Crop Surgery Performed - More pics & How To Steps posted - Pg 10

[speckledhen]

Monique, Kate is a Cochin/Silkie x BR hen, a happy accident, along with her two other poufy headed lookalike sisters. In the crop was just a baseball sized bunch of mush...only one or two pieces of straw, a couple small grains from the scratch, but mostly, it looked like a ball of crumble smushed up with the yogurt, olive oil and runny oatmeal she had eaten in the last few days.

I agree that a hard molt makes everything 100X worse. Normally, cruising through the compost pile wouldn't have done this to her. She's never been sick a day in her three years till this.

 

[PandoraTaylor]

Healing thoughts, wishes & Prayers from Alaska

 

[speckledhen]

Thank you, Ronny. So far, Kate is doing well. She is eating her yogurt, finished the egg and is working on the cornbread crumbs(just a tsp or so of them) in olive oil, a tiny bit at a time. I hope the crop starts working properly and she will get her strength and her weight back. She was growing her new feathers in with a vengeance when this happened, which is usually the time mine have troubles.

 

[NewHobbyForMe]

Cindy, so glad to hear someone else has tried this. I hope your girl recovers soon. Sounds like your operation went great. Thanks to Ruth again.

 

[speckledhen]

Excellent thread here, Monique. The crop didn't bleed hardly at all when we cut into it, just very little blood period. It wasn't hard to do, but in our case, I don't think it helped. This morning, she's not doing well. Her head is lolling back, her eyes closed and she's just barely breathing. We syringed water with AviaCharge and honey into her mouth, but the damage to her organs is just too great, I fear. I truly believe that the crop ceasing to work (food was just going in and stopping, like Skye) is a symptom of the body shutting down. And this was a very healthy, robust hen, too. But this molt was fierce. She and Skye, who I lost recently during her molt when her crop quit working, hatched a couple months apart, so were about the same age, 3 years old. Tom is holding her on the couch, but I think she'll pass before the day is over.

 

[ChicknJ]

aww ,I'm so sorry to hear she isn't doing well.

I agree tho that trying to save her was the best course of action. Maybe she'll turn around.

Ruth, add me to the legions of thank you's for posting this. I have had to suture a hen once from a over-zealous roo, now I know I could attempt this if I had to.

 

[ruth]

Oh Cyn, I'm so sorry to hear that she is not doing well. I pray she pulls through. Maybe there were other conditions going on that led to the crop problems. In my case, the hen was up and walking and eating right away - minutes later. Once I started feeding her, she started pooping giant piles of poop so it seems the crop was her only problem and once cleaned out, she could begin building her strength. I do urge everyone who has a chicken with a crop issue not to wait too long. They can't get the nutrients and they become too weak - maybe too weak to recover.

 

[speckledhen]

She's gone. Began siezing then passed on.

For some reason, her molt just did her in and I believe the crop stopped working as a symptom of what was already wrong.

 

[ruth]

Quote:
I'm so sorry. You did your best. Your animals receive the absolute best of care and love.

Monique

 

[Kittymomma]

I'm sorry. It sure seems like you've been having a tough run at your place lately. It's still where I'd want to live if I was a chicken, I don't think I've read of anywhere else that has as much knowledge and quality of care that you give to your birds. I hope things get better soon.