2nd post - please help - impacted crop - SURGERY COMPLETE

[ourlittleflock]

First time posting in the section - please let me know if I need to include more info.. I have this hen that 1 week ago I noticed her crop almost rubbing the ground.. So I brought her in, on pine and give just water and olive oil on bread.. Left her in for two days - it was going down but not completely. She is a very social bird so for the weekend I put her back out.. the next few day - larger in the afternoon and smaller in the morning except it was never down completely. but when I went back out this morning it was still huge - I brought her back in this time on newspaper and give her straight olive oil - doing a massage of course. I notice when she was brought in her crop felt like a water balloon and now a few hours later it feels like mounding clay.. please help and what should be my next step...

1) What type of bird , age and weight.
black cochin, weight good, about 20-22 weeks

2) What is the behavior, exactly.
her behavior is normal - talking in the shop because no one else is around or is trying to tell was what is wrong

3) How long has the bird been exhibiting symptoms?
1 week

4) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma.
no

5) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation.
we noticed it when we added bulk sand to the run to cover the pebbles.

6) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all.
drinking water, eating when allowed

7) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc.
today once brought in first poop great, second and third have been runny with pullet sized poops included

8) What has been the treatment you have administered so far?
see above

9 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? For example, do you want to treat completely yourself, or do you need help in stabilizing the bird til you can get to a vet?
trying to help her myself

10) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help.
no

11) Describe the housing/bedding in use
now is just newspaper

 

[ourlittleflock]

this morning - it is a smaller size - maybe a little larger than a golf ball (still like molding clay) and we found an egg on the newspaper so she still is laying.. poop is still runny but she did have a good one last night - it had all kind of things in it.. weird looking

 

[lynxs1981]

Since you just added sand I'm not sure if that is an impacted crop or if she just ate too much grit. Just keep doing what you're doing and she should be ok.

 

[chickenzoo]

If it feels bean baggy/clay you might have to due the croup surgery to empty it.

 

[ourlittleflock]

any other options than surgery

 

[chickenzoo]

If it has been a week and it still has not passed..... nothing else I can suggest. The "surgery" isn't really as bad as you might think. Very little if any blood. You are just making an incision through the thin skin on the side of croup, then an incision into the croup which is like a big bag. You then scoop out the contents, flush, scoop, flush until everything is gone. Then stitch up or glue the croup and then the skin (I would recommend stitching) on the outside, then feed only water w/vitamins that day, then mushy, watery food for a week... like parrot feeding formula and yogurt and probios.

 

[erock]

I agree with Chickenzoo, it is a last resort option but if it comes to surgery it is not as bad as you might think. My bird was very calm, hardly any blood and she is alive today. Hope the other remedies work for you but if it comes to surgery, read what others posted on here regarding this surgery, this is where I learned it from. Good luck.

 

[honeychild903]

Hold her upside down and see if foam , feed grass etc. come out. I was just looking at mines bottom when I turned her upside down for a minute then it was like an explosion and so much crap came out of that poor chicken.

 

[ourlittleflock]

Ok - so we did crop surgery yesterday - I didn't want to wait until she was on her death bed - We have a wonderful guy that comes to the shop that used to be an emt and he helped me - SHE IS doing wonderful - no redness, crop is completely empty this morning and she is eating applesauce and yogurt - talking up a storm which is a good sign for her. She is a talker and of course we talk back..

We are also giving her poly-sol vitamins and spraying the site with lanacane

will keep you updated..

sorry no pics - I just wanted everything to turn out Ok..

 

[erock]

Congratulations and continued good things in recovery for doctor and patient....