Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[LozzyR]

If you are unsure about what a crop should feel like at a particular time of day, the easiest answer for you is to feel your other hens crops and compare.
The statement that a hens crop should be empty in the morning can be misleading if one is not familiar with how an empty crop feels. Often one still feel some content in a crop in the morning and this is normal.
So, check all your hens at night as they roost and again in the morning before you let them out.
Sour crop can be deceiving. Often the crop still functions to a degree but is often slower than normal.
I see you have read Two Crows article which is very good. The problem an inexperienced keeper has is often determining which crop problem their hen has. A partially impacted crop can easily be mistaken for sour, or slow crop.
I'm sure you will get advice on the ER thread.
My advice is always take the hen to a vet if you have a vet that is competent and you can afford the cost.
My other piece of advice is to get used to handling your hens. It will give you and them more confidence. The easiest way is to do this at night while they are roosting. A good headtorch helps. Take each hen off the roost and stand them in front of you preferable on a table. Do this in the dark bar the head torch and feel the hen. Check under their tail feathers around their vents, lift their wings and look underneath and feel their crops and down their keel bones. If you do this every night for a week you will learn more than hours spent on the Internet. What is normal for one hen may be odd for another.
I do hope she turns out okay.

Thanks Shad. I felt everyone’s crop tonight and got a better idea of what it felt like. Everyone except Lucy felt like they had a golf ball under their feathers. Lucy’s was less defined, which was a bit worrying, but maybe that’s her normal. I turned off the door open function for both houses and will get up early tomorrow to let them out and feel each crop as I let them out.

 

[MaryJanet]

Winter will not give up

I had to break out my rug!
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I've been using mine every day! It keeps me warm while I'm at the desk

 

[Shadrach]

Thanks Shad. I felt everyone’s crop tonight and got a better idea of what it felt like. Everyone except Lucy felt like they had a golf ball under their feathers. Lucy’s was less defined, which was a bit worrying, but maybe that’s her normal. I turned off the door open function for both houses and will get up early tomorrow to let them out and feel each crop as I let them out.

Just getting to know where everything is and what it does is an excellent start for all chicken keepers. It's an unfortunate fact that by the time a chicken looks ill, it's often quite serious.
I used to be terribly afraid of hurting them if I handled them but they are actually surprisingly robust in this respect.
I won't join in on the ER thread Lozzy, but if there is anything I can help you with just tag me here.

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

My poor Charlie!

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Poor baby. Moulting looks so uncomfortable. ☹

Hopefully she will lose them in stages and not all at once like Alice did.

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

Here are two of the broodies in banishment... and there is Cutie the white one.. she managed the same thing as yesterday... I found her in the nest box again after putting her out this morning.. have NO idea!! But I put her back out in the yard and she hasn’t done it again... I was watching her with camera ready for a good forty five minutes but nothing! Not sure if banishment is working.. it’s the perfect setup so long as it doesn’t rain... I can keep them out here all day... they were out all day yesterday but as soon as I put them up for the night they all went straight back to their nests!! ....View attachment 2134647View attachment 2134648

I blocked off the nests at night with a sheet of cardboard. It forced them to use the roosts.

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

Here’s the little stinker! Who got back in her nest twice today... but apparently did not make the jump this time! I think she is jumping to the roof of the coop then jumping down in their yard... this time the net caught her!! Good thing the girl saw her.. I don’t know how long she was there but she was calling ... and it was not easy getting her out... I can’t make this stuff up! CHICKENS BE CRAZY! View attachment 2134912View attachment 2134914View attachment 2134915View attachment 2134916View attachment 2134918

Bird netting can be really nasty.

When we first had chickens I used bird netting over their run to stop them getting out.

Unfortunately a rosella got tangled in it and strangled itself in an attempt to be free.

The second time this happened I got rid of the netting...

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

this thread has really taken off!

Some time ago! I think it has been around the world once and is on it's second flight!

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

Help please

River was making a funny noise this morning, almost yipping like a small dog. I watched her carefully and she came and had some breakfast and seemed her normal self, plus she also made her normal vocalisations. She came down to the run to check out the food I’d put in the feeder and I only just by chance noticed that when she bent down, brown liquid came out of her beak. The last time I saw that, my hen died. Can I have some advice please? She’s really skittish and hard to catch, plus I have no knowledge of sour crop or impacted crop. I can’t believe I might have to make another trip to the vet and I’m starting to wonder if I can continue to keep chickens. I don’t know what to do.

My understanding (but I don't have any real experience) is that the basic thing to figure is if the crop is full first thing in the morning (it should be empty). You should be able to see it - you know when they have been eating their crop bulges out - and that isn't true first thing in the morning because they digest it over night. If there is a crop issue then it will still be full. You can feel it - when you feel their crops at night you can feel they are full and not full in the morning.

What Royal Chick says sounds right @LozzyR .

When I was having trouble with Deana and what seemed to be an impacted crop I was told to give her a teaspoon of coconut oil and gently massage the crop in the morning.

The coconut oil was quite cool and she pecked it off the spoon like peanut butter, really enjoyed it too! Then I held her gently and massaged the crop. It felt like a solid lump at first then gradually started feeling softer and softer. It got smaller as she swallowed and burped. She seemed very surprised at the burps!

I'm not sure if that would work for sour crop too. A friend's chicken had sour crop and they took her to the vet who drained it by holding the chook at steep angle and letting it drain out. I wouldn't have the confidence to do that personally but I think the idea is getting the crop to empty properly.

Good luck with River, we are all learning as we go. Try not to be too disheartened.

 

[RoyalChick]

It is Fat Bird and she's lovely.

Of course she is - we are all already smitten with Fat Bird!

 

[RoyalChick]

I first read it when I was about 13 or14 and didn't really follow the deeper societal messages. I just really enjoyed the characterizations. I really love Hazel, Fiver, Bigwig and Blackberry.
I think I have a thing for smart rabbits

I haven't read it in decades - I should re-read. Remembering the names I am thinking there are some good chicken names to steal!