Hen with a lump on her breast the size of an egg.

[NatureCenterHen]

Please help!

We have a Bantam hen at the Nature Center that I work at who had some really bad symptoms this morning that I didn't notice yesterday. She has a very large lump on her left side of her breast that is hard and kind of looks like an egg, which makes no sense to me. She has been quite scraggly looking for a while but that is pretty normal for our Bantams. She also was very uneasy on her feet this morning and just sat there in the nest box when I fed them and let me touch her, which they never do. The other hens started pecking her face, so I put her into a separate cage inside the hen house with water and something to lay on. My boss says she probably won't make it through the day because of how bad she looks, but I had been using this site to learn about chickens since I started working here and figured someone may be able to help me. I am unable to get a picture of her right now to show you. We also are not really able to take her to a vet but I'm really just looking for an at home remedy for her. I'm not sure how old she is or her exact type. Please help!

 

[marlo1968]

Please help!

We have a Bantam hen at the Nature Center that I work at who had some really bad symptoms this morning that I didn't notice yesterday. She has a very large lump on her left side of her breast that is hard and kind of looks like an egg, which makes no sense to me. She has been quite scraggly looking for a while but that is pretty normal for our Bantams. She also was very uneasy on her feet this morning and just sat there in the nest box when I fed them and let me touch her, which they never do. The other hens started pecking her face, so I put her into a separate cage inside the hen house with water and something to lay on. My boss says she probably won't make it through the day because of how bad she looks, but I had been using this site to learn about chickens since I started working here and figured someone may be able to help me. I am unable to get a picture of her right now to show you. We also are not really able to take her to a vet but I'm really just looking for an at home remedy for her. I'm not sure how old she is or her exact type. Please help!

Maybe its an impacted crop? I haven't seen it, only heard about it, but there is info on here that will help, do a search for impacted crop, sour crop, there is even a diagram somewhere that explains where the crop is located....I've read that you should not massage the crop if indeed it is impacted, there are other remedies. best wishes to you and the hen.

 

[marlo1968]

Maybe its an impacted crop? I haven't seen it, only heard about it, but there is info on here that will help, do a search for impacted crop, sour crop, there is even a diagram somewhere that explains where the crop is located....I've read that you should not massage the crop if indeed it is impacted, there are other remedies. best wishes to you and the hen.

Ok, so I went onto one of the search results for impacted crop, ppl were saying to massage the crop to relieve the issue, so read, read, read...there were lots of results....

 

[NatureCenterHen]

Thanks for the reply! When my boss gets back I will mention massaging it. The hen is really lethargic and sad looking It's sad because the kids call her Big Bird!

 

[NatureCenterHen]

I just checked on her and now the lump feels softer. When I felt around and kind of massaged it I felt little rocks and things in there, which I guess is whats supposed to be there. It doesn't feel hard like an egg like it did before. She also passed a partially formed egg while she was in there.
The good news is that she is acting much more lively and really doesn't want to be in that side cage, but we need to keep her there to prevent the picking from the other hens. My biggest concern is that no one will be in tomorrow to check on her, so she will be without food until Monday morning. Please let me know if there is anything else I should do!

BTW, she is very thirsty! She was drinking alot when I was watching her.

Thanks again for all the help!

 

[NatureCenterHen]

She is acting so much better today! The lump has gone down and she is not being picked on by the other hens. Thanks for the help!

 

[marlo1968]

She is acting so much better today! The lump has gone down and she is not being picked on by the other hens. Thanks for the help!

So glad she is doing better,