The Poultry Keeper

Paul · Joined: 08 Apr 2008 Posts: 5

Help - one of my three hens is finding it difficult to walk. She just sits either in the run or in the hen house. She is incapable of leaving the run and going for a stroll with the other two hens in the field. I don't think she's eating or drinking. Any ideas on what could be wrong and what I should do? Thanks Crying or Very sad

Elly · Joined: 18 Apr 2008 Posts: 356 Location: Norfolk

I'd bring her indoors and put her in a cat basket or similar sized box for the night. Make sure she has water and try and give her a favorite treat to eat. Check her over for injuries, weepy eyes etc and if no other signs I'd keep her somewhere warm and quiet for the night and see how she is tomorrow Smile

Hopefully she'll pick up after a night of TLC Wink

Good luck
Keep smilin
Elly

sussexboy · Joined: 05 Nov 2008 Posts: 11 Location: brighton, sussex

pick her up and see if she can walk,
check to see if she is lame or not,
if it is lameness then she will get better over time!

good luck

Lisleoise · Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2008 9:08 pm Post subject:

Have a feel of her crop to see how full it is in relation to when she's last eaten. I had a hen die recently and found afterwards that she had sour crop who showed similar symptoms.

selina · Joined: 14 May 2008 Posts: 20 Location: derbyshire

can you give me info on how to check the hens crop?

Lisleoise · Posted: Fri Nov 07, 2008 12:36 pm Post subject:

I'm not an expert but...

In the morning before the hen has had access to food, her crop should be empty having digested the food overnight. The crop is at the bottom front of the neck about the chest. Feel it with you hand and you should be able to feel if it is rounded and firm ie: full of food.

Someone please correct me if I have made any errors!

selina · Joined: 14 May 2008 Posts: 20 Location: derbyshire

can you empty it?

Itsybitsy · Joined: 11 Feb 2006 Posts: 1452 Location: Leicestershire

Yes. You sit yourself down and lay the bird upside down on your legs with her head hanging over the end of your knees (they don't like it too much and will struggle a bit) massage the crop a bit with your fingers working from the breast up to the beak and soon the contents will begin to be expelled out of the beak. If they are solid you can syringe some fluid (water with a teaspoon of bi-carb in it) into the crop, opening the birds beak and taking care not to get it down the hole at the base of the tongue, then start massaging again.

Itsybitsy

selina · Joined: 14 May 2008 Posts: 20 Location: derbyshire

ok thanks, i am sure this is what is up with our hen, we bought her inside the house yesterday as she was really weak, what shall i give her too eat if anything?
When i lay her upside down do you mean on her back?

Itsybitsy · Joined: 11 Feb 2006 Posts: 1452 Location: Leicestershire

If she's got sour crop - ie a full crop that doesn't empty then there is no point in trying to feed her until you have emptied the crop and removed whatever is blocking it. I've done this and it wasn't sucessfull although I persevered for several days - others on here have had more luck.

Yes upsidedown on her back. If you lay her on her front you can't massage the crop.

Are you sure this is what's wrong with her?

Itsybitsy

Kitsune · Joined: 13 Mar 2008 Posts: 1410 Location: Manchester

Sour crop and impacted crop are different - if something is blocking the crop it will most likely feel hard and full, with sour crop it's a fungal infection and it's more likely to feel squishy like it's full of fluid.

Impacted crop is harder to empty - you'll have to syringe vegetable oil into the crop to loosen the impaction.

Sour crop is easier to empty (though there is still a nack to it) and once emptied you can give live yoghurt or probiotics to help fight the fungus.

Remember to keep righting the chicken so it can rest and breathe no matter which way you do it, and if you're syringing anything into the chickens mouth be careful of the trachea which is the small tube you can see at the bottom of the mouth - that leads to the lungs and you don't want fluid down there.

Hev · Joined: 28 Aug 2008 Posts: 13 Location: Dorset

I'm pretty certain one of my Warrens has sour crop. She is not herself at all all fluffed up, head tucked in and unusually quiet. She's pecking at the ground a bit but seems to be lighter than normal. Her crop is squishy.

So what do I do?

selina · Joined: 14 May 2008 Posts: 20 Location: derbyshire

you need to get her sorted asap. We lost our lady. Get her to a vet who knows about hens or an experienced hen person!

Hev · Joined: 28 Aug 2008 Posts: 13 Location: Dorset

So this what i did; massaged the yuk out of her crop as described in this thread then poured a capsule of probiotic from the health food shop into her beak - very carefully. Repeated the powder again in the morning and added extra grit directly into the food. Result - better hen! Brenda's much more her old self again!
I am in avery rural/agricultural area here and vets really don't tend to individual hens without a snigger! Flocks are them!

selina · Joined: 14 May 2008 Posts: 20 Location: derbyshire

I know what you mean! They are not pets according to a lot of vets. Well done for getting an improvement. Smile