Is she just "challenged"?

[chickens really]

All my Hens are Orpington ...I have Buff, Blue, Lavendar splash and then Brahma/Orps too..Docile to the point of stupid I guess?...lol
Oops except for Crazy Alice a Silkie cross..

 

[chickens really]

My Challenge flock..lol
Cockerels are gone that are in photo....

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I only have 1 Orpington left But she is so sweet (to me), plays mostly well with others, but she's found that she can boss the pullets so she struts her stuff pretty well

 

[Granny Hatchet]

Is her crop always that large or does it go down/empty at night ?

 

[Cryss]

They are sweethearts - love the names.

I forgot to ask my normal questions - what type of food/treats do you feed?

I do agree the ramp may be a bit steep, but the others are maneuvering very well, so....
I'm inclined that she may have something going on with her sight. Offer a good poultry that includes Vitamin A and E. Move you hand slowly on each side of her face to see if there is reaction - if she responds or can you sneak up on her

Her feathering is a bit concerning to me compared to the other lavender. It may be that she is not roosting and getting the tail feathers dirty and they are being rubbed against the sides of the coop, but they look unkempt. Does she take dust baths and preen?

They eat purina medicated grow crumple. Treats are bits of veggie trimmings, an occasional small handfull of BOSS, and a few weeds/kale/flowers that may still be in the garden. I don't usually have to sneak up on Repecca. She comes up to me and lets me pick her up. I'll try that with her eyes though. And, yes, she doesn't roost ever. She's even been pooped on by those that do. The ground is pretty well frozen so I have a litter pan with sand, soil, and ashes that I will be putting underneath the henhouse space. This vid will explain better than I can write I hope.

 

[Cryss]

Is her crop always that large or does it go down/empty at night ?

At night she is full. By morning it is soft and squishy. It has always been like this. I've not detected any sour smell from her beak but I do massage a bit. I even asked about sour crop at my local family owned supply store hoping for some sort of otc med. The guy never heard of it. Not sure what to make of it.

 

[Granny Hatchet]

I think she may not be feeling at the top of her game and she is also low hen in the flock. Its even possible she was pushed off that ramp at one time. I would widen the ladder by about 3- 5 inches and concentrate on getting her feeling better.

 

[Sunshine Flock]

My husband suffers from vertigo. Narrow paths on our property and aisles in a store worsen his symptoms. So I widened or removed paths to help with his balance. Shadows or darkness also make his balance more wobbly.

I'm not suggesting she suffers from vertigo, but if you approach your ramp from that perspective, it may help you find a better setup for her.

If you were to add two steps at the bottom, shorten the length of the ramp to accommodate the steps, and attach it to the top step, this would decrease the angle and give her a platform to start heading up the ramp from.

And also widen the ramp so it's wider than the chicken door entrance.

This would make for a more relaxed experience for all of them. I know lots of people use steep ramps, but my observations have been that it can trigger stress.

 

[Cryss]

I think she may not be feeling at the top of her game and she is also low hen in the flock. Its even possible she was pushed off that ramp at one time. I would widen the ladder by about 3- 5 inches and concentrate on getting her feeling better.

I will widen the ramp, seems logical now. She wasn't pushed, the others were already down and I witnessed it. Getting her feeling better...suggestions? Or is a vet the only way?

 

[Granny Hatchet]

I will widen the ramp, seems logical now. She wasn't pushed, the others were already down and I witnessed it. Getting her feeling better...suggestions? Or is a vet the only way?

Im not an educator so others can advise better but vitamins would be a good place to start then I would switch food to Flock raiser and when they are POL some calcium on the side. Have you checked for mites, lice, normal poops ?