rachel84 Posted May 16, 2016 Share Posted May 16, 2016 Hi, I noticed Doris was a bit under the weather yesterday and not her normal self. She also made some odd neck movements when she was eating some greens as if struggling to swallow or possibly a crop problem. I checked her crop when she went to bed and it was quite squashy and again this morning and it was small and quite hard. She is a big girl but very boney under all the feathers, surprisingly so in fact and she now seems quite weak - she let me pick her up and when i put her down she stumbled a bit and fell over when she landed when coming out of the cube. I'm not sure if she's laying or not, i'm getting 3 eggs from the 4 so i suspect not and her comb seems to have shrunk a bit. I suspected perhaps an impacted so have given her a mixture of yoghurt, olive oil and pellets this morning which she has been eating a bit of and i tried to give her crop a bit of a massage. I've also put a liquid nutritional supplement in the water to make sure they get a bit of a boost. Does anyone have any ideas at all? I'm surprised at how weak she has gotten quite quickly unless she's hiding a problem. I've had them all about 2 months or so and she was a little iffy when i got her - seemed to have a slight eye issue and would often shut her eyes and shrink her head back into her body briefly before coming out of it and being normal again. Thanks in advance for any ideas. Rachel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted May 16, 2016 Share Posted May 16, 2016 Sorry to hear she isn't feeling well. As she is on the thin side, I wouldn't take my chances, but visit a vet. Chickens can go down hill quite fast. Oh and by the way: Lewis, our almost-vet here, has adviced against giving dairy to chickens, as they are unable to digest it properly. You can give her a high calory treat, like some tuna or just ordinary wet cat food. But if it is crop related, I'm not sure it would do her good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mullethunter Posted May 16, 2016 Share Posted May 16, 2016 If there was a hard lump in her crop in the morning, then you could be right and there could be something impacted in her crop which could be limiting the amount of nutrition she's getting and causing her to lose weight. There is a thread on here about one of Luvachickens bantams who had this. As cattails said, if you really are worried you perhaps should get her to a vet, as by the time a chicken is displaying symptoms she could be really poorly. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted May 17, 2016 Share Posted May 17, 2016 How is she today ? Did you manage to get her to a vet ? Do they have access to any bedding - that is specially for chickens - as this is what caused the problem with 2 of mine. I hope she is ok and you can get her sorted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rachel84 Posted May 17, 2016 Author Share Posted May 17, 2016 She was a little stronger this morning as i couldn't get hold of her whereas yesterday she just stood there whilst i picked her up. She is eating and drinking and wandering around but just not 100% and stumbles if you pick her up and put her down or if she jumps. I'm not sure if it a crop problem or if she's just a little under the weather - her crop is changing and she is still eating and drinking. She still has runny poo and a bit fluffed up so i'll see how she is when i get back from work tonight. I haven't taken her to the vets yet as she was better this morning than she was yesterday, i will assess how she is tonight. I line the nest box with chicken specific bedding - i think it's easibed which i bought when i get them and little bit of straw. Thanks for the help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mullethunter Posted May 17, 2016 Share Posted May 17, 2016 I don't want to scare you, but the wobbliness, combined with the dodgy eyes when she arrived could suggest the less aggressive form of myco. It's only a could though. I have a Pekin who has the odd poorly day when she can be very wobbly with a puffy face, this only usually lasts a few hours and then goes completely. The vet suggested it could be ovulation pain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted May 17, 2016 Share Posted May 17, 2016 I was worried then when I saw the words chicken specific bedding until I saw Easibed and breathed a huge sigh of relief - my problems were caused by another bedding. I would still pop her to the vets as they may be able to give her some antibiotics which could get rid of her symptoms and make her feel a lot better - but then saying that, as everyone knows on here, I always take mine just to be on the safe side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
