HELP...Hen with lump on breast (crop)

Blackvirgo13

Hatching
10 Years
Nov 22, 2009
3
0
7
Can someone please help, my 8 month old Isa Brown has a fluidy lump the size of a golf ball on right side of her breast (crop) . She is very happy, eating well, poo is good, drinking well, no strange behaviour, she is her normal nosey self. When I touch or put pressure on the lump, she does not appear to be concerned or bothered by it. Does anyone know what this is, what can I do? THANX !!!
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Yes, we need a sticky of things you will freak out over but are completely normal. This goes in it. Check on her in the morning to see that it has gone down. Chickens stuff their crop before bed time, but as long as it empties and doesn't smell bad, then it's fine. If it doesn't empty, then she has an impacted crop. If it smells bad, she has a sour crop (fungus infection). I would search for miss Prissy's advice on these matters if you ever have one of those problems.
 
I should have mentioned the lump has been there for a couple of weeks...I really don't want to lose my prime hen.
 
Ok, if it doesn't empty overnight, then it sounds like an impacted crop. In extreme cases, people have successfully addressed it with surgery, but that should be a last resort. I have never dealt with it myself, but Miss Prissy has good advice on this forum if you just search for impacted crop.

Good luck and best wishes for your prime hen.
 
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The crop will fill up on a daily basis and then empty out overnight. You may just be seeing it when it's packed full, which chickens tend to do every day. If she seems fine otherwise, i think you might be worrying for nothing. Check in the morning to make sure it has emptied out.
 
I'm chuckling because I see myself in your post. For what it's worth, if you ever get an impaction the most common two are easily resolved with persistence and patience.
A link for you, check incidents 03 and 04. The crop is very muscular and there will always be a little something-something to feel, plus well fed hens may have some residual food or fibre in there early in the morning, and they scratch in the bedding long before you arrive or use the hopper for a snack.

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

But I agree- she's fine!
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I had this problem with one of mine. She seemed happy other than the HUGE lump which didn't go down. We did the massaging which helped, and you can keep her isolated and fast her then give bread in olive oil. DH tried holding her upside down and forcing out as a last resort. He just ended up having to cull her. It was a sad thing, she was a sweetie. He said she was thin, something was stuck. She liked to eat dirt and rocks all the time, even over fresh grass. So try the methods I listed, which were found on here, and good luck! Hope you can help her!
 
Oh and feeding diced tomatoes can break down very fibrous and gritty material.
Hens will eat everything from Kleenex to glass, it's true.
But if she is acting fine, just watch with a slightly jaded eye, some of these things pass and we never know...
 
Thank you everyone for your advice. I am a little embarressed as I checked my hen this morning and the lump was not there. Obviously, when I have checked her, the crop has been full. I'll keep an eye on her, otherwise I think I was in a panic over something very simple. THANXS:yiipchick
 

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