Crop issue... and it is complicated....

[rbc-bow-chicka]

I hatched this girl 4 years ago. It was a horrible hatching summer.... poor incubator Temps contributed to eye problems in 2 other chickens .... and then this one, who seems to be blind and deaf perhaps with other cognitive probs. She had a will to live.... and once I figured out how to feed her, she really has done amazingly well.

Anyway.... I discovered in the past couple of weeks that her eating and drinking decreased on and off...until completely off. Upon picking her up, she felt a little lighter.... but most noticeably, her crop was very, very squishy. Pressing on it, she brought up liquid that was warm (obviously) but not smelly. Put her in the hospital for observation.

Began crop massage in downward direction several times a day. No food or water. Yesterday was the 3 day mark. She is evacuating some rather large, watery green poops. Crop is decreasing in size, but still not empty. I cringe at the thought of trying to empty her crop and potentially killing her.

Today I mixed a small amount of liquid nystatin in a tiny bit of water. I was able to guide her to it and she drank it. I also tried to convince her she needed some scrambled eggs. She is not impressed. I am not sure how long it has been since she ate prior to Saturday when I brought her up.

I am really at a loss with what to do next. Her lack of vision is really not helping. She pecks around like she is hungry.... but not recognizing the eggs, she doesn't want something new. She is alert, gets excited, recognizes vibrations, is as aware as she always has been in her life .. but I know I need to work fast.... beginning with emptying her crop somehow.

I also know there could be a problem anywhere along her digestive tract.... so the prob could be further down the line and this may just continue even if I get her emptied out.

For now though.... we keep an eye on her... and ask for advice as if she were a 'normal chicken.

 

[DotToDot]

I’m really sorry about your bird, and that’s all I can really say. I’m no expert on sour crop, and all I would be able to recommend are things you’re already doing.
About her eyes… are they cloudy? Swollen? Are you sure she’s completely blind? I’m a bit more educated with chicken eye problems, so I might be able to help, but I know that’s not exactly what you’re asking about.

 

[rbc-bow-chicka]

I’m really sorry about your bird, and that’s all I can really say. I’m no expert on sour crop, and all I would be able to recommend are things you’re already doing.
About her eyes… are they cloudy? Swollen? Are you sure she’s completely blind? I’m a bit more educated with chicken eye problems, so I might be able to help, but I know that’s not exactly what you’re asking about.

I appreciate you taking the time to respond.

So now, you get to hear about my differently abled chicken!!!

Her eyes are perfectly 'normal' with the exception of her pupils being dilated all of the time. She tips her head like she is looking around.... though I guess she could be 'listening.' I am fairly certain she is completely blind. As a chick, she just kind of gazed off into space and ran into things ... I tried a flash light and other stimuli to check for any response (movement around her face, clapping) and there was nothing. She kind of tips her head back and moves from side to side. I do get the sense that she has some recognition of my voice... maybe the pitch? She boops at me in response.

i normally feed her in a low flat dish that she could walk through and 'run into' her pellets.... a larger jar waterer as she would wind up bumping into that and spilling some.... Both kept in the same place always. If she runs low on either, she walks/runs in a circle. She is housed in a hutch protected from but also colocated with other chickens... who love hanging out under her since there's a lot of dropped and kicked food.

Other than this (i know, i know...lol) she is a normal chicken. She purrs... gets broody, lays and sings her egg song. She likes being held normally... but with her mucked up crop, it is uncomfortable.

So that's Tommie.

 

[DotToDot]

I appreciate you taking the time to respond.

So now, you get to hear about my differently abled chicken!!!

Her eyes are perfectly 'normal' with the exception of her pupils being dilated all of the time. She tips her head like she is looking around.... though I guess she could be 'listening.' I am fairly certain she is completely blind. As a chick, she just kind of gazed off into space and ran into things ... I tried a flash light and other stimuli to check for any response (movement around her face, clapping) and there was nothing. She kind of tips her head back and moves from side to side. I do get the sense that she has some recognition of my voice... maybe the pitch? She boops at me in response.

i normally feed her in a low flat dish that she could walk through and 'run into' her pellets.... a larger jar waterer as she would wind up bumping into that and spilling some.... Both kept in the same place always. If she runs low on either, she walks/runs in a circle. She is housed in a hutch protected from but also colocated with other chickens... who love hanging out under her since there's a lot of dropped and kicked food.

Other than this (i know, i know...lol) she is a normal chicken. She purrs... gets broody, lays and sings her egg song. She likes being held normally... but with her mucked up crop, it is uncomfortable.

So that's Tommie.

