Chicken eaten wood screws

[jag1876]

Hi all, my 20month large mixed breed adventurous chicken has just taken a beak full of wood screws and swallowed them whole.
They are 10mm long and very sharp.
Should I try to empty her crop or will this potentially cause as much damage as letting them work their way through?
Thanks
Vicky

 

[JaeG]

How very 'helpful'! Chickens are crazy with what they will eat. I recently found this article: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ne...eve-diamond-earring-swallowed-by-chicken.html and if their gizzard can dissolve/grind up the platinum white gold earring (but not the diamond) I think your chickens will be ok. I'd say there's more risk of damage if you try to make them bring them up again.

 

[jag1876]

Hi JaeG, thank you for your reply. She is very 'helpful' indeed!
She seemed fine today but now she isn't right at all

 

[Eggcessive]

Here is some info:
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2015/05/hardware-disease-in-backyard-chickens/

 

[kklowell]

I hope your chicken is ok.

 

[micstrachan]

Oh no! How is your helpful chicken doing?

 

[jag1876]

Thank you

 

[JaeG]

Hi JaeG, thank you for your reply. She is very 'helpful' indeed!
She seemed fine today but now she isn't right at all

Oh dear.

 

[jag1876]

She isn't great, I've checked on her every hour through the night and now I've brought her inside with me.
I can't bare the thought of losing her, she was my first baby

 

[Eggcessive]

Let us know how she is getting along. If she swallowed the screws and you could have gotten a vet to open her crop right away with crop surgery, she would have had a better chance of having no problem. The risk of perforation is there, but if they stay in her gizzard, she might have a better chance. Many report opening the gizzard when butchering or doing a necropsy on chickens, and find all sorts of things such as glass, metal, and plastic. I have always kept a coffee can near my coop to put items into since I find glass or metal occasionally that works it’s way up in the dirt on my old farm. Good luck with hour hen.