Tumor or full crop?

[Karin J]

My favorite chicken has this tennis ball big thing on her breast. It seams to make her uncomfortable. She is panting a lot even if it is not warm and after I touch on it also spreading her wings looking not happy. It is there for many weeks already but I never payed much attention to it till lately, when I noticed that she is pantinmuchmuch.

 

[junebuggena]

Full crop.

 

[Karin J]

Do you know if I could massage it out if it is in there for many weeks? She is still eating and as fare as I know pooping.

 

[junebuggena]

Is her crop empty in the morning? Is it large and squishy, or does it feel hard? When it's full of food, it's supposed to be hard. If it's full and feels squishy she could have sour crop or impacted crop. With hold food tonight, and check the crop first thing tomorrow morning. If it's empty in the morning, she's fine.

 

[Karin J]

Thanks, I will check it in the morning. It is always hard when I pick her um and none of the other hens has this big ball there. I will let you know.

 

[junebuggena]

Hard is good. Hard means it's full of fresh food. Squishy means that it's got rotting, nastiness inside. Maybe she's just eats more at a time then the other girls.

 

[azygous]

If you find her in the morning with her crop still full and hard, something you can try, that can't hurt her, is feeding her a little bread soaked in olive oil. She will gobble it right up. Then go ahead and gently massage her crop. You will feel the contents break up and begin to pass on out of the crop. That should make her feel better if this has been causing her discomfort as you suspect.

 

[Karin J]

The crop was a little bit smaller this morning and after reading a suggestion from a vet last night I gave her warm water. The crop is still hard and she doesn't poop much. The massaging seamed not to do anything and I couldn't feel anything in there. It is just hard. I'm trying to find a source for surgical tools do do a surgery with my friend that worked many years for one. Does anybody have a clue where I could get them or do you have any more suggestions on the crop issue?