Poorly girl

[laura2806]

Hi!

Long one sorry!

Bit of back story, about 11wks ago one of our hens looked like she was getting fatter, fast forward to now and she's not been able to get up the ramp (walk or fly) to their coop for the last 2 nights but gets down in a morning fine and is a bit slower moving around than normal. Well this 'fat' as we thought is at the front/crop area (we didn't realise it could be something nasty at the time) and had gotten a bit bigger.

Well we've not been able to separate her from the flock because the rooster attacks us protecting his girls, so we've not been able to check her out. Anyway I've just managed to shut the others in and pick her up, this lump is huge, and underneath where it must be run on the floor she has no feathers, the skin isn't sore, red, scaly, her vent is clean, feet muddy but it's rained for the past I don't know how long, but they're not scaly or anything.

We read last night that it could be sour crop but I'd have thought almost 3 months in she'd not still be here now? But I don't know!

She's about 15months old, we've had her from 12wks so had them 12months. All the others are fine and this started when the other 3 went broody 11-12wks ago.

She's looking pretty sick and I'm so upset we've failed her Please tell me there's something we can do to help her get better!

Thank you

 

[coach723]

Here is an article on crop issues which may help: https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...d-sour-crops-prevention-and-treatments.67194/

 

[DuckPro]

X2 with coach723

 

[laura2806]

Thank you, they all seem to be things that happen quick and if not sorted quickly the chicken will not survive. However it's been 11wks since it started and she's only just getting sick?

 

[coach723]

I would read the article and step by step try to determine what is most likely going on with her. Since I can't examine her I would only be guessing. Crop problems can be long term or short term depending on what the issue is. The issue may be in her crop, or may be farther down her digestive tract and only shows in the crop. Sour crop is often secondary to something else that has slowed or stopped the system. If it's sour you can treat that, but if there is an underlying issue it will likely reoccur. As large as she looks in the picture it is possible that her crop is stretched out now and become "pendulous crop" which may be contributing. In that case a crop bra may help, but you should try to determine what the issue actually seems to be before using that. She may have an underlying health issue that is causing her system to be slow or she may have an obstruction/impaction. Common causes of impactions are eating too much grass, foreign objects and intestinal worms. Crop problems can be frustrating, and it's very hard to advise without being able to assess the bird. For starters I would isolate her so you can monitor her eating/drinking and examine her droppings for more clues. I would not feed anything except her regular feed and put some probiotics in her water. Monitor her crop to see if it's reducing at all or not. Remove food at bed time and check in the morning again first thing before she eats to see if it's gone down at all. If it's slow, or doughy there are steps you can take to try to get it moving. If you have a vet that will see birds, sometimes an impaction will show up on xray, if you suspect that. It depends on what it is and where it is. There are flushes that can be used to try to move obstructions/impactions, but if that's what it is then after 11 weeks it would be unlikely to move it. I hope this helps a little. It's going to take some watching to try to see what is up with her.

 

[laura2806]

Thank you! I haven't checked on her yet today but my husband tried to make her sick (following the instructions in the article) and only managed to get a bit of fluid out nothing else, he teed for a good 15mins. As he lets them out before I'm up I asked him to check her first, I haven't spoken to him yet so I don't know if it was any smaller this morning. We are unable to isolate her until the weekend when we will have space (physically can't do it any sooner ) but as soon as we can we will

 

[Wyorp Rock]

You have received some good advice from @coach723

Do you have her separated?
What does her poop look like?
How are you monitoring the crop - check it at night then first thing in the morning before the eats/drinks. Should be full at night, empty in the morning. If it's not empty, then it's best to give treatment according to the article provided.

When was the last time she laid an egg? While you are examining her, feel her abdomen - is it normal, bloated, swollen, fluid filled, etc. As mentioned, crop issues are often a result of underlying conditions like laying disorders , cocci and worm overload. If you have vet care, having a poop sample tested for worms and cocci would be a good idea.

fwiw - if your rooster attacks then you need to see if you can change his behavior or cull him. A chicken keeper needs to be able to move through the flock to perform daily tasks and monitor the well being of the flock without be harassed/attacked. @centrarchid may be able to give you some pointers.