large hard gizzard in hen. some blood...

[horsechick]

hi. we got a couple new hens in our laying flock. all seemed to b doing good. today my daughter brought one in. her gizzard area was large n hard. some blood spots like maybe in a fight w another hen? her gizzard area is also lost most of its feathers. we put in her own coop on backporch. can their gizzards freeze when full of food or water? temp is looow here. 15 high wind chill 0 . any ideas? what is something warm i can feed them to help keep em warm? thank you. angela

 

[Renee]

Hi Angela,
Do you mean her crop or her gizzard? I think the gizzard is an internal organ near the liver. The crop is in the neck/chest area.

If her crop is hard, you may want to bring her inside where it is warm and give her nothing but water until tomorrow morning. Check it then, and if it is still hard and full she may have an impacted crop.

Renee