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

[ohiofarmgirl]

speckled hen - sorry about your friend.

Ruth - i think you are amazing. thanks for posting this. i used your post on bumblefoot a couple months ago. our little Chip did GREAT and totally recovered. thanks so much for all your info!!!!

 

[NewHobbyForMe]

I am sorry for your lost. She was a beautiful girl. You did your best and at least you tried and now she and you are at piece with it. At least I was after my girl died while I was taking out the grass she passed but it was very peaceful. I would do it again in a heart beat. I hope you have a nice Thanksgiving. God Bless All.

 

[speckledhen]

Truthfully, it was this thread plus jeaucamom's thread on crop surgery that gave me the confidence to do it. That, coupled with the fact that I had just lost my blue Orp hen, Skye, to the same thing, the desperation, just made us go ahead. Since the crop was a symptom of a larger issue, I doubt it would have done much good to do the surgery a couple days sooner, though, I didn't think she had a crop issue at that time. When they lose weight, and have sparse feathering in that location, even a normally full crop looks big. It's hard to know when it has just stopped working. Anyway, it wasn't difficult and without it, she would definitely have died anyway. So, thanks again, Monique. We were blessed to have our sweet Katie for three years. Wish it had been longer, though.

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

I am so sorry Speckledhen.

 

[eastbaychicks]

Done... we'll see how she will do through the night. She hasn't eaten much in the last three days and has been loosing weight so fast. I think she'll be fine. I can't believe I did it.

 

[jeaucamom]

Eastbaychicks!! I am so relieved that everything went okay!!!!!!

Cyn... we have been gone so long I didn't know you lost Skye... I am so sorry!!!!

 

[speckledhen]

Thanks, Suz. Yes, lost Velvet a year ago, then Skye a few months ago, plus my sweet little poufy headed Kate just afterward. I'll probably lose a couple more before winter is over to reproductive issues, too, but I have babies in the brooder now.

 

[ruth]

I thought I would revise and update this thread since it had gotten kind of buried and I'm seeing so many crop issue postings in the emergency section.

The first crop surgery I did was the one that started this thread - last year in Aug. I performed another surgery, followed all same steps, last month and this is what I dug out of the hen:

Once you clean out the crop she can be sewn up with regular needle and thread. Sew up the crop first and then the outer skin. I didn't give antibiotics, only kept her on soft food for a couple of days, and she's doing great. In her case, she had become broody and wouldn't leave the nest even after eggs were taken away. I guess she was eating the nest. By the time I operated on her she was skin and bones. However, in her case, she was still eating and drinking and pooping prior to surgery - just skin and bones. But, it was obvious from feeling her huge, hanging crop and withholding food/water overnight - that whatever was in there wasn't coming out on its own. The first hen that I operated on had stopped eating/drinking and was not pooping. Both hens are doing great today.

It is important to fully clean out the crop. Think of it as a balloon and make sure you wash it out, I used Betadine water, and feel all around. If you leave "stuff" in there, it can still cause a blockage. In the first bird's case, everything was sort of matted together and one big mess - in the second bird's case I had to keep pulling stuff out - took forever it seemed - it was all loose in there and everytime I thought I had it all, I would feel around and find more. Forceps work great for this - my vet gave me a pair.

 

[True Grit]

THANK-YOU! for posting this. I JUST bought a bale of grass hay to put in the nest box and on the snow outside the coop in the winter. I do not want to do crop surgery! Um is alfalfa hay ok? I was lazy and didn't read the whole thread.

 

[ruth]

Quote:
I use hay in all nest boxes - usually without a problem. I think it's the broodies, who won't get off the nest, that are eating hay when they get hungry.