impacted Crop - ? Blockage? for one week +

[AnimalQuackers]

Our sweet, beautiful, 1.5 year old Easter Egger Sylvie has had an impacted crop for over a week! I noticed her over a week ago in the chicken run doing not much more than foraging for grit and stretching her neck up as tall as she could and opening her mouth - like she wanted to vomit. We brought her in the house in a large dog crate so we could watch her. She was so thin, and I could literally feel wheat in her enlarged crop. We tube fed her vegetable oil and water, massaged her crop, and turned her upside down to vomit her. We did this three times, and mostly all that came out is the water. It seemed to really tire her out, so I gave her a spoonful of molasses and we put her to bed for the night. That was 10 days ago. Since then, we have taken her to our AVIAN vet who sedated her, x-rayed her crop, and said nothing foreign - just lots of grit! He has prescribed Reglan to help with motility, and we are giving that to her twice a day, along with tube feeding her bird handfeeding formula mixed 1:3 with water (30cc twice a day). I am also giving her either vegetable oil, olive oil, or coconut oil via syringe (2-3cc twice a day). She's drinking, eating a LITTLE BIT (seems VERY picky!), and pooping. Her poops are wet and dark green - it looks like short, wet alfalfa. When I massage her crop, I can still feel the pieces of whole wheat, but there are definitely less of them.

I'm writing to ask if anyone has ANY other suggestions for things I can try. She doesn't seem to be in any pain - is alert and watches us from her crate in the family room with us. I have noticed her picking for grit (she has a bowl of it in her crate) and I *think* she is occasionally eating some pine chips! Not sure what that is all about!

We love her, and we want her to get better. We will NOT cut into her crop and try to remove the seed as we know some folks here on the forum have done. , but we are running out of ideas! PLEASE - if anyone has thoughts, suggestions, or comments, we are SO grateful to hear them!

Thank you all in advance for any advice you can give us to help Sylvie!

Michelle in Massachusetts

 

[Kelsie2290]

Sorry your girl is not doing well. The vet said that her crop was full of wheat or grit? If she isn't eating feed on her own, the 60cc/day (which would be around 15cc of actual feed?), seems low for a grown chicken, did the vet suggest tube feeding her more anything else if she isn't eating? What are you offering her in the crate?

 

[AnimalQuackers]

Thank you for your kind reply Kelsie!

The vet said her crop - and gizzard - had lots of grit in them. *I* think it feels like wheat, but maybe it *is* grit. I had not thought about that until you said it! She's picking at food, but seems very picky about it! I have offered her their regular fermented pellets, some ground/wet corn, tuna, hard boiled eggs, wet bread, warmed frozen corn, yogurt, applesauce, cranberries, boiled (and raw) collard greens, and romaine lettuce. She will take a couple bites, then loses interest. She'll eat all the lettuce and raw collard greens I will give her, but our vet told us to offer her COOKED vegetables. I have, but she's not interested. She's eating grit, and at this moment, picking at the pine shavings. She drinks LOTS AND LOTS of water, like she knows she needs to try to push it down.

 

[Kelsie2290]

I wondered, since if she has extra or oversized grit in there it is going to take awhile to grind that down compared to actual food. Assume your vet was trying to avoid any coarse or high fiber (veggies) food with the diet instructions so her crop doesn't have even more to grind up, just stick with the soft or fine foods. I would still consider tube feeding her more often if she won't eat what is good for her, you could also try using food coloring on the soaked feed, it is fine ground like chick feed? If she is actually eating the pine shavings I would remove them and just use paper something...

 

[casportpony]

Sorry your girl is not doing well. The vet said that her crop was full of wheat or grit? If she isn't eating feed on her own, the 60cc/day (which would be around 15cc of actual feed?), seems low for a grown chicken, did the vet suggest tube feeding her more anything else if she isn't eating? What are you offering her in the crate?

I agree... A hen her size should get way more than that as long as her crop will empty. Of course one never wants to over-fill, and with the grit/seed that's not moving through, it is a risk, but I would increase and see how she does. I'm about to tube mine and there are few that will get 160ml twice a day, but most of the others get 120ml twice a day Please understand that I'm not saying to give that much now, just give what feels right to you.

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

@AnimalQuackers , has she lost weight in the last week?

-Kathy

 

[AnimalQuackers]

Kelsie, THANK YOU! The vet did NOT say to withhold grit - and I have not. Do you think I should?

I took some cracked corn and ground it in a dedicated coffee grinder until it was almost like cornmeal. Then I cooked it in water to make it a warm mush. She is intermittently interested. I also have offered her their regular fermented pellets. I'm adding mashed garlic and ACV to help prevent sour crop. Food coloring on the fermented food - I never thought of that! Should I make it green?

I can give her more handfeeding formula. Do you think I can give her more than 30cc at a time? Seems like her crop should be able to hold more than that. She is drinking a lot of water on her own, so maybe I will reduce the water in her handfeeding formula to 2:1 so she will get more nutrients. What do you think?

I wondered about removing the pine chips and just using towels. Will do that tonight.

Any other suggestions?

 

[AnimalQuackers]

I'm about to tube mine and there are few that will get 160ml twice a day, but most of the others get 120ml twice a day Please understand that I'm not saying to give that much now, just give what feels right to you.

-Kathy

Thanks Kathy! I was replying to Kelsie as you were posting. Thank you! And no, no weight loss - she's not losing any weight...and continues to poop. Now I am really starting to wonder if she is just eating WAY too much grit!!

 

[casportpony]

Kelsie, THANK YOU! The vet did NOT say to withhold grit - and I have not. Do you think I should?

I took some cracked corn and ground it in a dedicated coffee grinder until it was almost like cornmeal. Then I cooked it in water to make it a warm mush. She is intermittently interested. I also have offered her their regular fermented pellets. I'm adding mashed garlic and ACV to help prevent sour crop. Food coloring on the fermented food - I never thought of that! Should I make it green?

I can give her more handfeeding formula. Do you think I can give her more than 30cc at a time? Seems like her crop should be able to hold more than that. She is drinking a lot of water on her own, so maybe I will reduce the water in her handfeeding formula to 2:1 so she will get more nutrients. What do you think?

I wondered about removing the pine chips and just using towels. Will do that tonight.

Any other suggestions?

That sounds like a good idea!

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

You should give yourself a pat on the back, you are one of the few that will actually do everything possible!

No weight loss is good, it means she's getting enough to maintain, but I'd like to see her gaining, so I would increase her rations.

-Kathy