Crop

[confederatemule]

I have an old hen who is mopeing the last couple of days. Her crop seems to be very very full. Sorta like there is something stuck in there.
Do y'all have any suggestions?

Thanks fer any help.
Mule

 

[Kiki]

Is she eating and drinking?
What do you feed her?

Can you feel the crop first thing in the morning, before she eats anything and report back who it feels then?

You may want to read this too:
Impacted, Slow and Sour Crops - Prevention and Treatments

 

[CharB]

@KikisGirls posted a link to an excellent article by @TwoCrows. It is very detailed and requires a good read through and then you can go back and focus on the area you feel most describes your chicken at present.

Crop issues can be heart breaking. The crop being a thin muscle has a hard time going back to its original shape after being extended for a period of time. The advise given in the article helped me tremendously and bought me several more months with my favorite hen. I would do it all again and my advise is to try as long as you feel she has a chance at recovery. I wish you the best of luck, my friend.

 

[Kiki]

@KikisGirls posted a link to an excellent article by @TwoCrows. It is very detailed and requires a good read through and then you can go back and focus on the area you feel most describes your chicken at present.

Crop issues can be heart breaking. The crop being a thin muscle has a hard time going back to its original shape after being extended for a period of time. The advise given in the article helped me tremendously and bought me several more months with my favorite hen. I would do it all again and my advise is to try as long as you feel she has a chance at recovery. I wish you the best of luck, my friend.

Nice to hear that you too found that article helpful.
People don't usually "report back" updates after their initial first "emergency" thread.

 

[confederatemule]

Is she eating and drinking?
What do you feed her?

Can you feel the crop first thing in the morning, before she eats anything and report back who it feels then?

You may want to read this too:
Impacted, Slow and Sour Crops - Prevention and Treatments

I read it and learned a lot. Thanks fer the link. It is saved fer future use.

 

[confederatemule]

Nice to hear that you too found that article helpful.
People don't usually "report back" updates after their initial first "emergency" thread.

I'll be reporting back. I'm gonna try to get a picture this evenin.

 

[TwoCrows]

Older hens can have a host of issues going on which can cause a crop to back up and be slow. This is probably something you will need to track down to treat. Her slow crop is probably a secondary issue to something else and addressing just the crop may not fix her. However treat the crop at the same time.

You might get her on Acidified Copper Sulfate as this stuff will treat several things at the same time along with any yeast that may be slowing the crop down.

Exactly what color and consistency is her poop? Is there any grass in it?

 

[confederatemule]

I don't know about her poop. I'll try to check it in the mornin.
This hen laid her last egg well over a year ago.

 

[confederatemule]

Sorry fer the double pictures.

 

[TwoCrows]

How old is she? Australorp? My Aussies laid well into their 5th year, even an occasional egg in their 6th year. So if she is much younger, she may be internally laying if she hasn't laid in the past year, causing the slow crop.

While you are checking poop, feel her abdomen, on the outside. Reach between her legs and feel her belly with your entire hand. Compair hers to other hens. If she has a full squishy water balloon like belly, this may indicate internal laying.