Going to roost with a half full crop

[tori852]

I have a flock of Icelandic chickens, they're medium sized birds. 6 one year old hens, 8 four month old hens, and 4 four month old roosters. We are going to be butchering 2 of the roosters soon btw. Everyone is fed grower crumbles right now, with oyster shells on the side for the adults.

Anyway, one of the adult hens, Cinnamon, has been routinely going to roost with a not full crop. Everyone else always goes to roost with a stuffed crop that feels good and solid, she doesn't. It's usually at half capacity or a bit less when she goes to roost, and it doesn't feel as hard usually. Sometimes it's harder like all the other hens, but usually when I check it at night it's a bit soft.

This has been going on for over 2 months with no change. None of the other birds have this problem, I check crops every night. Not sure what to do for her as I have carefully examined her many times and I can't find anything physically wrong with her other than that. She does always go to the roost early, and I don't see her aggressively pigging out before dark like the others. But she forages and explores around when I let them out to free range, she's active (unlike sick birds who get obviously lethargic), her crop isn't tender, she holds her tail feathers upright, her feathers are sleek and well maintained (aside from the fact that there's still some molting so she's lacking a few tail feathers), no mites or the like on her, no excessive scratching, poops look normal, no wounds or scabs, no eye or nose discharge, combs and wattles are the proper color, her breathing sounds normal, she's definitely drinking water, she dust bathes. What else... she really dislikes being held and won't come near me unless I have mealworms, but that's normal for her. Oh and she's never gone broody, unlike her sisters who are all declaring strike right now. I'm pretty sure she hasn't been laying for awhile since the most eggs I've gotten all summer is 5 out of 6, but I can't tell who is and isn't laying so it's a guess. I'm not getting any eggs right now, 4 hens are broody, one just quit being broody, and then there's Cinnamon.

Any thoughts??? She should be eating more, shouldn't she? Is there anything I can give her to boost her appetite, or are internal parasites a possibility? I kind of figured internal parasites would affect everyone though... So I'm at a loss. Any help is appreciated! Thanks!

 

[azygous]

Each chicken has their own metabolism and may process nutrients more or less efficiently than the next chicken. If you have crop concerns about one of your flock, you need to monitor the crop both at night and first thing in the morning. You want to find a perfectly flat and empty crop in the morning.

Behavior is the best indicator of health. You already know what to look for. You don't need to wait until a hen becomes symptomatic of illness. If you find this hen's crop is still half full in the morning, not having emptied overnight, then you need to figure out what sort of issue she's having with her crop. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/ She may have an obstruction making her crop feel full when she's only eaten a tiny bit. You should be able to make a diagnosis after examining her in the morning before she eats.

Occasionally, a low ranking flock member has a problem getting enough to eat, and after a while, they settle for less, resulting in a partially full crop at roosting time. They may also show signs of lagging behind in size and weight, though small size can often be attributed to genetics, just as in humans.

You will want to observe her eating habits and watch how much time she spends at a feeder before being nudged away. Sometimes when I have a small hen that is pushed away from the feeders, I let them have a special bowl of food all their own in a protected space. Sometimes, extra feedings can build up a timid hen and she has more strength to compete at the feeder. Special treatment is often overlooked as an effective management tool for chickens that seem to lag behind the others.

 

[Eggcessive]

Good advice. It doesn’t sound like you have a problem as long as she is acting normally. She may just be a lighter eater, and she obviously likes to get her first choice on the best roosting spot.