Compacted crop. 7 days now :(

[LaDonna2019]

Hello i bought some Silkies at a Rural King store. I've had them 3 wks. One week ago 2day i noticed one was having crop issues. Researched done the vet. Gave everyone an antibiotic in their water. No luck. I started massaging her crop 3 days after i noticed a bulge in her crop tht seemed 2 be getting bigger and her head was jerking. Today is day 7 and I realized when i finally got her crop empty for once while rubbing in the upward motion. I felt a little rock or hard piece of food.. Will her impacted crop eventually pass the object??? I have slept with her all week so when her head would start jerking i cld massage her crop 2 help her.. Poor little thing has lots of energy, eats and drinks really good and does her pecking around with the others.. What can i do 2 help her? She seems normall until her little head starts jerking. 7 days now and I'm exhausted trying 2 help her.. I'm already attached. I love her. Please help..

 

[Sequel]

Hello i bought some Silkies at a Rural King store. I've had them 3 wks. One week ago 2day i noticed one was having crop issues. Researched done the vet. Gave everyone an antibiotic in their water. No luck. I started massaging her crop 3 days after i noticed a bulge in her crop tht seemed 2 be getting bigger and her head was jerking. Today is day 7 and I realized when i finally got her crop empty for once while rubbing in the upward motion. I felt a little rock or hard piece of food.. Will her impacted crop eventually pass the object??? I have slept with her all week so when her head would start jerking i cld massage her crop 2 help her.. Poor little thing has lots of energy, eats and drinks really good and does her pecking around with the others.. What can i do 2 help her? She seems normall until her little head starts jerking. 7 days now and I'm exhausted trying 2 help her.. I'm already attached. I love her. Please help..

You poor thing! I have no idea how to help her but I think @azygous knows a lot about crops as do @Wyorp Rock and @Eggcessive . I'm hoping someone will come on soon with some help for you.

 

[Henriettamom919]

You're doing everything I would know to do! Have you tried olive or coconut oil? That can help lubricate its passing.

The fact that she's still eating and drinking is fantastic! The Chicken Gurus will be on tomorrow if you can hang in till then! You're doing great, though. Try and rest tonight!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hello i bought some Silkies at a Rural King store. I've had them 3 wks. One week ago 2day i noticed one was having crop issues. Researched done the vet. Gave everyone an antibiotic in their water. No luck. I started massaging her crop 3 days after i noticed a bulge in her crop tht seemed 2 be getting bigger and her head was jerking. Today is day 7 and I realized when i finally got her crop empty for once while rubbing in the upward motion. I felt a little rock or hard piece of food.. Will her impacted crop eventually pass the object??? I have slept with her all week so when her head would start jerking i cld massage her crop 2 help her.. Poor little thing has lots of energy, eats and drinks really good and does her pecking around with the others.. What can i do 2 help her? She seems normall until her little head starts jerking. 7 days now and I'm exhausted trying 2 help her.. I'm already attached. I love her. Please help..

Can you get a video of her actions? upload to youtube, provide a link

Photos of her and her poop may be helpful as well.

How old is the chicken?
Does the crop seem to empty at all overnight? You mention she eats/drinks really well, has lots of energy and interacts with the others.

 

[LaDonna2019]

You're doing everything I would know to do! Have you tried olive or coconut oil? That can help lubricate its passing.

The fact that she's still eating and drinking is fantastic! The Chicken Gurus will be on tomorrow if you can hang in till then! You're doing great, though. Try and rest tonight!

You're doing everything I would know to do! Have you tried olive or coconut oil? That can help lubricate its passing.

The fact that she's still eating and drinking is fantastic! The Chicken Gurus will be on tomorrow if you can hang in till then! You're doing great, though. Try and rest tonight!

I read 2 try vegetable oil 2 help lubricate for her 2 pass. But i don't know how much 2 give her so i stuck her beak in it several times yesterday 2 get her 2 take sum. I dont think i got enough in her. Will it hurt her if i do somenin a syringe?

