Sour/ Impacted crop - anybody have success using dulcolax or other remedy

[evekelly]

My 2.5 year old Americauna started with a full crop that wasn't completely emptying at night. It didn't feel impacted, just kind of doughy. I took her off her food and kept her in the coop for most of the day, then let her out later in the day. She was eager to eat and didn't seem to be hindered much. We manually emptied her crop on Sunday and that seemed to help. Yesterday, I'm pretty sure by afternoon it had turned to sour crop so we tried to use one of the remedies of cinnamon/ginger/chili powder/ baking soda but couldn't get enough of it into her to make a difference, but she seemed to perk up quite a bit after that. Yesterday she was pooping, but today her poop seems to be mostly diarrhea. I am not watching her continually to know for sure, just checking on her throughout the day. All along, I keep massaging her crop during the day to see if it will get moving. I don't feel anything hard impacting her crop, but it is doughy, maybe grass balled up. This morning (Tuesday) her crop was very full and squishy so we manually emptied her crop again. Then, a little later I tried some red wine today, as someone mentioned that as an option. I just checked her and she is really quiet and her crop is no longer squishy, but it feels normal. I don't know if it is because we emptied it or if it is the red wine. It still has food in it that I can feel so it hasn't passed yet. It is so hot outside, I brought her in and put her in a basket and she is just sitting there.
My next shot, I thought would be dulcolax, which I have read can get things moving. I also ordered some acidified copper sulfate as that was another treatment for sour crop, but it hasn't come in yet.
I am aware that the ACS needs to be carefully dosed or it can kill them, but I figured she won't make it if I don't so something drastic.
Has anybody had success using dulcolax?? I guess this is my question, for those of you who have tried it for this problem.
I really want to try to save her because only she and her sister are left and Chubby will be alone.
Thanks!

 

[PD-Riverman]

Sorry for your problems and I have never tried any of that. Hope you get answers. Good Luck

 

[evekelly]

I am cautiously optimistic after giving my hen 3 ml of red wine for sour/impacted crop. She perked up after sleeping it off all afternoon 3 days ago. The next few days have been good. She has been free-ranging and has a normal crop. She did go in to roost an hour early yesterday, so she is not 100%, I think, but it is better than the huge squishy crop and her lying around being lethargic before. Hopefully, this has worked. I will keep posted for those in the future who might have this problem.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Here's some reading for you - hope it helps
http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/impacted-slow-and-sour-crops-prevention-and-treatments

 

[MyHappyGirls]

I have dealt with sour crop many times The quickest success I had was with plain kiefer I bought it at Safeway in the yogurt section. I gave my hen 2mls in her beak 3 times for one day then I gave her egg noodles with olive oil to eat at bedtime and for the following few days I limited her diet only to crumbles or pellets(whichever feed she was on) and I mixed up some applesauce with the kiefer and some crumbles and that was all I gave her to eat for a few days even after she was better for a day or two. I also put one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar per gallon of water out too. Another thing I also had good luck with was giving the kiefer after emptying the crop. I did find that the more the crop had to be emptied the longer her recovery would take. Sometimes I had to do the kiefer 3 times per day for a few days until she got a normal crop. Good luck and feel free to ask me any questions I have dealt with sour crop and impacted crop lots of times....

 

[nancysmith2]

What vet suggested to me for impacted was olive oil in eye dropper. Give drops slowly about 1/2 at a time 3x a day. In couple of days she was much better. I done it for 2 hens worked both times

 

[chickbram]

My 2.5 year old Americauna started with a full crop that wasn't completely emptying at night. It didn't feel impacted, just kind of doughy. I took her off her food and kept her in the coop for most of the day, then let her out later in the day. She was eager to eat and didn't seem to be hindered much. We manually emptied her crop on Sunday and that seemed to help. Yesterday, I'm pretty sure by afternoon it had turned to sour crop so we tried to use one of the remedies of cinnamon/ginger/chili powder/ baking soda but couldn't get enough of it into her to make a difference, but she seemed to perk up quite a bit after that. Yesterday she was pooping, but today her poop seems to be mostly diarrhea. I am not watching her continually to know for sure, just checking on her throughout the day. All along, I keep massaging her crop during the day to see if it will get moving. I don't feel anything hard impacting her crop, but it is doughy, maybe grass balled up. This morning (Tuesday) her crop was very full and squishy so we manually emptied her crop again. Then, a little later I tried some red wine today, as someone mentioned that as an option. I just checked her and she is really quiet and her crop is no longer squishy, but it feels normal. I don't know if it is because we emptied it or if it is the red wine. It still has food in it that I can feel so it hasn't passed yet. It is so hot outside, I brought her in and put her in a basket and she is just sitting there.
My next shot, I thought would be dulcolax, which I have read can get things moving. I also ordered some acidified copper sulfate as that was another treatment for sour crop, but it hasn't come in yet.
I am aware that the ACS needs to be carefully dosed or it can kill them, but I figured she won't make it if I don't so something drastic.
Has anybody had success using dulcolax?? I guess this is my question, for those of you who have tried it for this problem.
I really want to try to save her because only she and her sister are left and Chubby will be alone.
Thanks!

 

[chickbram]

How do you manually empty her crop. My Rosie a naked neck has a squishy ball. Help!

 

[kcan2]

What vet suggested to me for impacted was olive oil in eye dropper. Give drops slowly about 1/2 at a time 3x a day. In couple of days she was much better. I done it for 2 hens worked both times

I know this post is seriously old but wondered how you administered the olive oil, and how much you gave your hens, 3 x a day?
I have never administered anything to a chicken before but suspect a possible impaction in the crop and want to help mine out

 

[RoyalChick]

Much easier to use coconut oil. It goes solid when it is cold from the fridge. You can pop it in their mouth like a pill or just let them eat it (mine love it). Then it melts on the way down and becomes liquid oil. No dropper needed.