Oats and the White Hen

[CatBollinger]

I have been giving my hens oats as treats in the afternoon. Two days ago, I put down about half a cup of oats sprinkled across the lawn for nine 18 week old hens. One had laid her first egg and we were celebrating . One of these is larger than the rest of them.. a really big Jersey Giant mixed with White Rock. She's a big bird with a big appetite and dove into the oats like she was starving, which she isn't. She thinks oats are the best thing ever. And gorged. The other hens ate a little and walked away and the white hen kept coming back and eating until she couldn't find anymore. I wished I had not sprinkled so much after seeing her eating so much.
Later that evening, she sounded congested. I reasoned she was just so very very full. The next morning, she sounds better but still some kind of rattle when she talks. When I let her out of the coop, she ran right back to the spot that had oats and searched for more. Now she just sounds croupy. No treats tonight due to the way she sounds.

How do I help her pass what may be a blockage?

 

[NatureChica]

Lots of water available to her. Drinking water and maybe massaging her crop area after she drinks.

 

[CatBollinger]

I keep the chicken water filled twice day due to August heat. I also keep two kiddie pools full of water changed daily. She sounds better today. Normal sounds, then every five minutes or so, sounds like she is clearing her throat/stretching her neck. I guess it is passing. I hope so.

Exactly how do I massage the crop and not hurt her?

 

[NatureChica]

Just like you'd gently stroke a chick or a puppy. From the "chin"down. Very gently. You can stimulate it to pass this way and get her trying to pass it.
keep the water coming and limit her on the dry grains. Normal food should be fine (the crumbles). You can make it super easy for her by getting her daily serving wet (like mash)...hope this helps. I had several leghorns get dry cropped when gorging on oats like that and moist food and plenty of water were helpful for em to pass it. One had more problems than the rest with the stretching, coughing...and my Gram told me to massage the throat gently. It worked!

 

[CatBollinger]

Well, we tried massaging and inverting the hen. She does not have sour breath and nothing came up. Still no nasal discharge, sneezing or coughing. Now she is in a dog kennel quarantine on the back porch. I drove over the the farm store and picked up some duramycin ( tetracycline ) and put it in her water. Withdrew all feed pellets. I gave her a few small bits of bread soaked in olive oil. Oh and put some peach juice in the water.. they said to use cranberry juice in it, but I didn't have any in the house.... something about the medication tasting bitter. I have some mush (chick crumbles in water) soaking on the kitchen cabinet. She sounds a bit better, but because this is the third day, I am now concerned because if she were human, I would call it bronchitis. This is a broad spectrum antibiotic. I hope this turns out well. This one is not laying yet.