Strange crop, impacted or something else? Need help!

[guest226]

My 3 year old easter egger has had a hard crop for almost 3 weeks. I've noticed it when I see the chickens in the afternoon. A week ago, I checked her in the morning, and her crop had emptied, but was still more full than the other chicken's crops. Now, when I view the camera I set up for them, I still see that her crop is a bit distended, even so early as 7:00 am.

It is circular and round when I enter the coop, especially after some grubs/seeds. She is happy and energetic, eats and drinks a lot like normal. I try not to give her treats, but since she is showing no lethargy, I am not as strict. She also is a big treat fan, she will run all over the place to get some. She has no symptoms except very watery stool. It has been a few days since I last saw her poop since I am not with them for too long (10 minutes on average). When observed, her poop is watery and clear, and has a little fecal matter in it.

I massage her crop for 10-15 minutes daily near the afternoon. Today I gave her a bit of olive oil mixed with warm water that she was more than happy to sip (she drank a bit herself, I didn't have to feed it to her). When I massage her crop it usually goes from a hard, round crop to a more flattened, normal-feeling crop, however the 'mass' in her crop feels like it's detached from her body. I can put my fingers underneath it like a hood - it feels like a firm disk, but it is a tiny bit squishy. I'm going to continue to massage it, but what should I do? This seems strange. Her crop is not visably bulging out, just feels very hard. If It gets worse, I will consider surgery.

No smell from her beak, except when I massage, sometimes I hear little pops - not bubbly sounds but like a knuckle being cracked. I make she I massage downwards so she doesn't aspirate. It doesn't hurt her, either, she stays in my lap as I'm massaging her, and runs off with her friends when I put her down from my lap.
If anyone has answers, It'll be greatly appreciated.

 

[guest226]

Hi everyone! I'm posting this again in hopes of replies as soon as I can to prevent anything bad happening to my chicken!
She is a 3 year old easter egger and is on the smaller side. She has always eaten vigorously and is always energetic and excited. Her crop is almost like a hard, disk-shaped mass for the past few weeks. I have checked her crop in the morning recently, and I am going to check again soon to see if it drains during the night, but every day when I check on her, she has a hard, large mass in her crop that is always either larger on one side of her crop, or is a weird flattened hard mass that i can move around and feels detached from her body in a way. I can put my fingers underneath her crop and feel her keel bone. In the mornings I can see she still has a lump when I view the cameras we have in the coop. She just went through a molt.

I massage it almost daily, today I gave her olive oil and water. When massaged, it always feels like it flattens out, but the next day it is still very full and firm. After massaged, I can feel it is a little softer, but still not flat against her chest like an emptied crop feels like. I sometimes hear a pop sound, like a knuckle cracking - but she isn't in pain. She enjoys the massage and will stand in my lap without me holding onto her! She also has had watery stool for several weeks. It is usually all water and little fecal matter.

She is not free-range, but her run does have a lot of sand, dirt, rocks, and wood she could've ingested. No straw or any long, thick grass. The only grass she gets fed is soft and short, and she is not given it frequently.

If anyone has any tips on what to do, please let me know. I don't think it's bad enough to start thinking about surgery, as she shows no signs of distress, lethargy, or pain. I know I've posted this a lot but I am often stumped on what to do!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

A week ago, I checked her in the morning, and her crop had emptied, but was still more full than the other chicken's crops.

It is circular and round when I enter the coop, especially after some grubs/seeds.

Welcome To BYC

I'm not sure I understand - her crop is empty or not in the morning? You mention it had emptied, but was more full than the other hens...

The crop is circular and round, especially after eating grubs and seeds.

The crop should become more pronounced and full when she eats and drinks. She should be filling up during the day and the crop will be at various stages of fill during the day as she eats/drinks.
The crop is going to feel anywhere from hard to soft while she's been eating/drinking.
When she goes to roost, the crop should be full.
Check first thing in the morning before she's had anything to eat/drink, determine if the crop is emptying or not.

