Urgent help with crop please!!!!

[Atticus]

Please help I'm quite new chicken owner and am concerned about one of my girl's crop. I only noticed it today but the front half of her (the bit that is rounded) is much larger and squashy, so much it appears to be affecting her walking and behavior slightly.

I know that she has always felt slightly different at the front, her crop has always felt softer (a bit like a water balloon) than the others whose would feel normal.

Can anyone please please tell me if what I have described is dangerous? Or normal? I dont know if she has just eaten too much but I'm scared it is a tumor or something.

[RichmondHens]

It's difficult to know if what you are describing is just a very full crop as you have only noticed it today - what has she been eating today? If a hen is not digesting her food properly then the crop will still be full in the morning when you let her out (it should be empty first thing). Have a look at her in the morning before she feeds and see if she still has a full crop then or if it is empty. If empty, then that is normal, if still full then she has a problem of some sort.

What exactly about her behaviour is different from normal? Is she eating and drinking normally or does she look lethargic and withdrawn? Is she standing hunched up and do her feathers look ruffled or smooth? Does her breath smell?

Do nothing for now, observe her carefully for the next 24 hours and report back and hopefully we can help some more.

[Atticus]

I will do that - thank you very much!

[Nicos]

...and don't worry about a tumour...they tend to be hard

Out of interest- is she a different breed/age compared to your others???

[Atticus]

Hi it's 6:45 just let chooks out and she is still very bloated, as I said it looks like a large squashy water balloon. Very larger than anything I have seen before. It seems to be full of fluid?!

She seems to be opening and closing her beak a bit more than normal too when I pick her up. I'm going to check if she is eating and drinking now and check her over again etc to answer your questions.

She is a gingernut ranger from the company eglu, sharing her home with another gingernut, two miss pepperpot, a white sussex and a grey speckled hen. All hens approximately 10 months-12 months old and in good general health as far as we know. Please advise!!

[RichmondHens]

I think you need to get her to a vet or experienced keeper - she could have sour crop or an impacted crop. Either way she will need treatment of some sort and it's important you get the right diagnosis - sour crop is a fungal infection and can be treated with live yogurt, impaction will mean needing to empty the crop which you may need help with.

[Atticus]

^^^

Thanks for info! I've discovered something on the internet that seems to describe how she is.

Its's called peritonitis and can be septic or sterile apparently

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/forums...ead.php?t=4881 The 3rd post down She's in the nest box now laying an egg bless her little beak

[RichmondHens]

Well you seem to have been a little confused as to whether it is her crop or abdomen. Either way, I think you need to get her diagnosed properly by someone more experienced than yourself and this can only be done if they actually see the bird itself. She does sound poorly so I suggest you get her seen very soon.

[Nicos]

I agree with RH
Phone around and see if there is a poultry vet around and ask for advice.
It's just too easy to diagnose via internet sites...if you're wrong and she dies when a simple course of antibiotics would have saved her- then you'd never forgive yourself.
You clearly seem to worry about your chooks ( don't we all!)...do the best thing for her and get some professional advice

let us know how you get on- fingers crossed it is something straight forward.

[motherhen]

Atticus, what are you feeding, it will depend on what advise I can offer, to help you the crop is situated in the V of the neck if you imagine what a roasting chicken looks like, if you look at the front of the bird its the bit between the breast meat at the base of the neck where the wishbone is, it is very unlikely to be a tumour there.
If its gassy or watery then there is usually a blockage, this can be caused by cabbage sinews, grass cuttings or difficult to digest material, does she have access to a compost heap? Live yoghurt will assist to settle digestion. Put her on her own somewhere warm and quite do not overstress her, keep an eye on her droppings, usually if there is a blockage then they will be watery and not a lot of matter. I put a little bit of oil on warm water will help ease whatever through her system but depending what it is as to how long it can take.
If it's hard then the matter is possibly still stuck before the gizzard, this is the grinding department ( do you feed grit? ). Are they free range? do they lay regularly? Antibiotics will not help if it's a blocked crop. Don't panic I'm sure she will be OK.