Chook not eating post impacted crop.

[Jax30]

Hi,

Last week I posted about my 3 year old hybrid having what I think was an impacted crop (treated with olive oil).
She was lethargic and dehydrated.(I gave her the water, suger and salt emergency treatment)
It also started to smell like sour crop in the 3 days post impact as I think the food took a while to move through so I have treated that as well.
Day 5 the crop is now emptying at night. (From what I have syringed down her)
My problem is that while she has perked up and is mooching around the garden grazing, I can’t get her to eat pellets or corn.
She has gone from 2.1kg down to 1.9kg
She is passing faeces but only small amounts as she is not eating a lot, and it has gone from greenish back to blackish.
I am soaking pellets and syringing down about 5 ml morning and night.
She will eat mealworms.
Am I just worrying prematurely? Should she start to eat on her own at some stage?.
I feel I have worked so hard with her over the week to save her but I’m still going to loose her as she isn’t getting enough nutrients without me syringe feeding her.
Any tips tricks or advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.

 

[azygous]

Are you sure she's getting access to suitable grit? Lack of adequate grit can cause crop impaction, and it can slow down digestion and harm appetite if suitable grit is not available.

Another thing you can do to improve digestion and appetite is to give a probiotic each day for a week or so.

 

[Jax30]

Hi, thanks for taking the time to reply.

Can you recommend a probiotic please? I will get some to give her a boost.

Thank you.

 

[azygous]

I use human digestive aids such as acidophillis. One tablet a day for a week or two. But do check on the grit that it's small enough for her. Even adult chickens prefer grit the size of coarse sand.

 

[Jax30]

That’s great.

Thank you.

 

[Jax30]

I use human digestive aids such as acidophillis. One tablet a day for a week or two. But do check on the grit that it's small enough for her. Even adult chickens prefer grit the size of coarse sand.

Hi, thanks for you help, after 2 days of probiotics she has just started to show interest in pellets and corn again. Only a small amount, but hopefully headed in the right direction finally.