# Help with Sick Hen



## LemongrassMichelle (Apr 23, 2016)

Hello and thanks in advance. Yesterday morning Carolina came out of the coop much later than her sisters and didn't show any interest in her food (did drink a little though). After first inspection I noticed she had a full, hard crop. I massaged it and then went about prepping to help her with that issue.... laxitives and more crop massage. 

I treated with a laxitive and then massaged again, at which point I found her crop NOT to be hard, but doughy. So I researched that and found a member of Backyard Chickens who swore by a concoction of cinnamon, ginger, lemon juice, baking soda and water. I was nervous about treating her with it so soon after I gave her the laxitive, so I continued crop massages every 90 minutes for a span of 3 hours and then gave her the solution (half during the first round, half a few hours later). She drinks well after each massage. The mass in her crop hasn't seemed to decrease in size.

During a little time out of confinement, she laid/pooped a membrane of an egg. Nothing else, just the membrane. She'd perked up quite a bit by bedtime, scratching at the ground in her confinement area and gobbling down a scrambled egg.

I haven't been out to see them yet this morning, but I don't know what to do for next steps. (My thread on BYC has gone dead  )

1. Antibiotics? in case there's somthing still inside her tract? This seems to be a proactive choice, but I hate to over-treat, especially with antibiotics.
2. Food? Still no food and just water? More scrambled egg? Yogurt maybe?

I am going to try the doughy crop solution again, I just don't know what to mix it with to get her to eat it. (we did syringe feeding yesterday and that takes a while..)

Thoughts?


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Take away food and water over night. You want to see if her crop is emptying at all during the night. If it is then it's not a crop issue.

There is a possibility she's internally laying which would be her primary problem. There is not a lot that can be done about that when it starts. Sometimes they'll pass the egg or part that is causing them issues and they can go on and be fine for a while.


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## LemongrassMichelle (Apr 23, 2016)

Yes, she was without food and water all night (they are always without food and water for the night) and this morning her crop is empty (yea!) and she's moving about normally although slower than the rest. She's always been the slowest of the bunch, so gauging her speed is tough.

I am familiar with internal laying... we had to put our favorite hen down this summer for that reason. She did fine for quite a while, but then didn't. It was tough.

Antibiotics for what might be left? thoughts?


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I wouldn't. Watch to see if her abdomen becomes fuller or if she stands around all puffed up. That is not a clear sign there is infection but at that point it won't hurt her to receive them just in case.

It's possible if her crop was not emptying that it was in response to her reproduction issue.


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## LemongrassMichelle (Apr 23, 2016)

It's possible if her crop was not emptying that it was in response to her reproduction issue.[/QUOTE]

That's exactly what I was thinking. 
We'll keep an eye on her.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

From the sounds of it, you have good instincts. 

With one that I had with internal laying, she would mope for a few days then once she passed the egg or parts of an egg she would perk up and be herself. When it became a chronic thing I opted to do nothing except take her to my vet to be put down. Other than spaying there really isn't anything we can do for them.


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