BJ roo update re: bulge upper left chest - photos of my recovered boy!

[jjthink]

Got home from work - let BJ and Ellie out and they ran around for an hour or so and then I noticed a very large lump very high on BJ's left, especially high when he's standing. So high, like if it was any higher it would obscure his face, like nothing I've seen in the 7 years knowing him. He's uncomfortable - keeps trying to swallow. Then will go about his business for a bit then again gets uncomfortable trying to swallow, to move something that's uncomfortable. Several times in a row he'll try to swallow hard and then he relaxes. I have never seen his crop evident before - certainly not like this.

I gave him a bit of grain bread soaked pretty well in olive oil and massaged the area a bit. It's still ever present and now it's dark out and they went to bed and so I quickly got these photos, which are not as helpful in illustrating when he's laying down but I think you'll still see that humungo lump to his left.

On way to a meeting now, tho I don't want to leave him. Will check in with BYC as soon as I get back.

See what the morning brings? Sigh - I had just been thinking that thank goodness one problem I haven't had with my feathered friends is a crop problem. Grrrr.....I need guidance on this one.
Hoping he just found 80 bazillion things to eat in that hour and inhaled them and that it'll all settle down overnight. But in case not, any helpful hints most welcome. Too many crises lately..not ready for another....
Thanks.
JJ

Edited to say p.s. BJ has been in the longest molt perhaps in recorded history. Began in May, and still in progress, so I've been concerned about his overall well being. He gets really good food, Avia Charge 2000 in water......extra protein.....

 

[Lunachick]

Boy, I hope you don't have a crop issue. I'm going thru that now. Isn't the crop on the other side of the breast? (sometimes I'm dyslexic with photos etc.)

BJ is really a nice looking bird, I hope he's OK. Did you check his skin for any boo boos in that area? May be an infection or something. Is he eating and drinking? What about his poop? What does it look like? His comb and color looks good to me.

We all seem to be getting challenged with our chickens these last few months aren't we? Check him later when you get home and let us all know...

 

[FisherMOM]

do a search for impacted Crop on here.... It takes a lot of work to massage it loose. I did not feed my girl anything but yogurt with live cultures and smushed up spinach in it.

I also soaked some small pieces of bread in olive oil and she ate those. I massaged her crop.. GENTLY..

please research this on here. It is deadly if it is his crop, unless to take action now. I saved my girl!

so it can be done.

 

[SpottedCrow]

When Obelisk gets the hungry horrors she gets like that too...I'd take a peek in the morning and see if it's gone down at all...even a tiny bit will show that it's not completely impacted...

 

[jjthink]

Hi, and thanks, Ginny, Susan, Brenda.

Ginny, so sorry about the crop issue you're dealing with. How's it going? In answer to your questions, BJ's poop has seemed fine and he seemed to have been eating okay, altho I am not always sure whose poop is whose....and therefore whether his output is normal. I don't think he hasa boo boo but will examine him more closely.
Susan, I'm glad your girl is okay!
Brenda, hopefuly BJ is just impersonating Obelisk

Getting back in from tonight's meeting - it's so late - he's hopefully sleeping and hopefully things are moving along.....
BJ seemed absolutely fine this morning before work and then all of a sudden tonight that crazy BIG thing. Unless he had been impacted and it took till then to overfill...

The worrisome thing is that he was visibly uncomfortable tonight. DRAT. Will read more on impacted crop. Hopefully he's no worse in the a.m. at first light and I'll massage and do more olive oil and other steps as recommended......will have to remove other food too and do the ACV thing.....if memory serves...

JJ

 

[FisherMOM]

I hope that BJ is feeling better today.

Maybe he was just piggy yesterday!

 

[jjthink]

Hey Susan, I was soooo hoping...
But it's still there. A great big lump that sits up very high on his chest (almost neck), left side (on the right if you're looking at him, but it's his left). Gave him a bit of olive oil soaked bread, put ACV water out. Tried to massage but succeeded only in really stressing him so stopped that for the moment. Took away other food. They want to go out. I don't know - maybe it's good for him to get exercise but then again, he may eat grass and stuff. This is the strangest thing because it sits so high - I don't know what to do for him.

JJ

 

[FisherMOM]

jj... if he is acting normal, I'd just let him out I guess.
no sense in stressing him more. Maybe the oil and massage will help. And I think that exercise does help move it along. Crystal pepped up even more one I put her back in the pen.

Just check him once in a while. Crystal became listless and it was obvious she felt terrible. She drank A LOT of water too.

If you DO end up giving him yogurt.. stop the ACV. Someone said that would sour it, and it makes sense. I don't think that I did both very long... and honestly, I don't think she DRANK any ACV water.

Plain yogurt and I used canned spinach. I rinsed the spinach (because it is salty) and smushed it in my hands (yuck!) Crystal LOVED IT!

good luck!

 

[jjthink]

Thanks big time for keeping me company on this!

I guess I'll let him out then but will skip their usual snack of sunflower/bird seed (which he's had with no problems for 7 years now). Scrambled an egg but he wasn't interested. Maybe will stick with the olive oil soaked bread bits for now, tho not again till a little later. And then yogurt....which he doesn't like, except when interesting things like cherries are mixed in. Is spinach supposed to be helpful? Maybe ACV water this morning but I'll take it away later well before yogurt...he probably won't drink any anyway tho a few posts said to syringe it in. I don't know that sour crop is even his problem - this very high up lump is so bizarre...

One thread said keep them warm - well, it's only 50 out and windy but if I force him to stay indoors he may stress more. Sigh - so hard to be sure what's right.
JJ

 

[Lunachick]

I think it's hard to know exactly what to do, we can only do the best we can with whatever advice is offered to us. Like Speckled said - just be there for each other and help out as much as we can -

Dang it, I just want all chickens to be healthy and happy and not have to go thru this junk.

I was afraid to look out on my porch to see if Gertie was still with us, but she was in her box this morning! All she does is nap now - I know how you feel about stressing them out trying to grab them and massage their crops. Gertie wouldn't let me near her this a.m. so I passed on the massage.

Now I'm at work trying not to think too much on it. Frustrating isn't it? Hope your bird does better today.