Help with ill layer!!!

[Trib]

I have a young laying New Hampshire hen, my best and healthiest. All a sudden she is sleeping and drooling. She is an amazing layer with one a day. We may not have gotten one today but not sure... Our other NH actually ate the drool dripping off of her and she didn't flintch. Not sure what to do. Love this hen but I am new to this. I also have two White Leghorns and one Buff Orpington. They are all happy and healthy with lots of fresh water and food. They get table craps but we are careful what we give them and they all get the same stuff. Hope that is enough info for anyone that can help. Thank you.

 

[Eggcessive]

Welcome to BYC. How does her crop look and feel? You will want to check it first thing in the morning before she eats to see if it is empty. Impacted or sour crop may be a problem. With sour crop, the liquid that comes up is sour or bad smelling. A full poofy slow moving crop sometimes can occur while sick with other illnesses. Does she have any diarrhea, and is she eating and drinking? Coccidiosis can cause lethargy, diarrhea, standing puffed up, and sometimes a slow crop. Coccidosis can be treated with Corid or amprollium. Have you wormed your hens? Here are some links on crop problems in case that is what is wrong:
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/04/answers-from-chicken-vet-on-impacted.html
http://www.tillysnest.com/2012/01/crop-issues.html

 

[Trib]

Thank you for responding. It looks like I have some research to do. I didn't know that crops had anything to do with the chicken, and wondered why natural selection would produce one... I probably sound pretty ignorant right now. I have also never heard of deworming chickens... I love these hens and would hate for them to be suffering from neglect in any way. I have learned alot from experience, but I suppose I have a long way to go. Well I am off to look up chicken crops! Thanks again.

 

[Trib]

So much for my first impression here... I thought you were referring to the comb and was wondering why it would be doing those things... I will check her out in the morning, yhank you and forgive my bad first impression here. :/

 

[Eggcessive]

Long strands of grass or large pieces of food can get stuck in the crop, and cause impacted crop, then later, sour crop which may be a bacterial or fungal infection. Sour crop can cause spitting up sour fluid, and a large squishy crop. Drooling can also take place with a respiratory disease. Those usually have other symptoms such as gurgling in the chest, watery eyes, nasal drainage, or swelling around an eye. I hope you can figure out what is going on, and keep on posting here if you don't get answers. Tomorrow morning more people will read this thread, so give more symptoms, and ask more questions.