Crop Worms

[azygous]

A doughy crop isn't necessarily an impacted crop, and unless you can feel grass in there, I wouldn't recommend crop surgery. Continue with the stool softener and oil and massage for today. When massaging, try to focus your fingers to break up the mass in the crop.

Have you tube fed a chicken? Are you game to try? If she's getting weak from hunger, this can help give her some strength. By tonight, you may want to try a crop flush if there is not progress, but that also is more efficiently done by tubing.

All that is needed is flexible oxygen or aquarium tubing and a syringe that holds a few ml of liquid that will fit into the diameter of the tubing. You cut the tubing into a ten inch length and we can instruct how to insert.

 

[FernhillMama]

I am willing to tube feed. She eont be able to go on much longer like this. I will get tubing and a syringe while in town today.

I’ve been kneading the crop trying to breakup anything, but it seems very much like a dough ball with no identifiable masses to be broken up. I remove her water at night and the crop is smaller in the morning, but no true improvement over prior morning.

 

[FernhillMama]

@azygous

I got tubing and a syringe. Is there a resource here on tube feeding i can follow? Thank you in advance!

 

[FernhillMama]

Update:

I researched flushing crop and tube feeding. I was able to tube her and flush with epsom salt water. I massaged the watered down crop and am hopeful it will breakdown whatever is in there. I was able to draw out some of the crop contents. it didn’t have an odor and looked like watered down feed with some grass in it. Videos online showed thick stinky stuff coming out, but she didn’t have anything like that.

I gave her a little while to recover and then pushed 14mL/lb electrolyte fluids. She has since pooped, but it was clear water with white urates.

Her overall condition is weaker than yesterday. Her tail is down, but she’s walking around, scratching the ground, preening some, but taking lots of rests.

I plan to push fluids again before putting her in the sick ward for the night and crop feeding her in the morning.

 

[ChickNanny13]

following

 

[LaFleche]

I would tube feed some raw eggyolks mixed with sugar to help rebuild some strength.

Maybe repeat every two hours to give it some time to go down into the gizzard and further to the intestines to be absorbed.

 

[FernhillMama]

I would tube feed some raw eggyolks mixed with sugar to help rebuild some strength.

Maybe repeat every two hours to give it some time to go down into the gizzard and further to the intestines to be absorbed.

I’ll do this for sure. I don’t have bird food folks talk about using so was going to research recipes. I forgot to mention I gave her 1mL of nutridrench with her electrolyte water.

 

[FernhillMama]

Update 9/27

Crop fed raw egg yolks and fluids last night and hen was a wee bit perkier this morning. Crop still had full, doughy consistency this morning. My mind may be playing tricks, but it seemed the slightest bit smaller and maybe more fibrous? Perhaps I’m able to feel what I’m thinking is a grassy obstruction.

Am going to flush crop again and crop feed again today.

 

[FernhillMama]

Update 9/28

I’ve been crop feeding her at night and she’s free ranging during the day. Her crop was still doughy this morning. It almost feels like sand in a stress ball?

She’s still lagging behind. Her appetite is there, but diminished. She enthusiastically ate strawberries today.

Her crop has been full from time to time like a water balloon so she is drinking. Her comb doesn’t look as bright red as her sisters, but it’s the slightest bit darker, not pale. May be my imagination though as I’m looking for anything to indicate signs of our troubles.

I don’t know what to do from here. I don’t love tube feeding, but will do so if necessary for her. Where do I go from here?

 

[LaFleche]

She does look quite good already.
My advice is to keep doing what you are doing for a few more days and then reduce the tube feeding to only one or two times a day and then to just one time in the evening and only if you feel that she has not eaten enough (feel her crop).