Issue with crop or is she broody??

[Doodledoo4]

I’m new to chickens. We have 12 hens and a rooster who are nearly 5 months old. Most of the girls have started laying eggs over the last 2 weeks.

we noticed one girl who kept sleeping during the day (and the last two nights) under the nest box (where some girls are currently laying eggs-we are trying to train them to go in the nest box but only a few have caught on). We thought maybe she was going broody.

then today I went to try to move her and get an egg but there was no egg. I picked her up and noticed her crop seems inflamed, almost like a water balloon under her skin. She seemed really tired and lethargic. I noticed her come out to drink water and tried getting a better look at her and she was falling asleep standing up. I tried calling the vet but hadn’t heard back. She really looked like maybe she was dying and I wasn’t confident in my ability to treat sour crop or an impacted crop which I thought it might be.

then later this afternoon she was out with the flock acting perfectly normal. The inflammation in crop didn’t seem so bad (but I had a hard time telling her from the rest when they were all together).Then as they went into the coop we noticed she is not sleeping on the roost bars again but next to the nest box (not on any egg). Her crop felt like it did earlier in the day. I plan to check it again first thing in the morning.

I’m starting to wonder if maybe she is broody and I’m noticing the crop as a coincidence and mistaking broody behavior for illness? I’ve included some pictures of her when she came out of the coop and seemed lethargic this afternoon.
Thanks if you read this far… I’m a nervous chicken mom!

 

[azygous]

Here's an article I wrote for this site to make diagnosing and treating crop disorders easier for new chicken folk. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

Learn to trust your instincts where your own chickens are concerned. Normal behavior of each of your chickens becomes registered in your subconscious and any deviation from that behavior will send out an alarm. Listen to it.

Your hen is not broody. Your hen is sick. Crop disorders are rare in very young chickens, but some other disorder can trigger them.

Let's have you check to see if she's laying unless you've already determined that she's started. Get her on a table or your lap facing you. Find her vent and locate the two bony protrusions on each side of it. If you can easily fit two fingers side by side between them, she's either laying or just getting ready to.

If you determine she's laying or ready to lay, give her one calcium tablet, the kind people take. I use calcium citrate since it works the quickest. This will put a lot of calcium immediately into her system, boosting it in her blood levels to improve her heart function, and also it will boost the calcium available to her shell gland. But most important, it will encourage contractions if she's got a stubborn egg blocking the works.

This is the calcium I use.

It would also be a good idea to get her to drink some water with electrolytes in it. If she's dehydrated this will help revive her. If she has an egg stuck, hydrating her will help a lot to lubricate tissues and make them more flexible, aiding her in getting a possible stuck egg out.

 

[Doodledoo4]

Here's an article I wrote for this site to make diagnosing and treating crop disorders easier for new chicken folk. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

Learn to trust your instincts where your own chickens are concerned. Normal behavior of each of your chickens becomes registered in your subconscious and any deviation from that behavior will send out an alarm. Listen to it.

Your hen is not broody. Your hen is sick. Crop disorders are rare in very young chickens, but some other disorder can trigger them.

Let's have you check to see if she's laying unless you've already determined that she's started. Get her on a table or your lap facing you. Find her vent and locate the two bony protrusions on each side of it. If you can easily fit two fingers side by side between them, she's either laying or just getting ready to.

If you determine she's laying or ready to lay, give her one calcium tablet, the kind people take. I use calcium citrate since it works the quickest. This will put a lot of calcium immediately into her system, boosting it in her blood levels to improve her heart function, and also it will boost the calcium available to her shell gland. But most important, it will encourage contractions if she's got a stubborn egg blocking the works.

This is the calcium I use.View attachment 2832866It would also be a good idea to get her to drink some water with electrolytes in it. If she's dehydrated this will help revive her. If she has an egg stuck, hydrating her will help a lot to lubricate tissues and make them more flexible, aiding her in getting a possible stuck egg out.

Thank you so much for this information, it is so helpful. If she does have a crop issue it is probably sour crop as it’s soft and squishy, but I’m not noticing any smell.

I did just go check on her, had a hard time measuring but I’m guessing she is laying or getting ready to. I did smash up a calcium tablet (also had zinc and magnesium.. hopefully that’s not an issue) and mixed it with water and tried to get her to take it; although I’m guessing she only got a quarter to a half of it at most. I’m so hoping that If it’s an egg issue this helps. I’ll check again on her in the morning… is it ok to try to get her to take more calcium at that time too? If so any suggestions about the best way to get it in her?
I will also plan to grab some electrolyte solution on my way home from work tomorrow and hope she will take some of that too.
Not sure if this could be related but we did notice one of our girls must have been laying eggs without shells a few days ago. We have noticed an occasional “blob” of what looks like the inside of an egg on the drive way. When I looked it up it sounded like it could just be a common occurrence for young hens. We did switch them to layer feed a few weeks ago and have also given them a bowl of oyster shells though I’m not sure how much they eat.

thank you again! It’s been stressful to not know how to help her. I feel better now that I have at least tried the calcium and hopefully it might help a bit.

 

[azygous]

Try to get at least 500mg of calcium into her. Since you've already managed some, just cut a tablet in half and stick it directly into her beak to bring her calcium levels up. Giving big pills to chickens is easier than giving one to a human because chickens don't have to chew before swallowing, and most people can't manage that feat.

Egg laying anomalies aren't uncommon among new layers. These glitches usually iron themselves out within a couple months or less. However, taking the actions you have is wise. No sense leaving things to chance when some simple actions might head off a tragic outcome.

 

[azygous]

If you wait until morning, then give her a whole calcium tablet at that time.

 

[Doodledoo4]

This is one instance where isolation is more beneficial than leaving her in proximity to flock activity. She needs calm and quiet so that stress doesn't aggravate her condition. It will also make it easier to monitor her if she's somewhere close to where you will be.

Was able to run home from work and get her isolated and she is drinking her electrolyte water. Is there anything else I should be doing for her? She’s right in the garage outside our kitchen door so we can keep a close eye on her. When I got home she was out with the flock but still lethargic. There were two more eggs in the coop but I’m not sure if they were hers, guessing not since she’s still not acting like herself.

 

[azygous]

Be sure she has plenty of water in easy reach.

 

[Doodledoo4]

Be sure she has plenty of water in easy reach.

Will do! Thank you so much for all your help! I really appreciate it!

 

[JustBabyMargo]

I don’t think she’s broody.

 

[JustBabyMargo]

@azygous