Need some help with a hen

[Dangerndafield]

I have a hen that I bought from someone local and her chest I've noticed is VERY large like when she runs it saggy and flops and she has no feathers in that area I call it a (gullet) because that' where her feed is. Anyways it's red and very inlarged not like my other hens she acts just fine but I'm wondering if someone knows why she is that way?

 

[Eggcessive]

Can you post a picture? It sounds like she may have pendulous crop, which is a chronic overeating problem that can cause the crop to lose muscle tone. Some use crop bras to help treat this. I would feel of her crop to see if it is full and firm, soft, puffy, and again in the early morning before she eats to see if it has emptied.

 

[Eggcessive]

Here is some reading about crop problems:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...d-sour-crops-prevention-and-treatments.67194/

And https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

 

[Dangerndafield]

It's dark so I can't do it right now and I've noticed it won't let me post my pictures that o have on my phone on this site for some reason but it does not go down it' always inlarged and full of feed

 

[Dangerndafield]

Thank you for that article!! That sounds exactly like what's going on with her. I'm going to try and see if I can fix this and go from there I didn' notice it until I got.her out of the box when I bought her I was like what in the world. So I'm guessing I need to take her away and put her somewhere until it goes down right?

 

[Dangerndafield]

Alright I have checked her crop. It is still inlarged but not full of feed it' very squishy feeling so I'm keeping her in a separate pin and going to just give her water only and go from there do you know what this could be? Her drop doesn't feel like it has feed in it just feels like liquid

 

[rebrascora]

It is most likely partially full of long strands of grass which ravel together in the crop and slow the flow of food through the crop and into the digestive tract. It acts a bit like a sieve, filtering out larger particles that she eats which settle into that pendulous bit but the finer particles and fluids pas through. You may find that her poop is quite runny. There is a risk of the crop becoming fully impacted/blocked or sour (the stuff in there starts rotting) both of which can cause serious problems. Does her breath smell bad?
I would start by giving her chunks of solid coconut oil to eat and then massaging the crop, gently but firmly. Feed her only a slurry of pellets/crumbles in water with no grains or vegetation and watch her for eating her bedding. I have a cage that I put them in when they have these problems and don't give them any bedding, just oil and a slurry made with their food and water and a vitamin supplement and then massage 4 x a day for about 10 mins for up to a week or more until that mushy stuff passes. If it doesn't pass and she is getting very thin and weak, then sometimes a stool softener like Dulcolax without stimulant will help it to pass and very occasionally surgery is necessary, but that is a last resort. A crop bra will probably be necessary if her crop has been stretched and hanging for a while. You can either buy or make one. It stops food settling in that stretched part of the pouch below the outlet to the digestive tract and becoming sour. If she has sour crop, acidified copper sulphate can be beneficial. The feathers will be missing and skin red underneath because this part of her crop may have been resting on the roost bar and night and got rubbed bald or she may have plucked it because it has been irritating her or it has a yeast infection (sour crop) and is hot and itchy.

 

[Dangerndafield]

When I got her she was like this I didn' notice it until I got her out of the box, so most likely she has been like this along time, I've had her about 3 weeks now well almost 3 weeks. It has gone down some since she has been here but it's still very large and red looking and just sags as she walks.

 

[Dangerndafield]

But I have her by herself currently and going to be doing all that I have read on the article that was given to me, I've never seen this and knew about this until someone posted the article for me and I read up on it a little. Is it a disease or is it a birth diffect?

 

[Northern.Ontario]

I have a hen that I bought from someone local and her chest I've noticed is VERY large like when she runs it saggy and flops and she has no feathers in that area I call it a (gullet) because that' where her feed is. Anyways it's red and very inlarged not like my other hens she acts just fine but I'm wondering if someone knows why she is that way?

What type of hen? Could it be a Cornish cross?