Crop bra not working. Anything else to do for extremely pendulous crop?

[azygous]

Do you rely on the chickens picking up natural grit from your yard or do you provide store bought grit? When there are this many crop issues plaguing a flock, we must take a look at environmental factors.

If the local soil is providing all the grit your chickens eat, could you do an experiment? You will need a kitchen strainer and a magnifying lens, buy one if you have to. Take a few soil samples from where your chickens usually hang out. Look at the particles. Size - are they from one-sixteenth inch to one-eight inch diameter? Shape - do they have round edges or sharp edges? To be useful as grit, they must be that size and have sharp edges.

You do have a very strange soil in your state. It may be it's what's responsible for all these crop issues. Buying grit may be your solution. If you buy grit, get both the adult and the chick size so the chickens have a wide size range to select from and make it available free choice in several locations where they like to congregate.

 

[Fluster Cluck Acres]

Do you rely on the chickens picking up natural grit from your yard or do you provide store bought grit? When there are this many crop issues plaguing a flock, we must take a look at environmental factors.

I had grit available to them up until about a month ago (after the crop issues started), when the 2 recently culled hens began gorging themselves on it. I took it away, but have been throwing handfuls out in the run or yard each day. Now that the 2 hens are gone, I’ll put it back out. They also have sand in their run, but I was told that’s not adequate.

My initial guess as to the cause of these issues was some new nest box material we put in the coop about 2 or 3 months ago. When the issues started, there were many hens whose crops weren’t emptying consistently. I suddenly realized that the only birds impacted were layers. No old birds, no young birds, no roosters, all had properly functioning crops. So I removed the nesting material. I think it was creating small impactions or nests of material that were sitting too long in the crop and then causing the crops to sour. That’s my best guess as I’ve never had a problem like this in 6 years of chickening.

My theory doesn’t really explain why the problem is recurring. I do find stray pieces of nesting material in the coop and run, so maybe they’re still ingesting some. Or maybe I’m off track and there’s another environmental factor at play here.

Buying grit may be your solution.

I will put the grit back and also buy some new. I only recently heard that grit needs to have pointy edges and the last bag I got from the local co-op is round, so maybe it’s not as effective as it should be. I’ve been using this rounder grit for quite a while now- over a year i think.

Thanks for replying!

 

[jennaveewhit]

I had grit available to them up until about a month ago (after the crop issues started), when the 2 recently culled hens began gorging themselves on it. I took it away, but have been throwing handfuls out in the run or yard each day. Now that the 2 hens are gone, I’ll put it back out. They also have sand in their run, but I was told that’s not adequate.

My initial guess as to the cause of these issues was some new nest box material we put in the coop about 2 or 3 months ago. When the issues started, there were many hens whose crops weren’t emptying consistently. I suddenly realized that the only birds impacted were layers. No old birds, no young birds, no roosters, all had properly functioning crops. So I removed the nesting material. I think it was creating small impactions or nests of material that were sitting too long in the crop and then causing the crops to sour. That’s my best guess as I’ve never had a problem like this in 6 years of chickening.

My theory doesn’t really explain why the problem is recurring. I do find stray pieces of nesting material in the coop and run, so maybe they’re still ingesting some. Or maybe I’m off track and there’s another environmental factor at play here.

I will put the grit back and also buy some new. I only recently heard that grit needs to have pointy edges and the last bag I got from the local co-op is round, so maybe it’s not as effective as it should be. I’ve been using this rounder grit for quite a while now- over a year i think.

Thanks for replying!

I am checking in with you because I’m dealing with a similar crop issue. I’m thankful for all your posts and updates. We are currently in the phase of having passed the impaction but her crop is full of stinky liquid. I’m going to see if I can suction out the nasty smelling liquid and see what happens. Also making a crop bra but that seems like it will be a lesson in frustration. I’m sorry you needed to cull and I’m hoping I won’t have to but I get that dreaded feeling I eventually will one question, was your hen laying at all during the pendulous/sour crop?

 

[Fluster Cluck Acres]

I am checking in with you because I’m dealing with a similar crop issue. I’m thankful for all your posts and updates. We are currently in the phase of having passed the impaction but her crop is full of stinky liquid. I’m going to see if I can suction out the nasty smelling liquid and see what happens. Also making a crop bra but that seems like it will be a lesson in frustration. I’m sorry you needed to cull and I’m hoping I won’t have to but I get that dreaded feeling I eventually will one question, was your hen laying at all during the pendulous/sour crop?

I’m sorry you’re dealing with this, too. I’ve had crops issues in the past that resolved successfully, so stay hopeful!

My hen was struggling with this for a little over 2 months. She continued laying for about the first month/6weeks or so, and then she quit.

My takeaway from this experience is that if I suspect a pendulous drop, I will immediately put a crop bra on. I don’t want to wait and risk letting the crop get any more stretched than it already is! I bought another bra for this hen. It didn’t arrive in time, but at least I have one if I need it in the future. Best of luck with your hen and keep me posted!