Recent content by HeyHo

Thanks for the advice -- I'm not going to try to drain anything because now she has a crop issue, poor girl. I'm going to try to treat the crop problems today and if it doesn't resolve, I may have to call my vet tomorrow. If she can't have any quality chicken activities, I hate to see her suffer.

Hi, I have a 3 year old Golden Comet that laid erratically all last year and hasn't laid at all in many months. Since she is a production breed that tends to have plumbing problems and had been otherwise fine, I just chalked it up to early retirement. She has also had some crop issues in the...

Do they ever stop molting for a medical issue? There are no feathers in the dog crate. It is like she stopped molting in favor of her new crop issue.

No access to greens at the moment, just mash. I do sometimes feed limited amounts of greens and other vegetables as a treat. But I haven't done so in well over a week because the ladies are molting and I've been giving them high-protein treats like mealworms, scrambled eggs and tuna.

OK, some new information. Willow was more puffed up than usual yesterday afternoon, so I brought her into a dog crate on my porch overnight. She is still eating, drinking and pooping, but her crop is large and doughy. No smell. After much research, I started her on @TwoCrows recipe: I got...

Thank you everyone for the input! I have done more research and visited the chicken lady at my local feed store. I cannot worm without a prescription here and I cannot even get the wormers anymore. But mites have apparently been an enormous issue in my area this fall, so I'm going to clear...

My vet does see chickens but won't run a fecal float unless I physically bring the chicken in for a check up, which I find frustrating. I'm not too concerned about worms because everyone else seems fine, so the worming would be mostly preventative. I just want to do the simplest worming...

I will work on more protein to see if it makes a difference! I do lots of scrambled eggs and mealworms. Perhaps I'll switch to a high protein feed for a while. All the other things you mention are fine -- no eye bubbles, no head shaking, her legs and feet are fine, no sign of parasites (see...

She is not being bullied. It is more like she has removed herself from office because she doesn't feel well. No mites or lice that I can see, but I haven't checked her thoroughly since she's molting. But I have checked my other hens and they are fine.

I've got a 2.5 year old, red sex link that has taken to sleeping on the floor of the coop. Willow had been head hen, but is going through her first real molt (she completely skipped last year) and it has really impacted her in a negative way. Willow is eating OK, her poop seems good (albeit...

I'm not sure where to post this, but "managing your flock" seemed like a good fit. I returned late this evening from a short trip and found my beloved easter egger dead in the run, no apparent trauma, no sign of injury or breach to the coop/run, the rest of the girls were already on the roost...

Another update: Alice has been reintegrated with the flock and is doing great! She has not laid an egg, but is up to all her usual activities and seems totally fine. Many thanks to @azygous and @Wyorp Rock!

Quick update: Alice is still with us! I have taken a hands-off approach the past couple days and am not stressing her. I put her in a quiet, air conditioned room with plenty of food and water. Her bum feathers are a poopy mess, but she has perked up and is eating and drinking entirely on her...

I don't have a pic of that poop! It all happened so quickly and I was trying to clean her up and see what was going on. But it definitely looked like bright yellow yolk and was accompanied by white milky discharge. Here is a pic of her most recent poop, which looks good to me! She does not...