Crop trouble

[Country4ever]

P.S. Forgot to mention..........just be sure to always have grit available to your chickens. And when they are in a crate, don't forget to put some in there too.
If they don't have access to enough grit, they can't digest their food.

 

[Leo1]

You know there wasn't actually any corn in there, even though they do have a little bit of corn in their homemade/sprouted grain mix. There were some melon seeds and some wheat and lots of long grass. I can post a pic, but I can't imagine anyone wants to see that. It was only huge for a few days (impacted for about a week, I think), so I hope we didn't do any damage. I'm going to give her some herbs that are good for stimulating muscular movement. Cascara, for instance, is similar to senna, but much more mild. Also, castor oil rubs can stimulate digestive movment, obviously no where near the incision.
I used mostly glue, but I had a little spot that didn't hold and then I couldn't get it to close, so I put in two stitches with polyester thread. Cotton is apparently not good and vets are not helpful with giving supplies (dissolvable stitches) to those in need.
She didn't even flinch when I cut her and if it were me, I would have wanted it done. After being around these girls I know how much they enjoy life and want to live, so not giving her a shot was not an option. She started trying to clean herself up soon after I finished. She was a real trooper, as most chickens seem to be.
She was in the middle of molt, so I'm thinking she was stressed from that. I have also been having a rough summer and the lawn has gotten too long, so I'm sure that didn't help. Now, I guess I just hope this was it and she heals up.
Why no ACV? That's pretty antiseptic and has lots of good bacteria and enzymes. I would think it would help. Am I not thinking of something?
Judging by the looking of her poo, I don't think she was dehydrated. Poo was far from normal and there was little of it, but plenty of liquid in it and her skin was very hydrated when I opened her up. Here's to hoping. She is my baby and a favorite. Just love her to pieces.
Tomorrow I will try giving her some yogurt and we'll go from there. Any other suggestions on food she can handle besides yogurt?
How long do I hold off solid food? And how long do I keep her quiet and isolated?
Thanks so much! It has just gotten to the point where this was really her only shot. You gotta do what you gotta do, right?

 

[Leo1]

She's preening this morning, but no water or food :/ She's nervous in the unfamiliar surrounding.

 

[ten chicks]

She's preening this morning, but no water or food :/ She's nervous in the unfamiliar surrounding.

Try and get her to eat/drink,very important that she drinks. Hold off on solid foods for a couple of days,give the incision in crop time to heal. You can add warm water to feed,make into a mash this will be easier to digest.

 

[Leo1]

Well, the little one's still here. Still working on getting things going but she's hanging in there.

 

[Janet Pesaturo]

Glad to hear she's hanging in there. Keep us posted.

 

[MeMotherHen]

hello,
I just recently brought my year and a few months araucana to the vet for crop surgery...i couldn't do it myself. She did good! the only thing now is trying to get her to eat. What we have been doing is grinding up their pellets and mixing with water, letting it sit for a while to soak then blending it again so it will suck up through syringe. Lots of water so when we give her it we can syringe and have her eat by herself. That way she gets food and water. the vet said to keep her on a strict liquid diet, cuz if there is problems with the crop, liquids are the best thing to give her.
I'm currently force syringe feeding her with a lot of patience...but it seems like her crop is just not digesting the liquid at night...because in the morning...she still has some stuff in there.
So i'm kind of in the same spot as you!
I got my chickens as pets, eggs are just a reward on the side, and i'm a vegetarian...so I am willing to try anything possible to keep my chickens healthy and alive.