Instead we begin our blogging journey with a sick chicken...
We returned from our errands this morning to more snow and the need to reshovel the paths to the greenhouse, workshop and chicken coop. When we got to the coop, we proceeded to hang the girls' holiday present, a new hanging feeder that has a full feed bag capacity! As we were admiring our handiwork, we noticed one of our sussex hens parked in a corner, feathers fluffed and a crop as big as a softball. I scooped her up and felt the crop...it was soft, swollen and squishy. So...we set up the chick brooder/chicken hospital in the kitchen, installed her in it and began googling swollen chicken crops....
The issue seems to be sour crop, kind of like sour stomach in humans...a nasty little yeast colony has set up shop in the foyer of the poor little girl's digestive system...nothing to do but keep her quiet, warm and on water with some apple cider vinegar in it to create an acidic environment that will make the yeast "move on"...
She seems to be resting well, drinking the vinegar potion and is alert to her surroundings...If all goes well, we will give her some yogurt in the morning to start healing her system.
Keep your fingers crossed....
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