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[krimsonkitty]

General chicken knowledge question-
I possibly have a sick girl and am reading on how to diagnose the symptoms. An issue I’m finding though, is a lot of diagnosing requires feeling certain parts of the chicken for “normalcy.” Hard to do when you don’t really know what you are feeling and if it’s normal or not. Does anyone know of hands on resources that teach the “feel” of a normal chicken?

 

[MorningGlory16]

The easiest thing to do is to observe your other chickens. Pick one up and look her over, compare her to the one you're concerned about. Or, post pictures and her symptoms/your concerns here and someone will be able to help you identify what's wrong. BYC folks are great at that

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hard to answer your question.

Photos of bird, poop, housing, etc.
List the symptoms?
We may be able to help you further.
You are asking how to "feel" a normal chicken, what part of the body are you wanting to feel?

 

[Ursuline Chick]

You may want to find a diagram or two of normal chicken anatomy on the internet and print them out as references, until you are more familiar with them. Good Luck. Try to send us the things @Wyorp Rock has suggested as that will help others help you and your chicken.

 

[krimsonkitty]

Hard to answer your question.

Photos of bird, poop, housing, etc.
List the symptoms?
We may be able to help you further.
You are asking how to "feel" a normal chicken, what part of the body are you wanting to feel?

What should a normal crop feel like? And where on chest do you feel for it?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

What should a normal crop feel like? And where on chest do you feel for it?

The crop is located on the right side of the breast.
It's like a pouch that holds/stores food/water that will go on through the digestive system.
When a hen has been eating/drinking, you should be able to feel the crop. Just run your hand down the right side of her breast, it will feel like a lump under the feathers. It should not be painful to the hen to feel the crop. When she goes to roost at night, then crop should feel full. Depending on the hen and how much she ate, it might be the size of a golf ball or even as big as an apple.
As she's sleeping, the crop empties and the food/water is processed through the digestive system. Hens poop a lot at night.
In the morning the crop should be empty/flat, you should not be able to feel a bump or food in it.
If the crop does not empty overnight then there's a problem that needs to be addressed.