HELP! crop is TOLTALY mushy and saggy!

Help! today as I was putting my chickens away I noticed that my 3 month old light Brahma rooster's crop was big and saggy, I felt it and it is totally mushy! what can I do?


mljohnson05 asked these questions to try and help you guys figure out whats wrong with him


How is his poop- I didn't notice anything wrong with his poop

eating?- I haven't seen any change in his eating behaviors

drinking?-I haven't seen any change in his drinking behaviors either

does his breath smell Odd?- it smells just tiny tiny bit sour

How long has it been going on?- I just noticed it a couple of minutes ago while I was putting my birds to bed.

weak or droopy comb?- I didn't notice anything wrong with his comb

hiding or sleeping a lot?- he is VERY sleepy, he never wants to do anything but sleep, sleep, sleep, sleep, sleep, and then when its time for all the birds to go to bed he goes on the very bottom roost away from all the other birds.

Please help I'm really worried about my baby

Sounds like your rooster has a static or impacted crop. You can do some searches on the boards, as there have been lots of people with this problem in their chickens and there are many solutions. One of my hens has chronic crop problems (congenital defect), and what does help is to separate her from the rest of the group so I can make sure I am able to monitor what she eats, and what comes out the other end. She gets small meals of soft foods (like bread or cooked oatmeal) soaked with olive oil to help things move. Some people put apple cider vinegar in the drinking water in case the food in the crop is fermenting, but my hen won't drink it. I just make sure she drinks lots of fluids to help flush things out. She is also wearing a "crop bra" which puts the crop into a more physically proper alignment so it will drain properly. I massage her crop frequently to help break things up. This makes a big difference. If your rooster has an impacted crop this really does have to be addressed quickly; it can be fatal. Is there a vet nearby you could take him to? It sounds like he could be ailing from this and needs attention.

update: I went out and felt his crop again and now it's hard, and HUGE, It's so big and tight that I'm afraid it's going to pop.

Quote:
Now I'm really, really, really worried, I'm so scared that my baby is going to die.

Quote:
Now I'm really, really, really worried, I'm so scared that my baby is going to die.

Then you should take him to a vet tomorrow, if at all possible.

I can't afford a vet

I don't have any olive oil, can I use canola (vegetable) oil instead?

I don't know myself, but I looked it up in The Chicken Health Handbook, and Gail Damerow says this for impacted crop:

"Symptoms - in mature birds: distended, sour-smelling crop filled with feed and roughage (crop feels hard when pressed between fingers), emaciation"

If that sounds like what you have...

"Causes - unknown, possibly genetic susceptibility, injury, fungal infection, improper fermentation of crop contents, or insufficient rations forcing birds to eat litter or fibrous vegetation that pack the crop until it loses muscle tone and cannot empty itself

"Prevention - provide proper rations and plenty of clean, fresh water; if feed is witheld prepatory to worming, offer a moistened ration 1 hour after worming

"Treatment - disinfect skin, slit through skin with very sharp blade, pull skin aside and slit through crop, clean out crop, isolate bird and keep wound clean until it heals"

That sounds very intimidating, but you may be able to do it yourself. I wish you and your bird the best.

I think it can be done at home. It's just a matter if you feel comfortable doing surgery on your chicken without any numbing agent or anything. I mean, if you have no other option, might as well give it a go.