WORRIED ABOUT MY MAIN FEATHER BABY

[Crazy chickn lady]

I'm not sure if the photos clearly show it, but if you have a look at her crop, it isn't the same as my other chickens crop and I'm so worried.
She's only started laying, today she laid her third egg all up, but laying an egg seems like a big challenge for my girl. She takes half a day trying to find a place she likes and its obvious she gets really quite distressed. Getting into summer here in Aus doesn't help.

But back to the crop. Can anyone tell me if this looks normal or if it could maybe be impacted? I've been gently massaging it regularly which she hates and can be a bit of a pain about it at times but i try to get a quick gentle massage in before ahe starts carrying on.

This chicken came into my life when I was going through a very hard time and gave me a sense of purpose. I never thought a chicken would turn out to be the reason i got up in the morning. She provided me company when i had no one and she needed me as much as i needed her. So you can only imagine the worry I'm feeling and yes I will be taking her to the vet but hoping someone will say this is normal and shes okay

I shouldvalso mention that she doesn't eat all that much for a chicken of her breed and has never really been as interested in food as the others which could very well be from the older chickens picking on her because of her small size.

 

[Ribh]

Can you put your general location in your profile? This will help those who may be able to assist you. The crop should be empty in the morning & feel malleable after she's eaten. It should not feel hard. Her breath should not smell sour. From what I can see your chicken's crop looks fairly normal ~ like she's had a good feed. She may be a particularly good forager & getting her food that way.