Smart Feeder - Light sensor values

[scubababe]

I first thought she was just going through a moult but this afternoon I gave them some rice with digesti-health & vermix I noticed that her crop seemed really swollen, much more than the other two. Her wattle is a lovely red and she's full of beans.

 

She had her fair share of snack & was even circling the bowl to keep the other two away so there is no problem with her appetite. She then had a quick nibble on some grit.

 

With her loss of feathers her crop is exposed and that alarmed me to the size of it. Her feather loss is over her front (crop area) and around the tail/bum and today it seems on her underside. She is starting to look like an ex-batt!

 

The WIR should be finished next week so I could put her in the classic and use it as a hospital area so it could give her time to recoup. I have not seen any signs of her being bullied & to be fair she's 1st/2nd in command depending on who's feeling top dog!!.

Should I take her to the vets and get her checked out?

If it is her crop as she is still eating food/grit will it sort itself out?

Should I segregate her & monitor the situation?

 

Not sure if I'm being over sensitive. She just doesn't look great but everything else seems ok!

[Snowy]

Is her crop just as full in the morning as it is at night? As long as it has emptied overnight it is fine - if it doesn't however, you are looking at obstruction or sourcrop. (In sourcrop the crop is sloshy and pendulous rather than hard and round). Even with a crop blockage they will continue to eat - if no food is getting through, they are still hungry.

It may be worth segregating her for a while so you can monitor her more closely.

[sandyhas3chucks]

suggest you worm using Flubenvet, I used Vermex and my girls were heaving with worms.

[Olly]

Do you think it's just the missing feathers that are making her crop look larger than normal? Have you tried feeling it, and comparing it to one of your other girls? It should be full at the end of the day, after all. As Snowy said, if it is not empty in the morning then you will know something is not quite right - if she is looking bright and active however, it may just be that it looks different.

[scubababe]

Sorry i didn't get back to you yesterday but I was out for most of the day & just didn't get time to reply.

 

Me thinks I was being over-sensitive. I checked Ruby yesterday morning and her crop had definitely gone down. I think it is the lack of feathers which makes it look alarming.

 

suggest you worm using Flubenvet, I used Vermex and my girls were heaving with worms.

Thanks sandyhas3chucks, when I'm next at the pet shop I will get some Flubenvet. I have every other lotion & potion but not that

[sandyhas3chucks]

dont suppose pet shop will have it. online good or expect your vet will have it probably cost more there though.

[gongladosh]

I think it is the lack of feathers which makes it look alarming.

She may be picking them out - apparently feathers can be irritating when they grow back and sometimes the hen takes care of it by pulling out the new feathers as they appear. A bit of vaseline on the bald patch should help if that's the cause.

[scubababe]

Ruby is much better today and her crop is normal size so if there was a blockage it seems to have sorted itself out

 

dont suppose pet shop will have it. online good or expect your vet will have it probably cost more there though.

 

Thanks sandyhas3chucks, I've found it at Countrywide farmers so will order some in. we have a store in Ashbourne so I can get it from there.

 

I think it is the lack of feathers which makes it look alarming.

She may be picking them out - apparently feathers can be irritating when they grow back and sometimes the hen takes care of it by pulling out the new feathers as they appear. A bit of vaseline on the bald patch should help if that's the cause.

 

thanks for the advice gonglasdosh, it now looks like her feathers are growing back nicely...phew! I hate it when they moult