Hen has nothing in her crop, breathing hard don't know whats wrong!

[Eggcessive]

Try feeling the crops of other hens. It should normally be empty in early morning, and fairly full by late afternoon before roosting.

 

[Cragg Klefor]

Yes, night time just before she roosts/settles for the night is a good time to find her crop- that's when she'll have filled it to get her through the night.
It's really useful to become familiar with feeling their crops. All of them! It's so often a chicken becomes sick due to crop issues, in my experience, or other times a crop issue will just be the part of the problem that we can see, and work on.
Great to hear she is eating! They can sometimes get along for months having good periods for maybe weeks at a time, then really struggling at times too. Again though, this is assuming it is a reproductive disorder.
Let's hope this is a really long good spell for her

 

[TerriL188]

I did finally find her crop last night and it was full and was empty this morning. She wanted to roost with the rest of her flock so I let her. I have been using the heat lamp lately so she has the opportunity to eat some at night. It was full tonight also, she must be feeling better she has found a place to get out of her run and I had to go find her to put her to bed. I would like to find something that might help her like vitamins or something, I assume that her comb might look better with some vitamins or minerals or something. Any ideas?

 

[Eggcessive]

Wyorp Rock suggested vitamins in post 11. She suggested Poultry NutriDrench which is 1 ml per each 3 pounds daily. You also could use 1/2 human vitamin B complex daily crush into food or a whole tablet dissolved in her water.

 

[TerriL188]

Thank you, now that you mention it I do remember Wyorp Rock saying that.

 

[TerriL188]

I haven't been able to get the vitamins, this is a bad time of year for us. I don't have any B vitamins, I was wondering can I do anything with multiple vitamins I have Centrum Brand or any other ideas of something I might have on hand would be a big help. I did send off a stool sample and the report came back yesterday and she does not have any worms now so at least I know that not a problem. Thanks Terri

 

[Eggcessive]

Since it has been so long without giving her vitamins, I probably would go ahead and cut you vitamin tablet into fourths if you can manage that. Crush it and mix with some feed that she will take all of. Or take a whole tablet and crush it into her water. That might do until you can get some vitamins or chopped liver or something with B vitamins.

 

[TerriL188]

Thank you so much Eggcessive I really appreciate your help. I have faith that things will be better next year, if this will help her some that would be grate. What do you think one pill per Gallon? Any idea? What about chicken livers (from the store not my chickens)

 

[Eggcessive]

Yes any kind of livers are good, but I think beef liver is a little better. A bottle of B Complex at the store might be as affordable as livers. Good luck.

 

[TerriL188]

Eggcessive or anyone, I have the B complex now but do not know how much B complex to mix with how much water?