Most chicken owners would have killed Tommie off. It’s really sweet how you made the adjustments to help her live normally. It sounds like she’s been blind her whole life, which means there’s no real cure. I’m sorry. On the other wing, are your nest boxes on the ground? How does she get to them? Or has she memorized the coop layout?
I am now fully invested in the life of your chicken lol.

 

[coach723]

Do you know when she last laid? Does she have access to grit all the time?
Being blind, I suppose it's possible she ate something she maybe shouldn't have. Have you ever wormed your birds or had a fecal done to check for them?
If you haven't seen these, they are helpful:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...ntion-and-treatments-of-crop-disorders.67194/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

 

[rbc-bow-chicka]

Most chicken owners would have killed Tommie off. It’s really sweet how you made the adjustments to help her live normally. It sounds like she’s been blind her whole life, which means there’s no real cure. I’m sorry. On the other wing, are your nest boxes on the ground? How does she get to them? Or has she memorized the coop layout?
I am now fully invested in the life of your chicken lol.

She is in a single contained hutch. She just lays wherever the spirit moves her. In the beginning, we had a hatchmate with her in a run... which was fine until *he* matured and tried mounting her. She was very upset as you can imagine. So it became time to consider other living quarters for her. I do not think she is aware of other chickens around her, but I could be wrong. I also do not think she has memorized anything just judging by the uncontrolled walking around...which makes me inclined to think she has further brain damage... or that the blindness coupled with deafness just make getting around that much more difficult.

Funny aside-- one day, the ramp to her hutch was knocked open and she made her way out. I walked into the coop and alllllllll the girls were up there (all black, including Tommie). I panicked a touch thinking I couldn't pick her out if a crowd of like 11 black chickens. Until I saw her moving her head while everyone else was standing completely still staring at me.

 

[rbc-bow-chicka]

Do you know when she last laid? Does she have access to grit all the time?
Being blind, I suppose it's possible she ate something she maybe shouldn't have. Have you ever wormed your birds or had a fecal done to check for them?
If you haven't seen these, they are helpful:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...ntion-and-treatments-of-crop-disorders.67194/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

Thank you so much! I'd seen the 2nd one... but definitely not the first!!

It has been several weeks since she laid. She has laid this spring, though.

I cannot imagine that she ate something she shouldn't have given her hutch/confined space. The only things that go in and out are her waterer and feed pan. That said, I might have transfered worms. And also, I recently (like a few days ago, realized that I had not been adding grit to her feed pan...which would be the only time she had access...so I am the idiot there). If I can save her, that will be a regular addition.

Thank you again.

 

[addctd2plnts]

I hatched this girl 4 years ago. It was a horrible hatching summer.... poor incubator Temps contributed to eye problems in 2 other chickens .... and then this one, who seems to be blind and deaf perhaps with other cognitive probs. She had a will to live.... and once I figured out how to feed her, she really has done amazingly well.

Anyway.... I discovered in the past couple of weeks that her eating and drinking decreased on and off...until completely off. Upon picking her up, she felt a little lighter.... but most noticeably, her crop was very, very squishy. Pressing on it, she brought up liquid that was warm (obviously) but not smelly. Put her in the hospital for observation.

Began crop massage in downward direction several times a day. No food or water. Yesterday was the 3 day mark. She is evacuating some rather large, watery green poops. Crop is decreasing in size, but still not empty. I cringe at the thought of trying to empty her crop and potentially killing her.

Today I mixed a small amount of liquid nystatin in a tiny bit of water. I was able to guide her to it and she drank it. I also tried to convince her she needed some scrambled eggs. She is not impressed. I am not sure how long it has been since she ate prior to Saturday when I brought her up.

I am really at a loss with what to do next. Her lack of vision is really not helping. She pecks around like she is hungry.... but not recognizing the eggs, she doesn't want something new. She is alert, gets excited, recognizes vibrations, is as aware as she always has been in her life .. but I know I need to work fast.... beginning with emptying her crop somehow.

I also know there could be a problem anywhere along her digestive tract.... so the prob could be further down the line and this may just continue even if I get her emptied out.

For now though.... we keep an eye on her... and ask for advice as if she were a 'normal chicken.

There's a number of articles saying that crop problems, especially if in more than one bird may indicate an intestinal parasite problem and that deworming can cure the crop issues. Just a thought.

 

[rbc-bow-chicka]

There's a number of articles saying that crop problems, especially if in more than one bird may indicate an intestinal parasite problem and that deworming can cure the crop issues. Just a thought.

I will take a look around and see if anyone looks a little full in the crop area and/or is not eating/drinking. Thank you for the guidance. I'm glad to take it!