crops feel like clay

[onthespot]

I was feeling one of my cull roosters yesterday, wondering how he would look all dressed out, and noticed that his crop was half full, felt kind not right. Some of the other birds in the pen felt the same, some better, some worse. I gave them some potato skins, lots of watermelon lately, but otherwise than that, they are on free choice Start 'N Grow crumbles and layer pellets, with clean water always accessible. They are on a dirt floor that I spread out some composting straw on last week to aerate by hand and let them pick out some worms, mix in their poop, wet down with a hose and put back in the barrel, but that's about all they have had. Oh yeah, they also have free choice to the oyster shells.
Any idea what is making their crops thick and pasty like that and what do I do about it? Any help appreciated.
Is it possible to place a tube down their throat and irrigate it, massage it and pull the junk out if I was so brave as to try?

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

I may be wrong, but I don't think you're supposed to give chickens potato skins, especially if they have any green on them. Potato is in the nightshade family and the green part is toxic.

However, I don't know if this has anything to do with their crops feeling funny. I don't know how to work with crops. I'm sure someone will answer this post with good advice.

 

[kees]

I think that there's a sticky above for a crop operation. Good luck!

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

I believe I have read to NO potato skins...I will see if I can find that thread to share with you. I could be wrong tho. Maybe someone else who knows for sure will jump in here.

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

Here is a thread on it...if you search for potato skins you will find several...this is just one of them.
They are saying to stay away from potato and skins.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=21918

 

[onthespot]

thanks for the link. the consensus on that thread was that cooked skins were okay. Good news is, the skins they had were cooked, from about a dozen small potatoes, split between ten birds. I brought home a human catheter from work and a 60 cc syringe and might try on a cull bird first, irrigating the crop, squishing that stuff around to break it up, and see if I can pull out any of it. If he dies, well, then I don't have to chop his head off. And yes, I will draw back to see if I get any fluid befor I pump a load in there. I don't really want to drown the poor guy.

 

[dlhunicorn]

...but otherwise than that, they are on free choice Start 'N Grow crumbles and layer pellets,.....Oh yeah, they also have free choice to the oyster shells. .....

how old are your birds??? (If they are not yet laying or very close to it they should not be fed layer ration (or oyster shells) ...

..... They are on a dirt floor that I spread out some composting straw on last week to aerate by hand and let them pick out some worms, mix in their poop, wet down with a hose and put back in the barrel,

earthworms will give your birds (intestinal)worms ...
...when was the last time you wormed them...intestinal upset (also from worms) can cause the crop to slow eventually leading to stasis 9this means the crops stops moving the stored feed through and it just sits there ).... straw (especially from the compost heap) harbors all kinds of nasties and mycotoxins which can make your bird ill.
Here is some of my collected info/articles on cropsstasis:
http://dlhunicorn.conforums.com/index.cgi?board=emergencies&action=display&num=1161893898​

 

[onthespot]

sorry about the slow reply, and thank you for all the information, especially dlhunicorn.

The flock is a mixed age flock, adult laying birds mixed with 5-6 month old birds with red, or turning red combs.

Today I went to go irrigate crops and do what I could to undo the damage, and they were all normal. There was not even a single bird I could justify practicing on. Thank god!

I did learn a lot of things never to do again, and just wanted to say one more time, this place ROCKS!