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Hen has large crop issue - Any suggestions would be appreciated.
greeneggsandham:
Well, can you feel a solid mass in her crop or is it all squishy liquid? Squishy with no mass, I would try jeepers suggestion for a few days. The feed is likely fermenting in her crop because it can\'t pass. You can empty the crop and try the remedy for restoring ph, but I\'d have to tell you how I empty it and some people would advise against it. But I agree with jeepers, don\'t let that crop get too stretched out.
And I use a crop tube to dispense liquid in their crops. I would be hesitant to try squirting anything down any other way or it could go in their lungs. That airway opening is somewhere in that beak. I\'m not sure where. Someone else may be able to advise with that. You can pm me if you want to discuss it. I see if I can find the site with crop surgery help also.
greeneggsandham:
Now here is a thread on how to handle an impacted crop without surgery. If the mass in her crop feels doughy, it might work. If it feels like wadded up hay or grass, it may not work. Also, you will not be able to expel the wad via her beak, only sour feed will come out that way. Anyway, I suggest flushing out her crop prior to trying this treatment. You have to have a crop tube or a syringe that you can get down her throat though to dispense the liquid. The feed is likely thick and sour and what you are going to do is liquify it so it can be removed easily. If their method doesn\'t get rid of all the squishy stuff, email me and I\'ll tell you my method.
http://happyhenhouse.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=natural&action=display&thread=5257
Sharon Yorks:
It\'s a lot more squishier now. This morning it was firm and like a soft ball toward the right. Now it more like a double handful of mush, more in the center. I got to thinking about having penned her up by herself this morning in a 2.5 x 5 pen. I\'m thinking maybe it would have be better if she moved around to help pass it. I brought her into my garage so she could walk around. She did a little, but no poop. I turned her upside down to see if she had any blockages...you know, under there. No blockages, but she threw up all down my leg. It looked like the yogurt she ate today. She didn\'t gag or anything, so I don\'t think it hurt her or got into her lungs. I watched a few crop surgeries on Youtube. I could do that if I needed to, but I\'m thinking it\'s more like sour crop or something of that nature. If it isn\'t down in the morning... at least more than it is now, I\'ll give her some oil and get her to moving more. I\'m not sure if I should start her on antibiotics or not. Some sites say this (if its sour crop) can turn into an infection and/or be caused by one. --Sharon
Sharon Yorks:
Thanks for the flushing information. I didn\'t see your post until after I posted mine. Where do I get a crop tube? Is that something TSC would have?
Sharon
greeneggsandham:
Well, that\'s good that her crop somewhat emptied, even if it was accidently. Does it smell sour or like bread? That\'s what I was going to recommend, turn her upside down and gently squeeze to empty it. But you have to do it correctly or it could get in her lungs. Her breast should be toward you, head down, and you can\'t keep them upside down and the food flowing for more than 10 seconds. Then turn her up and let her catch her breath. Then repeat. Just do it a few times and let her rest. When the squishy stuff is out you should be able to tell if there is a mass in there or not. If she is blocked somewhere, crop or otherwise, she will continue to \"fill up\" her crop and it won\'t empty overnight.
Sharon I\'m not sure where to get a crop tube. Someone else on here might know. I improvised. I had some IV tubing here at the house and made one out of that. It works great with a small syringe. From what I have read, some use a small syringe and put it far back in the beak down the crop opening which is on the left corner of the chickens mouth IF the chicken is FACING YOU. I have my hubby hold the chicken and gently straighten the neck a bit while he holds the head and I open the beak with one hand while inserting the tube with the other. Keep a hold of the tube and chickens head or they can shake it out. Then I insert the liquid with a syringe via the tube. If you have a vet who knows you, you might be able to get them to sell you the IV tubing. I had a cat I had to administer fluids to, so I had plenty of the fluid bags and IV tubing here. They are usually packaged separately.
Oh, and I wouldn\'t do the antibiotics just yet. You may have to do surgery and then you will need antibiotics. First thing you need to determine is if she has a blockage somewhere or not. Sour crops usually happen because of a blockage. So I would treat for sour crop first, see if that helps. If it continues, she is blocked somewhere. If it\'s in the crop you will be able to feel it. If not and it\'s further down, nothing to do but try to flush it out by giving her lots of liquids, olive oil, etc., to lubricate the blockage. Hopefully, some of the liquid would be able to pass through.
If you do surgery, I can give you a few tips.
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