Seemingly healthy chicken has a giant crop...

[David-in-PDX]

The vet recommended returning to a regular diet right away, and the hen did help herself to a bit of grit first thing.

Unfortunately her crop is still not emptying overnight. I’ve got her in a crop bra, but her crop is so large and loose that even with the bra I could totally see how it just doesn’t flow right while roosting.

Her overnight droppings look good, though, so at least something is moving.

She’s still constantly searching for long grass, but at least we’ve made it way harder to get to. She dug a giant hole yesterday and found some stringy roots to eat...

Perhaps some chickens are meant to be short lived. Our other hens will be sad to be a flock of two, though! Well, I probably shouldn’t give up hope but I’ll definitely be talking to my 6yo son about her possible death.

 

[azygous]

Her brain wiring may be doing her in. She could have a form of pica, which is a disorder where non-food items are the focal point of interest, not food. Recently, we had a hen die here on BYC from a crop disorder and the owner had her necropsied and found screws and washers in her crop.