Please help!!! swollen right breast!!

[Bree801]

Ok, so my Wendy girl is about 8 weeks old now and the last 4 days she has been sick. Shes been not wanting to walk around, she'll just sit with her head in her feathers and close her eyes. I did put her in her coop the first two days with water and food just so she didn't have to exert the energy to keep warm and to get to her feed. Yesterday I also gave her some yogurt to see if that would help at all. and yesterday and today she seems better, she'll actually come out in the coop and walk around with the other girls, but as I was holding her this morning I noticed her right breast was supper swollen and hard! It freaked me out! So I did a little search on here and I guess that's where they store their food?? So the reason why it scares me though is because I had just let them all out into their run this morning so I wasn't sure if when they eat it fills up with food quickly? or if she shouldn't have a swollen right breast till night time? Does that make sense? Thanks in advance

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

yes, somewhat, in the morning that lump should be gone. Then full during the day. Can you separate her and give her the yogurt and soft food for a day or so?
Do they have grit or access to dirt?

 

[Eggcessive]

The crop should be flat in the morning after the chicken has gone without food. She may have an impacted crop which can occur when chickens have eaten things that they can't grind up to digest. They need grit or small gravel and rocks to help digest. Some chickens can get impacted from eating hay or too long of grass. Offer her some grit, some olive oil (can put on small piece of bread), and put apple cider vinegar in her water. You might look up some older threads on impacted crop.

 

[Bree801]

I do keep food and water in the coop all night and this morning I didn't get out to the coop the normal time (6:30) to let them out so does their crop fill up quickly and empty when they poop? I also do have sand/dirt in their run.

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

Yes, the crop can fill up within minutes, as fast as they can gobble up their food, sometimes I wonder how they can even walk like that....they try to keep it full though the day as long as there's something to eat. I like to feed a few hours before roost time, they have maintenence in the coop so they aren't too ravenous when I let them out in the am, they get some scratch then and go off to forage. I think it's best if you are feeding scratch to scatter it pretty well so it takes awhile to pick it all up and they have something to do. If you're having a problem bird, give it time to clear out it's crop, it can go without eating fine till the crop isn't bulging, make sure it has plenty of water and put some unpasturized apple cider vinegar in it a Tbs to gallon..no metal container. The crop doesn't empty out with pooping, if your chicken is acting normal now I wouldn't worry.

 

[Bree801]

Yes, the crop can fill up within minutes, as fast as they can gobble up their food, sometimes I wonder how they can even walk like that....they try to keep it full though the day as long as there's something to eat. I like to feed a few hours before roost time, they have maintenence in the coop so they aren't too ravenous when I let them out in the am, they get some scratch then and go off to forage. I think it's best if you are feeding scratch to scatter it pretty well so it takes awhile to pick it all up and they have something to do. If you're having a problem bird, give it time to clear out it's crop, it can go without eating fine till the crop isn't bulging, make sure it has plenty of water and put some unpasturized apple cider vinegar in it a Tbs to gallon..no metal container. The crop doesn't empty out with pooping, if your chicken is acting normal now I wouldn't worry.

Thanks so much for your help she seems to be getting better now

. I'm pretty sure it was an impacted crop. I massaged it through out the day and I noticed a big difference by the end of the day. One last quick question.. Why can't I put vinegar in a metal container?

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

The acidity eats metal
Glad to hear she's doing better! They can be little piggies at times.!