Hen drinking excessively, not eating

[Saaniya]

It could be that she didn’t drink enough water before she went to roost last night. Or she may have a crop impaction or other crop problem. Check her crop early to orrow morning before she has eaten or drunk when the crop should be normally empty. Just keep a closer eye on her for any new symptoms.

Totally agree maybe she didn't drink last night and thirsty .
But could be impacted they drink too much to get down something

 

[Bekalodon]

Unfortunately, my mom let the chickens out before checking Stella's crop; however I managed to catch her before she really ate or drank anything (she did eat a piece of grass though). All the liquid that had been in her crop last night had gone, although there was some gritty doughiness, which I massaged down.

She doesn't seem to be as obsessively drinking today like she was on previous days, though I still haven't seen her eat regular chicken feed. Although I wasn't able to stay out and watch because I had to get ready for work.

She still seems otherwise healthy. She actually came out of the coop earlier than usual (she's usually one of the last ones out).

I'll check on her again when I come home from work.

 

[Eggcessive]

Make sure they have grit available to help with digestion. Massage her crop several times a day, to help the doughy crop decrease. If it persists, you can separate her for a day while massaging the crop at times, and just give her water with medicated water, to make sure that it goes down. The second day, offer some cooked egg and a bit of plain yogurt. Hopefully, it will get better in a couple of days.

 

[Bekalodon]

So this afternoon after work I checked on Stella. She was harder to catch this time, which could mean she's feeling better. (I hope so anyway!) Her crop did not seem to be much bigger than this morning, did not seem to have much water in it though.

This evening at chicken bedtime, I checked her crop again. It seemed a little bigger than in the afternoon, possibly with food.

I massaged her crop both times. She seems to be feeling better so hopefully she's passed whatever was bothering her. I'll be happier when I see her eat food though.

 

[Eggcessive]

Good that she seems better. My chickens will kill themselves to get to some chopped cooked eggs. They also like when I mix a lot of water into some chicken crumbles or pellets.

 

[Bekalodon]

This morning Stella's crop was about the size of a small bouncy ball. Definitely smaller than last night (I'd say it was more like a big bouncy ball). I massaged it until it went flat.

She seemed to be thinking about eating pellets this am but I didn't see her actually eat out of a feeder.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

This morning Stella's crop was about the size of a small bouncy ball. Definitely smaller than last night (I'd say it was more like a big bouncy ball). I massaged it until it went flat.

She seemed to be thinking about eating pellets this am but I didn't see her actually eat out of a feeder.

Glad it is smaller.
Keep working on it. You may want to offer her a little wet feed to see if she's interested in that.
Definitely continue to check the crop every morning, massage and treat as needed.

 

[micstrachan]

Glad to hear there is improvement. I personally would be concerned about a bouncy ball sized crop first thing in the morning. What consistency is it? It's great that she seems to be feeling fine, but I would stay on top of that crop situation. I recently had a girl who LOVED to eat feathers so much, so clogged up and slowed down her crop. Could she be eating feathers or bedding before you get to her in the morning?

 

[Eggcessive]

Do you have poultry granite grit available? Many have small pebbles in their soil, but I still put it out so it is availbale to my chickens in case they need it. Some think that crushed oyster shell works for grit, but it does not.

Any solid food in the crop in early morning is not normal. I would keep massaging the crop several times a day. Make her feed very runny with water, and if you have plain Greek yogurt put a tsp into it. A small cup costs 99 cents.

 

[Bekalodon]

They do have access to grit. I haven't personally seen her use it, but then again I'm not there all day.

In the morning, her crop is soft and mushy. It is possible that she has eaten stuff since I'm catching her after she's been let out. (My mom keeps forgetting to check her crop before she opens the coop door.) I definitely saw her peck at something on the ground this morning.

Did not check her crop this afternoon because she was enjoying some spaghetti squash. This evening she had a very hard, densely packed crop, about the size of an orange.

I'm hoping she's eating when I'm not home but I'd feel better if I saw her.