hen drinks loads of water, spits it out with some soggy food from crop, and then eats it again??

[bantambabyy]

i recently bought a new hen who keeps doing something strange. she will at random points in the day go and drink a ton of water at once (more than she normally does at one time) and then spit out the water as well as some food from her crop, and then start eating the food she just spit out? i really dont know what to think.

my immediate thought was sour crop but shes acting perfectly fine. lots of energy, eating perfectly fine, drinking fine bar from this one weird habit, lays almost daily and her crop feels normal and exactly the same as all my other chickens who ive never seen do this before. the thing is ive seen her do this like 2 or 3 times a day since i got her, is this something i should be worried about? is this just a weird quirk or is she sick and just not showing it? i think id be less concerned if i saw it maybe once or twice but the frequency of it is worrying me

 

[Chicken_Obsesser]

What are the temperatures where you are?

 

[bantambabyy]

What are the temperatures where you are?

im in the uk and its about 30C which doesnt sound super hot but its been extremely hot this past week or so. does that make it possible shes just overhydrating and drinking too much to keep down?

 

[Chicken_Obsesser]

That's what I was reading online. Sometimes if the bird is too hot, she'll drink too much water than she can handle and can sometimes cough it back up again. @Eggcessive do you know what this could be?

 

[Eggcessive]

You say the crop feels normal, but is it empty and flat early in morning before she eats or drinks. Or does it feel full and firm or full and puffy? Check it first thing at daylight before she eats to see if it is empty. Let us know. It sounds like she might dealing with a crop disorder, or drinking a lot of water and causing herself to throw up. I don’t have experience with that so I will tag @azygous. She has a good article about crop problems here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

 

[azygous]

Go by her behavior. These sorts of things can come and go rapidly, and not end up meaning much. It's when it affects behavior, appetite, poop, etc that you need to be concerned.

Don't forget that she is likely stressed due to being new and getting acquainted with a new flock and new surroundings. This can have an effect on digestion. It takes about three weeks for everyone to settle down after a new addition.

 

[bantambabyy]

You say the crop feels normal, but is it empty and flat early in morning before she eats or drinks. Or does it feel full and firm or full and puffy? Check it first thing at daylight before she eats to see if it is empty. Let us know. It sounds like she might dealing with a crop disorder, or drinking a lot of water and causing herself to throw up. I don’t have experience with that so I will tag @azygous. She has a good article about crop problems here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

i checked her crop this morning after someone on reddit told me to and it was empty. shes still pooping though sometimes it is a little watery. i checked again mid-way through the day and also before bed and it was pretty full, just felt the same as my other chickens and no noticeable hard lumps. ive ordered some miconazole just incase she does start showing other symptoms of sour crop and i have it on hand immediately. and shes definitely not a big fan of all this touching im doing thanks for the reply!

 

[bantambabyy]

Go by her behavior. These sorts of things can come and go rapidly, and not end up meaning much. It's when it affects behavior, appetite, poop, etc that you need to be concerned.

Don't forget that she is likely stressed due to being new and getting acquainted with a new flock and new surroundings. This can have an effect on digestion. It takes about three weeks for everyone to settle down after a new addition.

thank you for the reply. she is definitely still stressed, ive had her just under 2 weeks now and shes definitely still the most scared of me out of the 3 hens i got. i will also note that her poop is sometimes quite watery (like 50% of the time its normal, the other 50% its quite watery) but i had chalked it up to her drinking way more than the other hens. ive been keeping my eye on her and have ordered some miconazole just in case things get worse