10 week old rooster with very swollen crop

[WhenInRhome]

I went out tonight to feed them all some veggie scraps from dinner and noticed one boy has a very swollen crop. What can I do? What caused it? He is still eating and drinking.

 

[emmaie892000]

What does his crop feel like? Is it hard, does it feel like a water balloon, or is it normal consistency? Does his breath stink?

 

[emmaie892000]

The two common crop problems are impaction and sour crop.

Impaction happens when food in the crop can't make it to the stomach, usually due to a blockage. The blockage could be chunks of food, a non-food item, long grass, etc. There are natural ways to treat it, but sometimes surgery is the only option. Here are some threads on crop impaction.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/702383/impacted-crop-symptoms
http://poultrykeeper.com/digestive-system-problems/impacted-crop
And a video of surgery (very gross, warning):

Sour crop is similar to an impacted crop, but not as severe. The food hasn't solidified yet, and can still be passed on to the stomach fairly easily if you catch it before it impacts. The symptoms include bad breath and a large crop (sometimes the texture of a water balloon due to gas or liquid buildup). Here are some articles on sour crop.

http://citygirlfarmingblog.com/2014/05/26/treating-a-sour-crop-naturally/
http://naturalchickenkeeping.blogspot.com/2013/06/natural-treatments-for-sour-crop.html

And lastly, and article on both (and telling the difference).
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/04/answers-from-chicken-vet-on-impacted.html

 

[WhenInRhome]

Surgery?? On no. I hope it isnt that. We got him as a straight run and he ended up being a boy. I need to rehome him anyways so I am not sure about paying for surgery for a rooster we will probably have to give away anyways.

I felt it a little, it is hard. They do love eating grass. The only scraps I have given this before tonight was watermelon. Then tonight I gave them some squash ends chopped up, some carrot peels and some more watermelon.

I did not smell his breath. That might not happen, he is a pecker! I am not putting my face that close to his! He has gotten my ankles a few times already.


thanks for the links, I will check them out!

 

[emmaie892000]

Surgery is only necessary in really bad cases, as you may have seen if you watched the video. All the cases I've seen they were able to loosen up the impaction and make it go through, or help the bird throw up some of the junk.

 

[emmaie892000]

Surgery is only necessary in really bad cases, as you may have seen if you watched the video. All the cases I've seen they were able to loosen up the impaction and make it go through, or help the bird throw up some of the junk.

I forgot to mention, it's also possible that he just ate a BIG meal. If he really liked the food today, he could have a big crop from that. If it goes down tomorrow, you probably won't need to help him at all.

 

[WhenInRhome]

I forgot to mention, it's also possible that he just ate a BIG meal. If he really liked the food today, he could have a big crop from that. If it goes down tomorrow, you probably won't need to help him at all.

ok thanks! I will check him in the morning. They are pigs and I probably feed them too much. I just dont want them to get bored and start pecking each other. My 4 big buff orps just had to get saddles because they are picking each others feathers. I feel them a few cups of mealworms in the mornings, a few cups of scratch, lots of grass (wheat grass) and chick starter. The grass is either pulled from the garden, but this week we mowed so we emptied the bag into the run. They went crazy! It was super fine though so I cant imaging that clogging them up. I do put in longer blades of the wheat grass but not in a week.

 

[emmaie892000]

Sounds like he just pigged out then!
And about the boredom things, you can either buy toys or made toys to put treats it, that will keep them entertained. I've heard of people hanging halves of watermelons just high enough that they can jump and peck, so they have to eat it slowly and work for a reward.
Also, if you have a deep litter, you can scatter treats on the floor and make them scratch around for them, which closely mimics their natural wild behavior and cuts back on boredom.

 

[WhenInRhome]

Sounds like he just pigged out then!
And about the boredom things, you can either buy toys or made toys to put treats it, that will keep them entertained. I've heard of people hanging halves of watermelons just high enough that they can jump and peck, so they have to eat it slowly and work for a reward.
Also, if you have a deep litter, you can scatter treats on the floor and make them scratch around for them, which closely mimics their natural wild behavior and cuts back on boredom.

We have about 4 inches of straw and grass clippings and when I throw out the mealworms I rake them in so they have to work for them. They love scratching around. I will try hanging some fruit.

 

[emmaie892000]

Sounds like you're doing good then!