CORN IN CROP

[Lavender6]

Hey Everyone,
I have a little Seabright Bantam. She got out of the coop and apparently she got into the shelled corn. I can feel about 4 pieces in her crop. She is standing around away from the rest of the chickens bunched up . I would imagine she has a big blockage. I noticed her yesterday not feeling well. I felt of her crop then. I could feel the corn. I gave her about a CC of EVOO but it has not moved it. I don't know what to do. Any ideas?

 

[nuthatched]

I'm not sure you want it to go farther down the digestive system.

 

[Eggcessive]

Does she get access to granite grit to help digest food? Is she drinking plenty of water? I would try massaging her crop several times a day, but if you have a vet who could try to do crop surgery that might be good. If she was a full size hen, she would have a better chance of passing the whole corn.

 

[Lavender6]

Does she get access to granite grit to help digest food? Is she drinking plenty of water? I would try massaging her crop several times a day, but if you have a vet who could try to do crop surgery that might be good. If she was a full size hen, she would have a better chance of passing the whole corn.

No vet within 100 miles that will do it. She has plenty of grit. I pour bags of it in run. Also the run is filled with gravel. They have oyster shells at all times too. I can feel it. She is just bunched up. Can I flush it with something? I gave her a little molasses water about an hour a go. She hasn't eating in too days. Both Bantams got out. I dont know how long they were out. Couldn't have been over 2 hours. I check on them often. I am scared

 

[Eggcessive]

I would try tube feeding her fluids if she won’t drink enough. You can use a piece of aquarium air line or oxygen tubing, attached to a 35 ml syringe from the feed store. Take a lighter and slightly melt the end of the tubing that goes into the throat, so that it is not sharp. Add some sugar water or electrolytes. A little uncooked egg might give her some strength. Many people do crop surgery at home when desperate and there is no vet care available. It would require an extra pair of hands, a disposable scalpel, tweezers, and superglue or sutures, supplies for dressing the wound. There are some good videos online, but I have not attempted it before. Here is a video on tube feeding:

 

[Eggcessive]

Here are some videos on crop surgery:

 

[Shezadandy]

Poor chickie. I've done crop surgery multiple times on multiple birds. It does take an extra set of hands and practice suturing. If you have Amazon Prime usually you can get the needed supplies pretty quick.

https://www.amazon.com/Training-Medical-Practice-Include-Pre-Cut/dp/B098NRSC7Y/ref=sxin_14_pa_sp_search_thematic_sspa?content-id=amzn1.sym.9dca4024-3e25-44da-8740-13759fcb9369:amzn1.sym.9dca4024-3e25-44da-8740-13759fcb9369&crid=2S7KLRUAHF32E&cv_ct_cx=suture+kit+medical+grade+with+lidocaine&keywords=suture+kit+medical+grade+with+lidocaine&pd_rd_i=B098NRSC7Y&pd_rd_r=44eaf96b-e395-4429-b429-369bcb2bc05e&pd_rd_w=PTj1d&pd_rd_wg=1nDq6&pf_rd_p=9dca4024-3e25-44da-8740-13759fcb9369&pf_rd_r=HG5QTX0AAAABT3CCZNRN&qid=1654289453&sprefix=suture+kit,aps,180&sr=1-2-a73d1c8c-2fd2-4f19-aa41-2df022bcb241-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEySVlZU1hBMkZDVU01JmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMjE3NjA4MVNJRTYwQTJYNEFDOSZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMDQ4OTc5MkJUS0RXUlRVREYxUiZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX3NlYXJjaF90aGVtYXRpYyZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

Assorted sutures that include chromic (most practice kits will not have chromic sutures):

https://www.amazon.com/Mixed-Sutures-Thread-Needle-Absorbable/dp/B07BHL4BKN/ref=sr_1_4?crid=XJKQPRRJMSQF&keywords=chromic+sutures+with+needle&qid=1654289742&s=industrial&sprefix=chromic,industrial,209&sr=1-4

Lots of good youtube videos on suturing and getting the knots right - got a practice kit like above that came with the fake skin pad (and everything you'd need for the surgery).

Practiced using the poly or monofilament (basically plastic) sutures (the chromic gut ones are more expensive). because they're easy to remove from the practice pad or your grocery store practice chicken (that's later dinner). Then I had my grocery store chicken pieces (skin on) to practice actually going through flesh.

You actually want the crop to be reasonably full of liquid when you do the incision - makes it like cutting into a full water balloon instead of delicately trying not to hit the other side of the crop.

Made the smallest possible incision that allows you to remove the offending items- the more you cut the more you have to suture- at the top of the crop so as not to compromise the 'grocery bag' part - why make a cut down low where the stitches are going to have to deal with the crop filling and expanding and holding liquid? May as well do it up high where the food/water will just pass the sutured area - gravity is then a friend instead of an enemy.

Had a bowl of warm water, and a 35ml feeder syringe to help inflate and then deflate the crop to clean it out and retrieve stuff (by pulling back on the plunger to suck the contents back out)-- and an empty bowl to squirt the 'dirty' contents into. Given that you know it's corn, and you're not digging out a huge ball of hay/grass - it would probably go reasonably fast.

Suturing is probably the most difficult part. Because I don't have injectable lidocaine, I use Band-aid hurt-free antiseptic (https://www.amazon.com/Johnson-Band-Aid-Hurt-Free-Antiseptic/dp/B00138X3C0/ref=sr_1_4?crid=UFUJ5PJF5J91&keywords=bandaid+hurt+free+antiseptic+wash&qid=1654289260&sprefix=bandaid+hurt-free+anti,aps,239&sr=8-4) which can be found by the band-aids in most stores -- on the incision before I start to suture and as I suture. Most birds don't have much problem with the initial incision being made by the scalpel, but suturing back together is something else (and takes time because things are slimy and it's a small area).

 

[Shezadandy]

This is my favorite guide to all things crop for other things to try. If it's something that you don't think will pass through though, the sooner you get it out the better - because it will start to rot in short order.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...d-sour-crops-prevention-and-treatments.67194/

 

[Shadrach]

This is my favorite guide to all things crop for other things to try. If it's something that you don't think will pass through though, the sooner you get it out the better - because it will start to rot in short order.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...d-sour-crops-prevention-and-treatments.67194/

Hello @Shezadandy
I thought you might like to know that the links you've kindly provided lead to products currently unavailable.

 

[Shezadandy]

Hello @Shezadandy
I thought you might like to know that the links you've kindly provided lead to products currently unavailable.

I wonder if it's a regional thing- I just clicked on all of them - the only one that shows unavailable is the band-aid hurt free antiseptic - there's a 2 pack if it's looked up by product. https://www.amazon.com/Band-Aid-Bra...557&sprefix=bandaid+hurt+,aps,183&sr=8-3&th=1 Though I usually just get it at Walmart.

The kit shows available for one-day delivery, same with the sutures. Again, could be where you live vs. where I live on availability.

The good news is there are many versions of these kits and most come with about the same stuff, so if nothing else the links should serve as a good jumping off point. The important component in sutures is finding the "chromic" ones - in the link provided, it was the cheapest (and immediately available) in my area that included chromic in their pack.