I have a lovely, friendly hen who, about 4 days ago, wouldn't leave the nesting box (no she is not broody) and when I open the box her feather puff out as if in pain. So I assumed impacted egg, since she hadn't laid that day and she often gives me double yokers. On day 2 I soaked her in an epsom bath for about 45 minutes and when I put her out on the grass I saw her back end flex and out plopped what I thought was an egg based on the shape and size. Turns out it was a huge mass of fecal material that, when I broke open, had a very foul smell. I thought, "Hurray! Issue solved" but then she went back into the box after pecking around the yard for a while and there she stayed again. So we went through the same process 2 more days, each time she defecated large amounts of hard fecal matter. Then 2 days later I noticed her crop was really big. Research time, impacted crop?
Began giving her vegetable oil and massaging it 2-3 times 20/min daily. It's soft and pliable now and I can feel rocks inside of it as I gently massage (nothing like the videos I've seen with impacted crops and what comes out when they do surgery), but she is STILL hanging out in the nesting box.
She eats fine, she is drinking on her own, when the kids let them all out of their cage we will grab her and she will happily wander the yard eating whatever, but as soon as we put her back in the chicken pen she goes back into the box after 10 minutes or so. I see her poop and it looks pretty normal now. I kept her in a separate cage over night and in the morning I did feel a golf ball size ball in her crop despite no food but again, after I massage it I feel no actual ball, just soft mushiness along with what feels like grit and rocks.
I've given her probiotic yogurt, electrolytes, they get a laying mash mixed with a bit of soy, sunflower seeds, diatomaceous earth and a once daily treat of cracked corn and meal worms.
I am pretty new to this so I didn't realize you weren't suppose to give them grass clippings. I have given it to them a few times but I wont ever again.
Anyone with more experience than me have any insight as to what could be going on with her? I was prepared to to crop surgery on her if the ball remained, but like I said, it's very slight and mushy and not round and hard so I hesitate to be that invasive if I don't have to.
Any advise would be appreciated!!!
Began giving her vegetable oil and massaging it 2-3 times 20/min daily. It's soft and pliable now and I can feel rocks inside of it as I gently massage (nothing like the videos I've seen with impacted crops and what comes out when they do surgery), but she is STILL hanging out in the nesting box.
She eats fine, she is drinking on her own, when the kids let them all out of their cage we will grab her and she will happily wander the yard eating whatever, but as soon as we put her back in the chicken pen she goes back into the box after 10 minutes or so. I see her poop and it looks pretty normal now. I kept her in a separate cage over night and in the morning I did feel a golf ball size ball in her crop despite no food but again, after I massage it I feel no actual ball, just soft mushiness along with what feels like grit and rocks.
I've given her probiotic yogurt, electrolytes, they get a laying mash mixed with a bit of soy, sunflower seeds, diatomaceous earth and a once daily treat of cracked corn and meal worms.
I am pretty new to this so I didn't realize you weren't suppose to give them grass clippings. I have given it to them a few times but I wont ever again.
Anyone with more experience than me have any insight as to what could be going on with her? I was prepared to to crop surgery on her if the ball remained, but like I said, it's very slight and mushy and not round and hard so I hesitate to be that invasive if I don't have to.
Any advise would be appreciated!!!
