What's going on with my girl? -- Please see this photo

[johncampanelli]

This is my first time with chickens and things have been going really well, until now.

One of my 6-month-old White Plymouth Rock hens has a strange growth, a kind of goiter, on her chest. It's not hard and it doesn't seem painful to her when I hold her.

She is still eating and scratching like crazy. What could it be? And what can I do?

Here is a photo a snapped this afternoon.

(Thanks so much for any thoughts and advice)

 

[Guinea Goonie]

Seems kinda low to be involving the crop. Looks more like it is over her Keel bone. I would say it may be, I do mean may be a fluid retention thing. If she is fine otherwise, I would certainly keep a close eye out for her. I also would isolate her just to get a poop sample and when you do post what it looks like.

 

[Birch Run Farm]

Looks like a very full crop.

 

[mypicklebird]

Quote:
I second that- looks like a big low crop- it is important to pick her up and feel this thing, if it is a big crop and a fat bird with meaty keel, and if you fast her overnight and the big crop goes away- you have nothing to worry about and your big white rock is just a glutton....

if she is skinny with a big crop, and you fast her overnight and her crop stays big, you have a problem.

first figure out if it is her crop. do you know what a crop is? basically a storage area- an enlarged part of the esophagus that holds extra food and slowly dispenses it into the lower GI tract. lets them gorge on good food, and hang onto it for a bit later.

if you are not familiar with crops- pick up several of your hens, and all should have a soft to firm swelling at the base of their neck, usually on the right- you can often feel the food in it. usually about the size of a lemon to orange. you can squish it around, this will not hurt your hens- get used to the feel of a normal crop, so you will know what an abnormal one feels like when you run across it, and eventually you will....

 

[mypicklebird]

Quote:
your avatar scares me....

 

[johncampanelli]

Now I did give them all a bunch of leftover mashed potatoes from Christmas dinner and they went wild. Could that be the problem?

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

If that is her crop it is really, really low. I would withhold all food for about 12 hours and see if it goes away. If so, it's her crop. If not...she has issues.

 

[Guinea Goonie]

Well, I guess you could hand her a cup of java and a cigarette and see if she will takes these on. If this bird ate THAT much food, she is a happy little camper. Just see if the thing goes away after you isolate her. Give her a small amount of yogurt to keep her spirits up and her appetite healthy.

 

[rooster-red]

Thats a very full crop!

It should go down some over night, though I've seen it take 2 days to clear out.

My first post in the emergency section was for the same thing, quite a while back!

 

[ruth]

Yep, that's just a full crop. We had a freeranging hen that always had a full, hanging down, swishing/swaying crop at the end of every day and when she would come running it would sway from side to side. We named her "Pammy" in honor of Pamela Lee Anderson of Baywatch.