Rime
In the Brooder
I have a chicken with some kind of crop issue going on. Her crop is slightly smaller than a tennis ball, semi-firm but pliable. Almost like wet sand or clay with bits of grit.
I noticed the problem Saturday night; or rather, I noticed her acting off and put her in a dog crate, worrying about being egg bound since she passed a broken egg way back when she first came into lay (she is now a little over a year old).
She laid a nice egg later in the day Sunday, to my relief, but then I noticed she hadn't really pooped as much as she should have. Just some watery stool with small bits of food. I decided to keep her isolated overnight Sunday.
Monday morning arrived and her crop was full. I removed all food and added extra water. She drank well. I massaged her crop some, hoping she would pass it over night. I fed a little scrambled egg heavy on the olive oil.
Tuesday morning and her crop is still full. It feels the same - not watery, not completely solid. A lot like those stress balls you can get to squeeze that are full of sand, but a little grittier. It takes a fair amount of pressure to massage at first, then gets easier as you knead.
Now I'm not sure what to do. Sounds like this is too solid to vomit (i.e. not sour crop). She is still passing watery stool with tiny bits of matter, so it seems like something is getting through. I haven't fed her since Monday morning.
Do we keep up the massaging and hope for the best? I've seen laxatives suggested? At what point is this an emergency?
Her comb color is good. She spends most of the day sitting in the crate as if in a nesting box - so not too active, but not looking painful/ill either. She occasionally pecks at the shavings (should I take these out and put her on newspaper in case she's eating them?).
Open to any and all suggestions.
I noticed the problem Saturday night; or rather, I noticed her acting off and put her in a dog crate, worrying about being egg bound since she passed a broken egg way back when she first came into lay (she is now a little over a year old).
She laid a nice egg later in the day Sunday, to my relief, but then I noticed she hadn't really pooped as much as she should have. Just some watery stool with small bits of food. I decided to keep her isolated overnight Sunday.
Monday morning arrived and her crop was full. I removed all food and added extra water. She drank well. I massaged her crop some, hoping she would pass it over night. I fed a little scrambled egg heavy on the olive oil.
Tuesday morning and her crop is still full. It feels the same - not watery, not completely solid. A lot like those stress balls you can get to squeeze that are full of sand, but a little grittier. It takes a fair amount of pressure to massage at first, then gets easier as you knead.
Now I'm not sure what to do. Sounds like this is too solid to vomit (i.e. not sour crop). She is still passing watery stool with tiny bits of matter, so it seems like something is getting through. I haven't fed her since Monday morning.
Do we keep up the massaging and hope for the best? I've seen laxatives suggested? At what point is this an emergency?
Her comb color is good. She spends most of the day sitting in the crate as if in a nesting box - so not too active, but not looking painful/ill either. She occasionally pecks at the shavings (should I take these out and put her on newspaper in case she's eating them?).
Open to any and all suggestions.
