Crop Issue - Sour/Impacted not sure which - Help Please

[Feathers n Fur]

Inspected her butt and found no egg to be "stuck." Didn't feel any obstruction whatso ever. Inspected another hen to be sure and they felt the same so the blockage is impacted crop. Did more massaging and lubricating. A local farmer mentioned they give their cows mineral oil. I only have baby oil and since it has fragrance I did not use it. I will continue to massaege and if it doesn break up and go down in a day or so I guess I'll have to do something more drastic.

 

[casportpony]

Inspected her butt and found no egg to be "stuck." Didn't feel any obstruction whatso ever. Inspected another hen to be sure and they felt the same so the blockage is impacted crop. Did more massaging and lubricating. A local farmer mentioned they give their cows mineral oil. I only have baby oil and since it has fragrance I did not use it. I will continue to massaege and if it doesn break up and go down in a day or so I guess I'll have to do something more drastic.

Miner oil is what is used in mammals to help move intestinal blockages and firm stools. If I were going to use oil in a bird, I would use miner oil, but due to the aspiration dangers, I wouldn't want to recommend it. If you really think oil will help, get the mineral oil, but be very careful giving it. Believe it or not, tubing water is much safer and probably better for her in the long run.

Keep in mind the the obstruction could be in the gizzard. Never had to deal with one, just read about them...

-Kathy

 

[dixiekittiez]

Could you please go over how to tube feed the water to help flush out the crop. I have successfully treated a couple of impacted crops with massaging and restricting foods (feeding scrambled eggs and Greek yogurt only with baby chick grit sprinkled on top), after a couple of days, when the crop seemed to be less swollen and the mass was more squishy/almost gone I began allowing crumbles with the yogurt. I waited until the crops seemed to be filling and emptying (even though they were still larger than normal) before releasing to the outdoor covered pens.Both of those chickens are now perfectly normal. I wanted to flush the crops before, but could not get my hands on any Foley Caths to do the flushing. Also, I was a vet tech for 8 years (but only worked in small animal practices and have limited experience with birds-mostly wildlife w/injuries). I no longer live near the vet practices I used to work for, and none of the vets I worked with have chicken experience. No local vet will deal with chickens. Now I have a bantam who has a pendulous crop. I did manage to get a small amount of vomit out of her, but not much and I don't want to push my luck on her aspirating. I have removed her food and limited her water for 24 hours. The crop did not go down and the vomit was not stinky like sour crop. I have been massaging her and giving her only scrambled eggs and Greek yogurt with grit for 2 days. Her crop got slightly smaller, but not much. There is no mass, and all seems wet (not doughy like the other impacted crops did). She is passing normal chicken poos, and is eating/acting well. I do not want to use the ACV, as several veterinary sites I visited recommend against it because it increases the acidic load on the chicken? (not sure I understand, but I am hesitant to try) Also the ACV you need is the unpasteurized kind which I am having trouble finding, anyway. I am not having much success with the massaging this time around and I can't feel any blockages. I am not sure that letting her back in with the others outside (where she can eat lots of grass if she wants-not a good idea right now) is a good idea. She hates being isolated. I was thinking that maybe tubing her might allow me to suck out some of the fluid, and then I could give her water to help flush her out. Sorry for the rambling post. Thank you.

April