Hen stuffing her crop with chips, shavings!

[chookchick]

My little Jackie-O had a very large large crop yesterday. This morning when she first came out it looked like it had gone down, but during the day it became quite large again. She seemed to be eating constantly, including quite a bit of woodchip, which I use for their run. She seems perky and healthy, and she just started laying, she was on my knee today, and had good weight. I am not sure what, if anything, I should be doing for her at this point? She has crumbles, scratch, oystershell, grit, weeds, etc.. (and no grass or straw) to eat, why is she eating woodchips!!!

Could she be partially impacted?

 

[PeeperKeeper]

Some BYCers give their hens the oatmeal laced with olive oil treatment once a week for good crop maintenance.

 

[chickenbike]

I hadn't heard of the olive oil/oatmeal treatment. Mine eat a few shavings here and there, nothing that seemed too alarming. Is the olive oil treatment recommended anyways? How often?

 

[PeeperKeeper]

Speckledhen reccomended it. I try to do it at least once a week. Cooked oatmeal mixed with a good dose of olive oil.

 

[chickenbike]

Well, that won't be a problem as my gang LOVE cooked oatmeal and yoghurt! Thanks.

 

[chookchick]

I'm going to try the olive oil, ACV, yogurt and oatmeal treatment tomorrow. I'm thinking, after some searching, that she may be acting like a woman who is pregnant--you know, eating everything that is not nailed down. Maybe, after a few days, she'll get the hang of this "laying and egg" thing, and not eat everything in the coop?

 

[AngelzFyre]

Hey thanks for posting that PeeperKeeper! Great advice and I didn't know it either but sure will start doing that for the girls *and boy* this week.
Thanks to SpeckledHen too for the original info

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