Enlarged craw

[Bowling chickens]

Hello,
I need help, I have a hen who has lost most all feathers on her chest and the craw area is so enlarged it swings back and forth when she walks. She acts happy and healthy, eats and moves with the rest of the flock.

 

[NatJ]

the craw area is so enlarged it swings back and forth when she walks. She acts happy and healthy, eats and moves with the rest of the flock.

Is is soft and feels like a bag of grain.

I would check the crop again early tomorrow morning, maybe just before sunup so the hen has not started to eat yet.

The normal, healthy pattern is for a chicken to wake up with an empty crop, then have a partly-full crop during most of the day, then stuff the crop entirely full in the evening before going to sleep. By morning, all that food is digested and the crop is empty again.

You've already found that something is in the crop during the day, so that's part of the normal pattern. If it is empty in the morning, that is another part of the normal pattern.

A crop that is full and hard, and does not empty, is a problem.
A crop that does not empty is a problem, even if it is not completely full or hard.
If the chicken does not act healthy, that indicates a problem too (maybe a crop problem, maybe something else.)

But if the chicken acts fine, and the crop seems to be filling and emptying properly, I don't think you need to worry or do anything about the situation.

 

[Bowling chickens]

Checked her crop this morning and it is still huge. We have her a few doses of coconut oil and watched her poop. Her poop is normal but not large. Her crop is still large and soft she is eating happily even though it seem to be so heavy it is almost dragging on the ground. She has rubbed off most all her feathers and is bare breasted.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Welcome To BYC

It looks like her crop is pendulous, she may need a bra to help you get it to empty. See the article below for treatment.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

 

[Bowling chickens]

Thank you all so much! We are still treating her and doing lots of massaging. we are now up to stool softeners and have done a lot of research on crop surgery. We are hoping it doesn't come to that.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

If her crop is still not emptying by morning, I would continue to address the symptoms.
Sometimes when it's pendulous the crop needs to be lifted with a bra in order to get it to drain properly. While coconut oil can be very helpful if the crop is hanging low the contents are not able to empty into the proventriculus. This can eventually sour and cause a yeast infection (Sour Crop).

 

[Bowling chickens]

Do you mean her crop? Does it feel squishy or hard?

Yes I mean crop, sorry I am just learning these terms.
Is is soft and feels like a bag of grain.

 

[Bowling chickens]

She walks bent over like it is really heavy.

 

[NatJ]

Checked her crop this morning and it is still huge. We have her a few doses of coconut oil and watched her poop. Her poop is normal but not large. Her crop is still large and soft she is eating happily even though it seem to be so heavy it is almost dragging on the ground. She has rubbed off most all her feathers and is bare breasted.

If the crop did not get empty during the night, and is that full now, she probably does have a problem of some sort.

I see that someone else already tagged a few people that know more than me about crop issues, so I'll let them be the ones to give advice.

 

[ChasingChooks]

Thanks for chiming in @NatJ!

I joined BYC to get some help for my sick bird, so I know what it's like to try and find some advice. I'm a newbie, still, so I'm not a lot of help...