 

[LaDonna2019]

Can you get a video of her actions? upload to youtube, provide a link

Photos of her and her poop may be helpful as well.

How old is the chicken?
Does the crop seem to empty at all overnight? You mention she eats/drinks really well, has lots of energy and interacts with the others.

 

[LaDonna2019]

Yes i can later 2day.
Her poop looks like the others do.
No it doesnt empty. I massage when i notice the bulge 2 get it bck down small which is Several times a day.
I got her at Rural king. She was a new batch. She was covered in poop. So they gave me her. They all looked like new babies. I've had her 3 wks and 1 day now. The first 6 silkies i got from them passed away. They replaced the ones i lost. I didnt think 2 ask vet at tht time. I didnt know the vet could help. He gave me antibiotic to put in the water. I lost 2 more. I called vet Tuesday and told them her issues. Git another antibiotic to put in their water.. It was brown and smelled bad. None of them wld touch it so after 3 hours with none drinking i dumped the med and gave them reg. water so they all wldnt dehydrate Now i have 6 silkies and 5 bantam feathered chickens. Their all still under a heat lamp bcuz their size. Everyone else is fine.. My grand babies stayed the night so soon as they leave I'll do a video later. Thank u all for the replies ❤

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I didnt know the vet could help. He gave me antibiotic to put in the water. I lost 2 more. I called vet Tuesday and told them her issues. Git another antibiotic to put in their water.. It was brown and smelled bad. None of them wld touch it so after 3 hours with none drinking i dumped the med and gave them reg. water so they all wldnt dehydrate Now i have 6 silkies and 5 bantam feathered chickens. Their all still under a heat lamp bcuz their size.

Do you know what antibiotic the vet gave you? Was he trying to treat infection or something like Coccidiosis?

You have them under a heat lamp, so I would assume the chicks have access to food/water 24/7 so they are eating/drinking at all hours. That is a hard way to gauge if a crop is emptying.
You mentioned you felt something hard in there? Could it be grit? A chicken that has an impacted crop normally does not eat/drink much at all, they may drink a lot of water, but they don't eat. They usually are not active either.

A head that is jerking sounds neurological, Silkies have a vaulted skull with a hole in it, so they seem to be more prone to neurological problems. I would give her 2-3 drops of Poultry Nutri-Drench 2 times a day to see if that helps.

 

[azygous]

I agree with @Wyorp Rock that the lump in the crop and the head jerking may not be related. I would try adding some vitamin E oil to the poultry Nutri-drench for the possible neurological issue. Give the chicks some minced boiled egg for the rest of the nutrients that treating a neurological problem requires.

You can drape a dark cloth at night over the brooder between the heat lamp and the chicks, careful to make sure the cloth isn't near the hot bulb. I used to do this so my chicks would be able to sleep at night instead of having a bright light beating down on them 24/7. That way the chicks will be able to empty their crops overnight, which is more natural and healthy for them than keeping them full around the clock.

Consider brooding with the heating pad system next time around. It's safer and easier and much more natural for the chicks.

 

[LaDonna2019]

Do you know what antibiotic the vet gave you? Was he trying to treat infection or something like Coccidiosis?

You have them under a heat lamp, so I would assume the chicks have access to food/water 24/7 so they are eating/drinking at all hours. That is a hard way to gauge if a crop is emptying.
You mentioned you felt something hard in there? Could it be grit? A chicken that has an impacted crop normally does not eat/drink much at all, they may drink a lot of water, but they don't eat. They usually are not active either.

A head that is jerking sounds neurological, Silkies have a vaulted skull with a hole in it, so they seem to be more prone to neurological problems. I would give her 2-3 drops of Poultry Nutri-Drench 2 times a day to see if that helps.

The first antibiotic was for a parasite. The 2nd one for diseases.
Yes they have 24/7 access but the others seem 2 be fine. When her head starting jerking Mon. Evening i thought she was just sleepy then i noticed it was worse on Tues. Thts when i knew something wasn't right.
Thank u for all the info. I haven't had chickens since as child so I'm learning and lots of researching .