Crop Impaction?

[Chicken Lass]

Hi again. I think my hen Frances has something wrong with her crop. I'm pretty sure it's crop impaction - because I saw that she pooped out some grass wads and I think little pieces of bedding after I gave her some vegetable oil. Despite my giving her oil just about every day, her crop is staying pretty full, even after a night's sleep. I don't know if it's good for her if I keep giving her oil every day. She also is a bit lighter and I think she's lost some weight. Other than these symptoms, she's pretty much keeping up with the others as usual. About a week ago she was a bit wobbly, and I notice that she's still uncertain on the roost. If worse comes to worse and her crop doesn't go back to normal, I may have to spend big bucks and take her to the vet. She had pneumonia a while back which I took care of with antibiotics - don't know if this has anything to do with her crop though. She has a good appetite and she must be getting some nutrition because she doesn't seem too skinny - though she has lost weight. I figure she must have a lot of bedding in her crop. If anyone has any suggestions or advice that would be awesome. Thanks!

 

[chickeepoo]

Crop impaction surgery is an option- there are several threads and advice on the subject, some with reference photos. My husband did the surgery on one of our hens in February and she was fine, healed without any infection and went back to laying after 2 weeks. I did post about it and how it was done. I would use something to numb the surgical site if you can get it, like lidacaine gel or another analgesic. Also, super-glue or medical super-glue seals the incisions without the complication of stitches. If you feel up to it, let us know and keep us posted. Otherwise, if you have the $ and a vet who can treat poultry, you could have her checked out there.

 

[Chicken Lass]

Thanks Chickeepoo,
I'm not sure I could do any sort of surgery - I've never done anything like that before and I would probably mess something up. Frances' crop does go down a bit over night, but just not all the way and still feels hard. I'll probably end up taking her to the vet - I'm going to keep giving her a bit of oil daily for a while and see how she does. Maybe I can try giving her a little warm water as well.
Again, thanks for the suggestion! Maybe some day I can watch someone else do the process so I'll know how to do it.