Crop issues and what I'm doing

[meetthebubus]

My almost 3 yr old buff orp punky was exhibiting behaviour changes, then weight loss and fatigue. She has a good appetite, feathers good not laying, color is fine I looked at her first thing in the morning and saw her crop wasn't empty I gave her a massage and layed out extra grit and soft food. Tonight I will start her on vitamin water give a little olive oil and some baby food and hope she gets through it as I continue to do this, syringe feed the liquids, etc

 

[cleoandtheflock]

It is not good for the crop to not empty overnight
She could have sour crop, or impacted crop or both
Smell her breath is it sour smelling?
Does the crop feel hard?
Also is it larger than a golf ball?
Has she been eating straw or long grasses?

 

[micstrachan]

Yes, if her crop is not emptying, you need to figure out if it’s impacted, sour, slow, doughy, etc. so you know what course of action to take. There are some crop articles in the learning center.

You will also want to figure out if there is another issue causing the crop problems.

Is the crop firm or soft?

 

[chickens really]

@TwoCrows

 

[Wyorp Rock]

My almost 3 yr old buff orp punky was exhibiting behaviour changes, then weight loss and fatigue. She has a good appetite, feathers good not laying, color is fine I looked at her first thing in the morning and saw her crop wasn't empty I gave her a massage and layed out extra grit and soft food. Tonight I will start her on vitamin water give a little olive oil and some baby food and hope she gets through it as I continue to do this, syringe feed the liquids, etc

How is she this morning?

If the crop is still full this morning, if you have a way of caging her within the coop/run that would be good. This is so you can monitor her more closely, get a good look at her poop and easily tend to her.
I would offer her 1teaspoon of coconut oil, hardened up and cut into bite sized pieces. Olive oil is o.k. too, but careful when syringing so she does not aspirate.
Massage the crop - tell us what it's like - fluid filled, hard, squishy, etc. is there any sour smell.
Give her water only to drink for a few hours and massage to see if it will go down.
Photos of her and the poop would be good too.

Tell us a little more about Punky while you're at it - has she been laying eggs? Feel her abdomen for bloat/swelling or fluid and check her for lice/mites.

Here's a couple of articles about crop problems you may want to read through as well.
Keep us posted.
http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/impacted-slow-and-sour-crops-prevention-and-treatments
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

 

[meetthebubus]

How is she this morning?

If the crop is still full this morning, if you have a way of caging her within the coop/run that would be good. This is so you can monitor her more closely, get a good look at her poop and easily tend to her.
I would offer her 1teaspoon of coconut oil, hardened up and cut into bite sized pieces. Olive oil is o.k. too, but careful when syringing so she does not aspirate.
Massage the crop - tell us what it's like - fluid filled, hard, squishy, etc. is there any sour smell.
Give her water only to drink for a few hours and massage to see if it will go down.
Photos of her and the poop would be good too.

Tell us a little more about Punky while you're at it - has she been laying eggs? Feel her abdomen for bloat/swelling or fluid and check her for lice/mites.

Here's a couple of articles about crop problems you may want to read through as well.
Keep us posted.
http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/impacted-slow-and-sour-crops-prevention-and-treatments
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

Yes I'll probably need to adjust, I'll take a pic this evening. She doesn't have lice, she hasn't been laying for awhile, isn't eating grass the crop is soft but doesn't empty fully, she has lost tons of weight but since she is a buff you can only tell when you pick them up, she doesn't like to be handled so I only pick her up if I need to examine her

She was sleep standing and moving slow so I picked her up and she was bones and feathers color is red but not bright red like her laying sisters.

I'd say the weight loss happened within 2 to 3 weeks

The crop is larger than a golf ball but not much, it is soft I massage it and she voluntarily drinks the vitamin/electrolyte for chickens with a lot of interest. Yesterday she ate more but I think relying on more water right now is best she is fighting but weak and tired I'm going to do more research and just keep trying to nurse her

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Yes I'll probably need to adjust, I'll take a pic this evening. She doesn't have lice, she hasn't been laying for awhile, isn't eating grass the crop is soft but doesn't empty fully, she has lost tons of weight but since she is a buff you can only tell when you pick them up, she doesn't like to be handled so I only pick her up if I need to examine her

She was sleep standing and moving slow so I picked her up and she was bones and feathers color is red but not bright red like her laying sisters.

I'd say the weight loss happened within 2 to 3 weeks

The crop is larger than a golf ball but not much, it is soft I massage it and she voluntarily drinks the vitamin/electrolyte for chickens with a lot of interest. Yesterday she ate more but I think relying on more water right now is best she is fighting but weak and tired I'm going to do more research and just keep trying to nurse her

Does she have any swelling in the abdomen?
Often a crop problem is a symptom of an underlying illness or condition.

Reproductive problems like EYP, Internal laying, cancer, tumors, etc. can cause swelling that restricts the digestive process causing crop issues, weight loss, lethargy, loose droppings among other things.

Getting a fecal float to check for worms and Coccidiosis overload is always a good idea too.

 

[meetthebubus]

The article is full of info but unfortunately it's like googling a symptom it can be a number of things I'm still nursing her though she won't eat now she does like the vitamin water here is a pic of her this morning I also got a video but that takes time..

 

[meetthebubus]

Punky is still struggling she has small watery droppings and today she regurgitated water when I carefully picked her up she obviously drinks when I'm not around bc I come back to a fuller crop to massage it's so sad to see her like this

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Punky is still struggling she has small watery droppings and today she regurgitated water when I carefully picked her up she obviously drinks when I'm not around bc I come back to a fuller crop to massage it's so sad to see her like this

Consider caging her for a few days within the coop or run, place her on puppy pads so you can get a good look at her poop too.
Work on the crop. Crop problems take a while to resolve, I usually start with some coconut oil and massage several times a day, then I would follow the articles I provided and see if you can get that to clear. I have had good results by doing that even though there was an underlying conditions causing the crop to slow down.