Not digesting food

[Eddie12109]

So I have two different types of grit, one is for chicks and the other is for regular chickens(difference in size). The regular chicken grit looks big so I mix the two together and will put it in their feed in the morning.

 

[NatJ]

So I have two different types of grit, one is for chicks and the other is for regular chickens(difference in size). The regular chicken grit looks big so I mix the two together and will put it in their feed in the morning.

I would not put the grit in their feed.

Offer it in a separate dish, so they can get as much or as little as they need, without digging through the feed trying to find the grit or avoid it.

 

[Eddie12109]

Even though the grit wasn’t in the right place... I don’t think that’s the problem though, it could help but she has been battling crop problems for awhile.
if it’s not the grit then is it definitely the gizzard?

 

[NatJ]

Even though the grit wasn’t in the right place... I don’t think that’s the problem though, it could help but she has been battling crop problems for awhile.
if it’s not the grit then is it definitely the gizzard?

The gizzard is supposed to grind up the food.
If the food is coming through unchanged, then it certainly did not get ground up.
So that's why I think the problem might be with the gizzard.

But I don't know enough about a chicken's digestive system to be sure--maybe there is something else that affects whether the gizzard works right or not.

You could try changing her food to a pelleted or crumbled food, because the ingredients in those are already ground up. If the issue is just with grinding up the food, then changing to an already-ground food might let the hen regain some of the weight she has lost. Chickens often like a wet mash, made by adding water to crumbled or pelleted feed.

Are you able to take her to a vet that knows about chickens? That would probably be more helpful than any amount of people guessing over the internet.

 

[micstrachan]

I would offer this bird a crumble or pellet for now. Dampening it might help it be more appealing. If that is not an option for you, perhaps try fermenting the feed you have for her.

 

[Eddie12109]

Thanks for all of the advice!
So yesterday i separated the grit for her and the others. I also forgot to mention but everyday i syringe about 24 ish mL of baby bird food in her.
It’s a small amount but her crop usually has some things in it by that time.

Besides that, could you link or say the brand of a company that sells a crumble or pellet, and also did you see the pictures of the two different feeds i use… could that be turned into a wet mash or fermented?

and how would you ferment feed? I would assume with the wet mash you just mixed the feed with water but what about fermenting?

I am not able to take her to a vet.

a little update: her poops are not consistent, sometimes they are horrible and other times They are pretty normal. when i tucked her in, I noticed she had already had four poops and all had the right shape and some urates but still there were seeds. She did have some normal ness to it though which Im pleased with.

 

[NatJ]

could you link or say the brand of a company that sells a crumble or pellet

What country are you in?
I am in the USA, where Purina is a common brand and Tractor Supply Company is a chain store that often sells animal food. (There are other brands and stores, but those two are quite widely available in this country.) Most chicken food available in the USA is a crumble or pellet form

did you see the pictures of the two different feeds i use… could that be turned into a wet mash or fermented?

and how would you ferment feed? I would assume with the wet mash you just mixed the feed with water but what about fermenting?

For wet mash, yes you just add water.

For fermenting feed, someone recently asked the same question in this thread:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/fermenting-feed.1439527/

(I have no person experience with fermented food, but it looks like people just get it wet and let it sit for a day or so.)