She is happy and energetic, eats and drinks a lot like normal. I try not to give her treats, but since she is showing no lethargy, I am not as strict. She also is a big treat fan, she will run all over the place to get some.

She has no symptoms except very watery stool.

Photos of her poop?

While it won't necessarily hurt her to massage the crop during the day, it doesn't sound like she's got a crop problem, she's eating normally and having a normal fill on the crop.

Your concern is watery poop - is that consistent or just a one time thing?

 

[guest226]

Welcome To BYC

I'm not sure I understand - her crop is empty or not in the morning? You mention it had emptied, but was more full than the other hens...

The crop is circular and round, especially after eating grubs and seeds.

The crop should become more pronounced and full when she eats and drinks. She should be filling up during the day and the crop will be at various stages of fill during the day as she eats/drinks.
The crop is going to feel anywhere from hard to soft while she's been eating/drinking.
When she goes to roost, the crop should be full.
Check first thing in the morning before she's had anything to eat/drink, determine if the crop is emptying or not.




Photos of her poop?

While it won't necessarily hurt her to massage the crop during the day, it doesn't sound like she's got a crop problem, she's eating normally and having a normal fill on the crop.

Your concern is watery poop - is that consistent or just a one time thing?

Hello, thank you for your reply! I'm going to check her crop in the morning again, but last time I checked, her crop wasn't that empty, it was similar to what my other chickens' crops feel like after eating. For some reason her crop is always very full and hard, and has a weird shape to it, like it's a hard mass on one side of her crop, or is a weird disc shape.
I am not able to get photos of her poop live, but I have a picture of her sleeping. The dark spot is water from her poop during the night. I haven't seen much recently since I have been seeing them right before they sleep (due to inability to check on them mid-day), but when I was able to, I saw that she had watery poop multiple times a day, consistently for a week or more.

 

[WhiteCollarWeezy]

Hi everyone! I'm posting this again

Again? No one answered you previously? Maybe we can Help?

in hopes of replies as soon as I can to prevent anything bad happening to my chicken!
She is a 3 year old easter egger and is on the smaller side. She has always eaten vigorously and is always energetic and excited. Her crop is almost like a hard, disk-shaped mass for the past few weeks. I have checked her crop in the morning recently, and I am going to check again soon to see if it drains

So when you say drains? Does something ooze out of it? or the swelling just goes away?

during the night, but every day when I check on her, she has a hard, large mass in her crop that is always either larger on one side

So this mass appears on each side of her abdomen?

of her crop, or is a weird flattened hard mass that i can move around and feels detached from her body in a way

Huh? Try not to move it around too much..unless you feel it makes her feel better.

. I can put my fingers underneath her crop and feel her keel bone. In the mornings I can see she still has a lump when I view the cameras we have in the coop. She just went through a molt.

I massage it almost daily, today I gave her olive oil and water. When massaged, it always feels like it flattens out, but the next day it is still very full and firm. After massaged, I can feel it is a little softer, but still not flat against her chest like an emptied crop feels like. I sometimes hear a pop sound, like a knuckle cracking

O my...has she ever been injured? Like a pulled muscle or broken Bone?

- but she isn't in pain. She enjoys the massage and will stand in my lap without me holding onto her!

Aww she loves you and you make her feel better....so apparantly its not too uncomfortable for her.

She also has had watery stool for several weeks.

what else do you feed her? Any flock mates? Any metal material she could have ingested?

It is usually all water and little fecal matter.

She is not free-range, but her run does have a lot of sand, dirt, rocks, and wood she could've ingested. No straw or any long, thick grass. The only grass she gets fed is soft and short, and she is not given it frequently.

If anyone has any tips on what to do, please let me know. I don't think it's bad enough to start thinking about surgery, as she shows no signs of distress, lethargy, or pain. I know I've posted this a lot but I am often stumped on what to do!

