4 Week old Cochin w/ huge crop...impacted???

[newtochick]

Hi,
I have a 4 week old cochin, she has a huge crop and has been swinging her head to the side every once in a while. I thought there was some neurological reason, but now I am thinking she has an impacted crop and is trying to clear it or something. I am not sure how it could have gotten impacted, I give her grit, and she has not been outside, so the only things she has eaten are chick food, and the occasional meal worm. I was massaging her crop today after giving olive oil (btw her crop is soft...feels like a giant balloon) and she started to throw up a bit, but then seemed to aspirate on it and so after she cleared that I was scared to try again!!! This is just tearing me apart as we got her after we lost an older hen for my son because he missed our older hen so much, and now we are dealing with this...any help or advice beyond what I have done would be appreciated! The pics below are after a bath because he threw up on himself and me earlier when I was massaging him. Oh and the crop is big morning or night.

 

[Egghead Jr]

O my god...that's terrible...i wish i could help...maybe someone who knows a little more will reply...i had the same problem once but never that serious...and i used olive oil but the case your dealing with is beyond me...sorry

 

[newtochick]

Quote:
Thanks, it has thrown me that is for sure, I am dealing with it as best as I can, but I am not sure the future looks good unless someone out there can help me!

 

[jennh]

Oh my word!!

I have never seen anything like that! So she wasn't always like that? I would lay off the mealworms 'til she gets a little older, though. JMHO I hope someone else can help.!

 

[newtochick]

Quote:
No she has not always been like this, only for about the past few days. I have stopped all mealworms for a few days now...I also have her on ploy-vi-sol (no iron). Thanks for thinking of her!

 

[newtochick]

I am bumping this for some help, she is exactly the same today...still alive, but no better!

 

[jennh]

Did you do any research on it at all? Try any other chicken sites?

 

[newtochick]

Quote:
I did a lot of research on impacted crops, and tried to massage and get her to essentially throw up the food that was stuck, but like I said, she seemed to aspirate on it. Other then that it said to do surgery, and my husband probably could as he is trained in minor surgery...but I just have a really hard time thinking of doing that to a 4 week old with iffy results from what I have read. I was hoping there was some other things I could do that someone on here could help me figure out.

 

[jennh]

Quote:
I did a lot of research on impacted crops, and tried to massage and get her to essentially throw up the food that was stuck, but like I said, she seemed to aspirate on it. Other then that it said to do surgery, and my husband probably could as he is trained in minor surgery...but I just have a really hard time thinking of doing that to a 4 week old with iffy results from what I have read. I was hoping there was some other things I could do that someone on here could help me figure out.

Are you sure it's an impacted crop? If it's impacted it wouldn't be soft, would it? You had said it was soft.

 

[klmclain1]

Wow! That's awful! Poor baby! I'm by no means an expert or even remotely experienced...however, after reading the "impacted crop" stories on here, I've already ordered the student practice scalpel kit from Amazon "just in case". That baby has to be miserable and starving. You've got someone there trained in minor surgery...I'd go for it. You can at least find out if indeed it's impacted, or if it's something else you could put her out of her misery - humanely before she suffers too much. Cover her head with a light weight sock or some gauze and solve this one way or the other. I'm pulling for you and your little one!