My chicken can’t swallow and she’s drooling

[Hannahz1998]

My chicken recently has been struggling to swallow, she wants to eat and drink water but seems to not be able to keep it down. She starts drooling when she drinks water and hasn’t been eating her pellets. We feed her mealworms and she really wants them but they get stuck here And then she opens her mouth very wide.She has a very healthy looking mouth and a desire to eat and drink. Please help. I read somewhere it said to give calcium but she won’t eat the pellets if she needs calcium where can i get a liquid form?Thank you

 

[Lemon-Drop]

So sorry about your hen.
I think she may have a crop issue, causing a backup in the digestive system.
I'm not an expert in this area though, but I have a few questions that might help.

1. Feel her crop (the sac on her chest). Is it hard or lumpy? Soft or squishy?
2. Is her crop emptying overnight? Her crop should be full in the evening, but if you feel it before she's able to eat in the morning, it should feel empty.
3. Is there a foul scent, smelling a bit like sour kraut coming from her beak?
4. Is she pooping still? Are her droppings normal?

This article by @azygous is pretty helpful. How to treat sour crop and impacted crop and how to know which one you're dealing with

Also, for calcium, although I don't think it is necessary in this situation, you can give her normal calcium citrate tablets/capsules that are used for humans. About 500mg, just pop it directly into her beak.

 

[Hannahz1998]

So sorry about your hen.
I think she may have a crop issue, causing a backup in the digestive system.
I'm not an expert in this area though, but I have a few questions that might help.

1. Feel her crop (the sac on her chest). Is it hard or lumpy? Soft or squishy?
2. Is her crop emptying overnight? Her crop should be full in the evening, but if you feel it before she's able to eat in the morning, it should feel empty.
3. Is there a foul scent, smelling a bit like sour kraut coming from her beak?
4. Is she pooping still? Are her droppings normal?

This article by @azygous is pretty helpful. How to treat sour crop and impacted crop and how to know which one you're dealing with

Also, for calcium, although I don't think it is necessary in this situation, you can give her normal calcium citrate tablets/capsules that are used for humans. About 500mg, just pop it directly into her beak.

So we read a lot about her crop. Honestly we cannot find it we followed videos of how to empty it or find it. She’s a Brahma and we don’t really feel anything just her breast. She smells fine just like the rest is the chickens. Ans she pooped today it was watery.

 

[azygous]

Can you get a good look down her throat? Look for worms wiggling. That would definitely cause her not to be able to swallow. Although gape worm is not common in the US, it does exist, and is treated with ordinary worming meds. It is common in other locations around the world.

 

[Hannahz1998]

Can you get a good look down her throat? Look for worms wiggling. That would definitely cause her not to be able to swallow. Although gape worm is not common in the US, it does exist, and is treated with ordinary worming meds. It is common in other locations around the world.

We used a q-tip to check and looked and we cannot see anything is it okay to give a dewormer to her even if she doesn’t? Just to check the boxes off? We have been feeding her water through a syringe that we put a liquid supplement.

 

[azygous]

If she hasn't been wormed in the last six months, by all means, do it. It can't hurt. And it is possible she isn't swallowing due to an obstruction farther down, too, and it could be intestinal worms. So yes, worming is a good idea, and it will rule out worms if it fails to improve her condition.

 

[Hannahz1998]

Can you get a good look down her throat? Look for worms wiggling. That would definitely cause her not to be able to swallow. Although gape worm is not common in the US, it does exist, and is treated with ordinary worming meds. It is common in other locations around the world.

Okay i will try using the dewormer tomorrow and see if that helps thank you

If she hasn't been wormed in the last six months, by all means, do it. It can't hurt. And it is possible she isn't swallowing due to an obstruction farther down, too, and it could be intestinal worms. So yes, worming is a good idea, and it will rule out worms if it fails to improve her condition.

 

[Tundrawooky]

View attachment 3232835My chicken recently has been struggling to swallow, she wants to eat and drink water but seems to not be able to keep it down. She starts drooling when she drinks water and hasn’t been eating her pellets. We feed her mealworms and she really wants them but they get stuck here And then she opens her mouth very wide.She has a very healthy looking mouth and a desire to eat and drink. Please help. I read somewhere it said to give calcium but she won’t eat the pellets if she needs calcium where can i get a liquid form?Thank you

Drop some cayenne pepper down the throat, should clear it up. Cayenne pepper is like a wonder drug for chickens. Start with a pinched

 

[Hannahz1998]

Is there

View attachment 3232835My chicken recently has been struggling to swallow, she wants to eat and drink water but seems to not be able to keep it down. She starts drooling when she drinks water and hasn’t been eating her pellets. We feed her mealworms and she really wants them but they get stuck here And then she opens her mouth very wide.She has a very healthy looking mouth and a desire to eat and drink. Please help. I read somewhere it said to give calcium but she won’t eat the pellets if she needs calcium where can i get a liquid form?Thank you

We bought a dewormer (a natural one) and calcium pills that we put the liquid in her mouth. I have an electrolyte chicken water. We have been giving her dewormer and electrolyte water in a syringe a few times a day. She is getting skinnier but it’s sad because she wants to eat. She eats a few mealworms and some people food we give her and then she struggles and walks away. She really wants to eat and drink water but if she drinks too much water she drools it all out. Is there any more advice? At least on how to keep food in her tummy while we wait for all the medicine and supplements to help?

 

[azygous]

I suggest you try tube feeding.