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- #21
Sunshade82
Songster
I didn’t feel her crop last night but I remember seeing it was full. This morning it isnt big but when I feel it, there is some food in it. (Every time I checked on her last night she was finding little morsels to eat that she had kicked out so I can’t tell if it emptied all the way.) I checked her abdomen yesterday...more for feeling for egg bound so I didn’t notice if it was squishy. I’ll check next time I go in. I also didn’t see anything around her vent...is there other places to check for parasites? (I checked their roost at night last week looking for mites.)How did her crop feel before dark?
This is what I do when a bird is acting 'off':
I isolate bird in a wire cage within the coop for a day or two....so I can closely monitor:
- their intake of food and water,
-crop function(checking at night and in morning before providing more feed),
-and their poops.
Feel their abdomen, from below vent to between legs, for squishy or hard swelling. Check for external parasites or any other abnormalities.
Best to put crate right in coop or run so bird is still 'with' the flock.
I like to use a fold-able wire dog crate (24"L x 18"W x 21"H) with smaller mesh(1x2) on bottom of crate under tray.
Then you can put tray underneath crate to better observe droppings without it being stepped in. If smaller mesh is carefully installed, tray can still be used inside crate.
i didn’t want to separate her from the flock because it was abnormally hot yesterday and I didn’t know if that was contributing to her not feeling well. Plus she wasn’t drinking water. Temps should be going back down now. If she does ok today should I wait and put her with the others at night? I’ve heard that works well for new flock members.
this is my first sick chicken so I really appreciate the help. The one that died last week went quickly (and dramatically too )