Could she have got poked in the chest and it got infected? Post a video if possible plz?
I soooooooo hope she gets better

View attachment 3694455View attachment 3694456

I want to help, but have never had an experience like this??? So video? Whats this sweet ladys name?

 

[WhiteCollarWeezy]

@Wyorp Rock would be the best to help...ooops he already has! best of luck luv...

 

[guest226]

You have a thread HERE!!
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/hard-disk-shaped-crop-impacted.1605485/

Again? No one answered you previously? Maybe we can Help?

So when you say drains? Does something ooze out of it? or the swelling just goes away?

So this mass appears on each side of her abdomen?

Huh? Try not to move it around too much..unless you feel it makes her feel better.

O my...has she ever been injured? Like a pulled muscle or broken Bone?

Aww she loves you and you make her feel better....so apparantly its not too uncomfortable for her.

what else do you feed her? Any flock mates? Any metal material she could have ingested?

Could she have got poked in the chest and it got infected? Post a video if possible plz?
I soooooooo hope she gets better

I want to help, but have never had an experience like this??? So video? Whats this sweet ladys name?

Thank you for responding! Her crop is supposed to empty overnight through her poop, so that's what I mean by draining. The mass often appears on the right side of her crop, and instead of a neat ball in the center of her crop like normal impactions are, it is able to move around like say, a ball being held in a sack. Kinda strange! She has never been injured before and is generally a happy girl near the top of the pecking order. I feed them modesto milling feed and she has 3 sisters. I think either she ate something like wood or leaves that blocked her crop and is causing her to not poop well!
Yes, she is my sweetest and most cuddly chicken! Her name is Waffles! Thank you for your concern!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hello, thank you for your reply! I'm going to check her crop in the morning again, but last time I checked, her crop wasn't that empty, it was similar to what my other chickens' crops feel like after eating. For some reason her crop is always very full and hard, and has a weird shape to it, like it's a hard mass on one side of her crop, or is a weird disc shape.

Photos of the poop would be really helpful.

Poop can vary in consistency and type during the day and night. When a bird has been drinking and eating quite a bit, the poop can be watery at times. Sometimes it more of a formed stool.
Chickens also have what is called Cecal poop which can be a thick pudding like texture and is stinky, but sometimes it can also be loose.
Color can also vary depending on what is being eaten.

If she's eating/drinking before you check the crop then it's going to feel like it has something in it.
Re-check first thing in the morning while she's still roosting and hasn't had anything to eat/drink all night. Report your findings.

 

[guest226]

Photos of the poop would be really helpful.

Poop can vary in consistency and type during the day and night. When a bird has been drinking and eating quite a bit, the poop can be watery at times. Sometimes it more of a formed stool.
Chickens also have what is called Cecal poop which can be a thick pudding like texture and is stinky, but sometimes it can also be loose.
Color can also vary depending on what is being eaten.

If she's eating/drinking before you check the crop then it's going to feel like it has something in it.
Re-check first thing in the morning while she's still roosting and hasn't had anything to eat/drink all night. Report your findings.

Ok, thank you. I haven't seen her do a solid poop or cecal poop, even, in a while. The times where I have caught her with watery stool it was almost completely water, which concerned me. If i catch her when she poops, I'll add pictures!

 

[WhiteCollarWeezy]

Thank you for responding! Her crop is supposed to empty overnight through her poop, so that's what I mean by draining. The mass often appears on the right side of her crop, and instead of a neat ball in the center of her crop like normal impactions are, it is able to move around like say, a ball being held in a sack. Kinda strange! She has never been injured before and is generally a happy girl near the top of the pecking order. I feed them modesto milling feed and she has 3 sisters. I think either she ate something like wood or leaves that blocked her crop and is causing her to not poop well!
Yes, she is my sweetest and most cuddly chicken! Her name is Waffles! Thank you for your concern!

That is sooo strange....i agree. im going to view the thread suggested also. Waffles thats awesome.