Empty Crop at Night - How do I make sure my chicken is getting enough to eat?

[TheFugitivePen]

Hello, chicken friends!

I have a flock of 8 six-month-old Australorps.
I have one pullet who has seemed a bit of a loner in recent months. I've wondered if there's something wrong with her--mainly eyesight, as her eyes look a little different (I think the third eyelid is a little bigger, maybe? so it's slightly exposed?), but her pupils dilate when exposed to light and she moves when she sees us coming. Her eyes also have not changed in any way, so I may just be paranoid.

When I come out to the run with their daily grub treat, 5 or 6 will run right up to me. The shyer pullets hang back and eat the bits I scatter on the ground a little later. Recently, this pullet hangs back entirely. She does not come up for treats. She used to eat out of my hand, but, now, if I seek her out and offer food, she walks or darts away.
Tonight, I felt the girls' crops after they had roosted. Her crop felt absolutely empty.
She's one of 3 who are not laying quite yet, so I cannot say if her egg production has stopped.

I know she theoretically has access to food because my husband built 4 PVC pipe feeders that last for days.

I haven't noticed any bullying, wounds, or any chickens chasing her away from food. However, our head pullet will push her way in to take treats from my hand and I've seen her scare off pullets that she suddenly feels are too close.

Is this a bullying problem? Do I need to isolate my loner girl to build her confidence? Or do I need to feed her separately from the others to make sure she's eating?

We have a rabbit cage we've modified with a roost, so we can isolate her in our basement/garage, and let her free range a bit. We don't have a rooster or fenced lawn, so our girls are kept in a large run and don't free range often. When they do, they stick close to the run. They just refuse to come when called when it's time to go back in.

Any advice, please, on how to help make sure my girl is getting enough to eat?

Thank you in advance!

 

[TheFugitivePen]

In case anyone is curious about her eyes, here's a photo of "Speckles" (on the right with the dark eyes) and "Midge," our head pullet, when they were maybe 3 months old. Both her eyes have that extra gray in the front. I think maybe her third eyelid is just a little more exposed?

 

[DobieLover]

Her pupil appears to be irregular in shape.
Were they vaccinated for Marek's disease?

 

[TheFugitivePen]

Her pupil appears to be irregular in shape.
Were they vaccinated for Marek's disease?

No, they weren't.

 

[TheFugitivePen]

Her pupil appears to be irregular in shape.
Were they vaccinated for Marek's disease?

Could it be Marek's if her eyes have looked that way since she was 8 weeks old and have not gotten worse? I've also noticed zero illness symptoms in my flock.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Don't isolate. It won't build her confidence, it will make her stressed and even lower on the totem pole

 

[TheFugitivePen]

Don't isolate. It won't build her confidence, it will make her stressed and even lower on the totem pole

Is there anything I can do to build her confidence?
My husband suggested locking the head pullet up for a portion of treat time or during the day to maybe make the lower hens feel more comfortable getting food.
Or do I need to find a way to offer her food in another area of the run?

 

[JacinLarkwell]

At least 2 feeders should be minimum. Bullies will bully even if they don't need food. Removing the main girl may or may not knock her out of her position

Is there anything I can do to build her confidence?
My husband suggested locking the head pullet up for a portion of treat time or during the day to maybe make the lower hens feel more comfortable getting food.
Or do I need to find a way to offer her food in another area of the run?

 

[TheFugitivePen]

At least 2 feeders should be minimum. Bullies will bully even if they don't need food. Removing the main girl may or may not knock her out of her position

We have 4 feeders in a covered area of the run. They are right next to each other, but I've seen most of the birds visit it off and on throughout the day. They have access to the feeders 24/7.

We isolated the bully for one night previously. We noticed she was relentlessly pecking the girls next to her on the roost, so we isolated her for the night. We think it helped a little.

I confess: this is our first flock so I'm very new to this. I know that pecking orders are a good thing for chickens and they peck to communicate and establish boundaries.
I've not noticed any blood, injury, or plucked feathers on anyone, including our loner girl, to indicate heavy bullying.
If I hadn't felt her crop tonight, I honestly would not have ever thought our loner girl wasn't eating. She looks about the same size as the other birds and hasn't been acting out of the ordinary.

 

[NatJ]

Is this a bullying problem? Do I need to isolate my loner girl to build her confidence? Or do I need to feed her separately from the others to make sure she's eating?

We have a rabbit cage we've modified with a roost, so we can isolate her in our basement/garage, and let her free range a bit.

I would take her out of the main pen and offer her something to eat & drink. Nothing special-- one dish each of chicken food and water, or a wet mash (chicken food + water.) Watch to see if she eats.

You could give her this meal on the ground outside the pen, or in the rabbit cage, or anywhere else you think will work. It just needs to be a place where the other chickens cannot chase her away, and cannot come close enough to make her feel chased.

If she does eat, maybe give her a private meal 2 or 3 times a day, and keep watching to see what else is going on.

If she does not eat, then there is probably something else wrong, and you can work on figuring that out.