In birds, goiter is an important component of the digestive system, located at the very beginning. Therefore, it is not surprising that in case of any problems with the goiter the bird cannot normally eat. Owners of chickens need to remember this, and when the first signs of illness manifest themselves, take immediate action.
The structure of goiter and digestive system in chickens
To understand how to solve this problem, first of all you should familiarize yourself with the structure of this body.
What is goiter and where is it located
Goats in birds is an expansion of the esophagus. Food gathers here before it enters the stomach. He, like the entire esophagus, has transverse muscles responsible for the promotion of food. In chickens, it is short, sharply bounded above and below — this separates it from the rest of the alimentary canal. 
Food that has entered there lingers and softens for some time. This contributes to the secret secreted by the glands. It gradually affects the food and it moves down the esophagus into the stomach.
When the bird eats, the goiter is filled with it and is often clearly visible. To the touch it is hard. After some time, the body is gradually emptied and becomes soft. If this does not happen, it is urgent to take appropriate measures.
Did you know? The modern word goiter comes from "zob", which in Old Slavonic language meant "food", "food".
How to understand that goiter is clogged
The easiest way to determine if the goiter is clogged is visually. When it is full, it bulges, but gradually empties. If it is noticeable constantly, regardless of feeding, then it is clogged. Of course, not all breeds can visually assess the condition of the organ. Many chickens on the neck and chest have dense and dense plumage, beyond which such changes are not noticeable. In this case, you need to carefully monitor the behavior of the bird. In a sick bird, lethargy begins, appetite disappears. Chicken stops drinking water. 
When viewed from the feathered seal of the goiter, which resembles a ball, is felt, and from its beak there is an unpleasant smell of rot. A clear or yellowish liquid may be emitted. The breathing changes too - it becomes heavy and intermittent.
Find out if you can give bread to laying hens.
Causes of blockage
The body's work is primarily influenced by the diet and the quality of the feed.
Contaminated drinking water
If the birds do not constantly change the water, it stagnates. In such water there may be dirt, a different rubbish. Getting into the body of a chicken, it can cause an inflammatory process. Because of him disrupted the activity of the body.
Important! If the water is highly polluted, the bird can not drink it. However, when consumed dry food, it sticks to the walls of the esophagus due to lack of fluid and not able to move on. The result will be the same - a violation of the normal operation of the goiter.
Substandard feed
In birds, hard, rough, heavy, tainted food is poorly digested. Because of the indigestion, the goiter cannot completely free itself. Over time, food accumulates in it.
Read about what a healthy chicken ration should consist of, how much feed should be given to a hen, how to feed grass to chickens and whether it is possible to make mixed feed at home.
Long breaks between feedings
If the bird has not eaten for a long time, then, having received food, it will pounce on it and will try to get enough of it as quickly as possible. At the same time, the chicken goiter will fill up to the maximum, which will make it difficult for its normal operation.
What to do and how to help the chicken
The problem in the initial stage is easy to solve. Some warm water or vegetable oil is poured from a syringe into the bird's beak. Then the clogged organ is massaged with massage movements. It stimulates the promotion of food.
If the inflammatory process has already begun, it is removed using potassium permanganate. The solution is poured through a rubber tube inserted into the esophagus, while the feed softens and is washed out. You need to pour 1.5 cups of potassium permanganate. To cleanse the body you need to do the procedure 2-3 times.
In order for the organ to be freed faster, the bird is turned upside down and slightly shaken. This should not last more than 10 seconds. Then it is transferred to diet food. In the diet of chicken should be only soft food (mashed potatoes, softened porridge, boiled eggs, kefir, cottage cheese). In addition, a goiter massage should be performed every day.
To completely eliminate the inflammatory process, the bird is given antibiotics.
Did you know? Chickens are able to empathize. This fact was discovered by the British ornithologist Joe Edgar. He conducted an experiment in which he created a stressful situation for the chicken. At this time, his mother behaved as if she herself was subjected to this stress.If an organ is blocked with a foreign object that caused a strong inflammatory process, the problem can be solved only with the help of a surgical intervention. The owner should contact the veterinary clinic - there the hen will make an incision on the goiter and extract all the contents from it, then prescribe a course of antibiotics. To make the bird recover faster, it is given a high fat bio-yogurt.
After surgery, the diet is also observed. On the first day - the hunger strike. The next can be given soaked bread mixed with cottage cheese or kefir.
It will be possible to return the sick to the rest of the birds after 2-3 days.
It is necessary to take care not only of feed and clean water, but also of convenient feeders and drinkers for chickens, which can be built independently.
Prevention of goiter blockage
Even when the disease is curable, it is better not to allow it to occur at all. To do this, follow a number of simple rules:
- First of all, when you start chickens, you need to think about the diet of poultry. For chickens, feeding twice a day is optimal (in the morning and in the evening).
- It is advisable to give food at the same time. Then the bird will not pounce on food and absorb it too quickly.
- The quality of feed should also be monitored. It is necessary to exclude, if possible, solid and coarse food. And if she enters the menu, then serve it in a chopped form and mixed with soft.
- To improve the process of digestion, you can add a few drops of apple cider vinegar at each change of drinking water in the water bowl. The water itself needs to be changed regularly.
- In the wild, birds swallow grains of sand or small stones to soften food in the goiter. Therefore, in a chicken coop near the feeders should always be a container with sand or small pebbles.
Important! Sand and pebbles intended for ingestion must be sterilized.Now you know what to do if your pets suddenly have difficulties with the work of goiter. But even if at first glance, everything is in order - carefully monitor the state of health of the birds, conduct their regular inspection. This will allow to detect the problem in time. At an early stage, coping with the disease will be easy. And thanks to preventive measures it can be completely prevented.
