Best Treatment for Vent Gleet and Sour Crop

[azygous]

If it comes time for euthanasia, she will let you know it's time. Keep doing what you're doing. Get that crop cleared and she'll feel much better. No doubt she has other issues. Chickens and humans live with them all the time.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

If it comes time for euthanasia, she will let you know it's time. Keep doing what you're doing. Get that crop cleared and she'll feel much better. No doubt she has other issues. Chickens and humans live with them all the time.

Agreed.
Please do let us know how she's doing (and you too!).

 

[HeatherKellyB]

Darla's crop is about double the size today and she's having more trouble breathing. Whenever I try to massage her crop, the crop contents comes up in her beak.

 

[HeatherKellyB]

She seems extremely uncomfortable anytime I lift her up. I've made her a brooder (a plastic container with thick layer of shavings since her keel bone is so sharp) to help her get more comfortable and keep her from being attacked by the others. Her flockmates have been amazing with her but I worry that instincts might set in.

 

[azygous]

Your hen is about as desperate as a hen can be. When the crop responds to treatment by becoming twice as full as the previous day, drastic measures are the next logical step. It's time for that "Hail Mary pass". Your hen has nothing to lose and neither do you. Time to cut into the crop and let that stuff come out. As it is, the contents are likely to spurt out due to the amount of pressure building. And you can bet that this is just as uncomfortable for your hen as it would be if you were bloated from a bowel blockage. (I know because it happened to me, and it's about the worst thing I ever experienced.)

The crop surgery is simple and low risk. It involves trimming feathers away from a two-inch square of skin on the middle of the crop. Then clean the skin with alcohol and make a one inch incision on the outer skin. Shift that incision slightly to the left or right to offset it and make another incision in the crop sack. Be ready for a gusher.

Run that around in your brain for a bit and see if it feels like something you could do. If you're up for it, I'll give you a complete list of supplies to gather and a step by step instruction of the procedure. I will be posting a video of crop surgery so you will be familiar with the territory of the crop and what to expect.

 

[azygous]

 

[HeatherKellyB]

If you feel like it's worth a shot in spite of her swollen abdomen and breathing issue (breathing trouble whenever she's held for the last year and in the heat of the summer sometimes she'll make her deep and low "beep") I'm up for trying this. I don't want to lose her but I don't want to add to her suffering. This is one of those times in life when there is no definite answer so I'm hoping to lean on you ladies that have more experience and have probably heard of Darla's issues before to help me decide what's in Darla's best interests. I am up for trying to help her, including this. Thank you again for your time and knowledge and for caring. I really appreciate it so much

 

[azygous]

Here is the list of supplies and the step by step surgical instructions. Give this some more thought. Sleep on it. See how our lovely Darla is in the morning. Then decide when your mind is fresh and you have made an assessment as to how Darla is doing.

Supplies to assemble:

A helper
Vetericyn wound spray
Betadine or alcohol
Saline wound flush
Sharp, sterilized cutting tool such as a one-sided razor blade or Xacto knife.
Sterile gauze
Tube of super glue
Latex gloves
Bath towel
Scissors to cut away feathers from incision site

Surgery:
-Wrap hen securely in a bath towel confining wings and feet, but leaving the crop exposed. No anesthesia is required. No pain meds.
-Have your helper hold the hen on her back on a hard surface or table.
-Locate the spot where the lump is most concentrated.
-Trim her feathers away so just skin is exposed.
-Prep the site with Betadine or alcohol to remove external bacteria.

Make a one inch incision in the skin. Do not cut any deeper than the outer layer. This will expose the crop sack.

Next, cut a one-inch opening into the crop sack, slightly offset to the outer cut. This is very important. You should be able to see the obstruction, grass or maybe something else that shouldn't be in there.

Putting slight pressure on the crop, push the obstruction toward the opening and pull it out. Continue until you can't get anything else out of it.

Irrigate the inside of the crop with a generous amount of saline until the saline comes out clean.

Dry the incisions by patting with sterile gauze. First apply super glue to the edges of the inner incision. Hold the tissue together until it bonds, about one minute. If it doesn't hold, apply more glue and continue to hold it until it bonds.

Glue the outer incision as you just did the inner one. Spray the incision liberally with Vetericyn. This promotes the tissue to grow together and heal. Do this twice a day for the next two days.

Feed only soft food such as yogurt, soft boiled egg, apple sauce, or gruel made from mixing water into her feed until it's soupy for the week following surgery. Give her a dose of Nutri-drench each day for five days.

 

[HeatherKellyB]

So if she doesn't make it through the night, she probably isn't strong enough for this procedure, right? Or should I just go for it if I'm worried about her making it through the night?

 

[HeatherKellyB]

She's gone.