HELP CROP ISSUES :( :( :(

[bounce2000]

so we got our 3 lovely ladies 2.5 weeks ago kept in the coup for 1 week this weekend thought oh Nugget has a big breast then checked and goggled large solid playdough mass tennis ball size so gave oil and warm water and massaged 3 times a day as adversed over the weekend and just water. Then monday slightly squashy so breaking down gave maggots and now today back to tennis ball if not bigger but feels watery so assuming sour crop vet advised to hang upside down and squeeze crop inducing vomit for 5 secs at a time. ive done a few times but dont want to stress her too much a local farmer said just let her out to scratch she needs exercise to get rid ack what do i do :(

My hens have large noticeable crops when they have eaten and it's not abnormal, is her behaviour different to the others and do you ever notice the same in the others? Maybe she is greedy and gets the bulk of the food. What do you feed them on and do they have access to grit, like oyster shell? I've never heard of holding hens upside down to make them vomit! You could always try withholding all food for 12 hours and see what happens to the crop?

Yes we did the withholding food and just giving water when the crop was play dough like and was still large the next morning it is always large and squidgy but she seems fine scraping round the garden and still eating and drinking maybe it's just her? Hoping so I did the holding upside down and squeezing the crop and nothing can out so I'm hoping that's good? Taking her to the vets on Friday see what they say but if faced with a ££££££ vets bill it may be curtains :(

Oh they are fed on pellets and have access to grit with oyster and daily mealworms should she be having mash instead?

No, I wouldn't change the food. Ours are on layers pellet, they used to get mixed grain too until I realised its just a filler and not very nutritious. Grit often gets forgotten which is why I asked.
Since the crop didn't really reduce she could have eaten something indigestible, although you would feel if it was full of stones, no idea what else she might have found!
I hope the vet can give you some good news. If her behaviour is normal then it may be nothing to worry about. x

How is Nugget now, Bounce? What did the vet say?