Alohapeeps
Hatching
- Dec 20, 2016
- 2
- 0
- 7
Aloha to all! I want to share this experience as a way of saying thank you to everyone else who has shared their stories. My hen Red Peeps wouldn't come out of the coop the other day. She couldn't stand or walk. Comb was red. Eyes looked glazed, tired. I put her in a good size dog carrier and put a warm lamp near the side and covered all with a light throw blanket and started giving her water. I had to place a drop on top of her beak, which she would drink, otherwise, she wouldn't eat or drink. She kind of listed to one side as she laid there.
I checked her vent, thinking it was an egg stuck that wouldn't come out. Then she laid an egg the next day, so I checked her crop, and it was very large, filled my hand and I felt gravel in it. So I filled the laundry sink about 4-5 inches deep with warm water, about 90 degrees or so, and added about 2 cups of Epsom salts.
She didn't fuss, and I massaged her crop until it softened up more. I gave her another bath later that day, and more massage. She wouldn't eat or drink. Continued giving her drops of water with Doxycycline at that point, as I still wasn't sure what I was dealing with. Also gave water with electrolytes. Plus some sugar water. I was worried sick, and pretty much flailing around as I hadn't even thought about crops much before. (I only have two Black Jersey Giant hens, and they are both about two years old now. They free range from sunrise til about 3pm, they ask to be fed and put in their coop. I got tired of trying to make them go to bed when I thought they were ready, chasing etc. so now wait for them to come up and start talking to me.)
Finally read about Dulcolax and Monistat, so gave her two mashed up laxative pills in a cc of pureed peaches. Next day she pooped well, andby day four, after daily baths and massages, her crop was nearly empty and she stood up and walked out of the carrier when I uncovered it in the morning. She was tired of free ranging by 1 pm so put both girls to bed early. So far, so good. Now I have learned the importance of checking their crops in the morning to make sure things are moving along smoothly.
I never intended to be a chicken owner. One day this young bird wandered down our driveway and was pecking around the garden bed. I saw she was very young, and showed her where to look for worms and bugs. She followed me all day in the yard and then I had a pet chicken. The cats learned to avoid her. My husband thought she was lonely and found someone raising Giants, which we had determined she was once she was fully fledged, so we then had two BJGs. They are very sweet and smart, and lay beautiful brown eggs nearly every day.
I checked her vent, thinking it was an egg stuck that wouldn't come out. Then she laid an egg the next day, so I checked her crop, and it was very large, filled my hand and I felt gravel in it. So I filled the laundry sink about 4-5 inches deep with warm water, about 90 degrees or so, and added about 2 cups of Epsom salts.
She didn't fuss, and I massaged her crop until it softened up more. I gave her another bath later that day, and more massage. She wouldn't eat or drink. Continued giving her drops of water with Doxycycline at that point, as I still wasn't sure what I was dealing with. Also gave water with electrolytes. Plus some sugar water. I was worried sick, and pretty much flailing around as I hadn't even thought about crops much before. (I only have two Black Jersey Giant hens, and they are both about two years old now. They free range from sunrise til about 3pm, they ask to be fed and put in their coop. I got tired of trying to make them go to bed when I thought they were ready, chasing etc. so now wait for them to come up and start talking to me.)
Finally read about Dulcolax and Monistat, so gave her two mashed up laxative pills in a cc of pureed peaches. Next day she pooped well, andby day four, after daily baths and massages, her crop was nearly empty and she stood up and walked out of the carrier when I uncovered it in the morning. She was tired of free ranging by 1 pm so put both girls to bed early. So far, so good. Now I have learned the importance of checking their crops in the morning to make sure things are moving along smoothly.
I never intended to be a chicken owner. One day this young bird wandered down our driveway and was pecking around the garden bed. I saw she was very young, and showed her where to look for worms and bugs. She followed me all day in the yard and then I had a pet chicken. The cats learned to avoid her. My husband thought she was lonely and found someone raising Giants, which we had determined she was once she was fully fledged, so we then had two BJGs. They are very sweet and smart, and lay beautiful brown eggs nearly every day.
