What type of supportive care for chicken who had impacted crop?

[Ponyfeather]

I have a hen recovering from an impacted crop, she has been clear for a few days not and has a nice normal crop that is emptying now.

My main concern is I feel like she isn't eating as much as I think she should be? Even when we're offering easily digested food, like mashed up hardboiled eggs and dried mealworms. I am not sure if she is just tired of this food since for awhile it was all we could get into her nutrition wise as we gave her coconut oil to clear the impaction. I do know she is eating some of the normal chicken crumble but not as much as normal.

I know she is also just not feeling like a happy camper because her weight is down from the impacted crop which we think might have been going on longer than when we just noticed it a few weeks ago. As the weather keeps swinging around we've had weather in the mid 40's to the high 60's during the day. To the point, we have brought her inside to warm up because of the fact she was hanging out on out back porch looking miserable because of the cold. A few times she doesn't want to go back outside to sleep in the coop after we feed her inside to keep our other hen from chowing down all her special food.

 

[Ponyfeather]

I've never attempted integrating, always rotate out what I have (4-6) for the new girls. So there's always a span of no eggs

I have integrated a hen into this flock before, actually, it was this currently recovering hen when she was healthy. But another hen was in charge of the flock of two but we sadly lost her to a hawk attack. I think Dot and Lulu want to fight because they need to establish who is dominant AGAIN as the came out of the same flock. But I'm not letting that happen until Dot is much healthier. Once she is healthy I will stick Jet in the tractor and let Dot and Lulu work it out without her interfering and then do the same with Jet and Lulu. Then hopefully they can work things out without anyone seriously getting hurt after that.

 

[ChickNanny13]

No expert on this but have you tried wetting her crumbles? What kind of crumbles are you feeding? Sound like she's preferring to be a house chicken

 

[Ponyfeather]

No expert on this but have you tried wetting her crumbles? What kind of crumbles are you feeding? Sound like she's preferring to be a house chicken

She is a getting 22% protein local game bird crumbles mixed with dumor organic 16% crumbles.

I'd let her be one 24/7 until she recovered but I have a bantam inside right now I've been trying to integrate into the flock Living inside because I had to rescue her from a friends flock where I board my horses. Two would be a bit much and they wanna fight over who is dominant and I can't leave my third chicken outside alone.

So when I bring her inside I have to keep them separated with a doggy pen + bring in the third to keep her from freaking out. Also, I have a very tiny house 800 SQ feet which houses 3 adults so chickens sadly get limited space. If it was just me and my mom it'd be another story but my dad would rather we not keep them inside unless they really, really need it.

 

[ChickNanny13]

I've never attempted integrating, always rotate out what I have (4-6) for the new girls. So there's always a span of no eggs

 

[ChickNanny13]

I've read to do the "See but no touch" method; put all in the same coop but separate with wire, or put a cage next to the others. They can See but not get to each other. Their establishing peck order disturbs Hubby, he doesn't like the commotion & fighting. So I just rotate them out