morning and they are eating, but not as voraciously as is their habit. I couldn't catch my pullets to check them closely, but they looked fine and are eating voraciously.

Does anyone know what is happening or what I should do?

 

[meriruka]

Does the chicken have a bad/unusual odor if you sniff her beak?

 

[LynneP]

Has anything new been offered such as adult hen grit?

Sometimes a young one will get a blockage under the crop where it enters the gizzard. You can often clear it by gently lifting the crop to relieve the pressure and to get nutrition in. May take several days to massage this clear and only when it is safe to handle the crop.

For now, only oil or tomato juice may be able to get through and you will need to assist her by lifting the crop out of the way. When doing this check for contents in the crop. When this happens, the hen starves and stuffs her crop in an effort to get calories Your hens sounds as though she is past that and is desperate to get calories. If she does not she will starve.


https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=7693-sick-hen

If you have never experienced this before, it may help to consult an avian vet or a friend with experience with hens.

 

[the sisterhood]

I do not smell anything really bad or out of the ordinary.

Actually, the hen does seem to be improving. She seems to have been dry for 24 hours and ate about half cup of feed today. She also ate some cut up tomatoes and grapes. The egg sized lump in her crop seems smaller and she seems to have gained some of her weight back. She is still seperated from the others.
I haven't noticed any water on the heads of any other chikens today and they have eaten some, but still not as much as usual. Egg laying is about half of what is usual for the 20 month hens, and has not started in ernest for the 22 week old pullets.
I will try massaging the crop tomorrow to see if that makes it easier for her to eat.
I have no clue what this was or when it will be safe to let the sicken hen to join the others.
Thanks for helping.