Emergency Crop Problem- Help Needed ASAP!

[rebrascora]

Hi

When you say the vet has drained it, do you know how? Did the vet just vomit her or do some surgical procedure?
If it is currently full of fluid and gunk, it needs to be at least partially emptied out so that there is room to move stuff about in there and then start massaging it. Whilst vomiting is a little risky, the bird is not going to survive unless that crop gets moving, so in my opinion, it is worth doing. There are quite a few You Tube videos which show you how to vomit a chicken. Watch a few before attempting it so that you don't just follow a bad example and make sure you allow time to recover and breath in between attempts. The risk is that they will aspirate vomit into their respiratory system, so be sympathetic to that.
The bird will need to be isolated and fed just liquid feed (normal pellets or crumbles soaked in water to form a slurry, with olive oil, a vitamin supplement and electrolytes added) No grains or fibrous material like grass or hay/straw. The crop needs massaging 4x a day to break down what is in there. Massaging needs to be quite firm.... think how you would squeeze and release a stress ball. Start more gentle and get firmer. The bird should enjoy the sensation, so if it is uncomfortable, you are doing it too hard.
Acidified Copper Sulphate may help to treat any yeast infection which has built up in the crop causing it to go sour, but the key is to partially empty that crop by vomiting and then massage to break up the blockage and at least get fluids going through the system. Once you get some movement of food through the system, a stool softener like Dulcolax (without a stimulant) may help to pass the bulk but regular massage is important. The final option is crop surgery to remove the blockage via an incision and I can talk you through that if it comes to it. It may actually be safer to do this at home than via a vet as vets will need to anaesthetise the chicken which significantly increases the risks of the surgery. I know it sounds horrendous cutting into a conscious bird but they find it much less traumatic than we do, doing it and they are up and eating normally within a few minutes of surgery being completed. The benefit to them is almost instantaneous but I would only suggest doing it if everything else has failed.

If your friend is going to feed grains of any sort then grit is needed. Pellets and crumbles do not need grit because they breakdown to a mush with water, but scratch and other grains or fibrous material like grass/hay and straw needs grit to break it down because chickens do not have teeth to chew it. There is no grit in pellets or crumbles, because they don't need it.

If there is anything you do not understand about what I have written, please ask.... I'm into the early hours of the morning here so not as coherent as I usually am.

Good luck with her

Barbara

 

[ChattyChickens4Life]

Hi

When you say the vet has drained it, do you know how? Did the vet just vomit her or do some surgical procedure?
If it is currently full of fluid and gunk, it needs to be at least partially emptied out so that there is room to move stuff about in there and then start massaging it. Whilst vomiting is a little risky, the bird is not going to survive unless that crop gets moving, so in my opinion, it is worth doing. There are quite a few You Tube videos which show you how to vomit a chicken. Watch a few before attempting it so that you don't just follow a bad example and make sure you allow time to recover and breath in between attempts. The risk is that they will aspirate vomit into their respiratory system, so be sympathetic to that.
The bird will need to be isolated and fed just liquid feed (normal pellets or crumbles soaked in water to form a slurry, with olive oil, a vitamin supplement and electrolytes added) No grains or fibrous material like grass or hay/straw. The crop needs massaging 4x a day to break down what is in there. Massaging needs to be quite firm.... think how you would squeeze and release a stress ball. Start more gentle and get firmer. The bird should enjoy the sensation, so if it is uncomfortable, you are doing it too hard.
Acidified Copper Sulphate may help to treat any yeast infection which has built up in the crop causing it to go sour, but the key is to partially empty that crop by vomiting and then massage to break up the blockage and at least get fluids going through the system. Once you get some movement of food through the system, a stool softener like Dulcolax (without a stimulant) may help to pass the bulk but regular massage is important. The final option is crop surgery to remove the blockage via an incision and I can talk you through that if it comes to it. It may actually be safer to do this at home than via a vet as vets will need to anaesthetise the chicken which significantly increases the risks of the surgery.

If your friend is going to feed grains of any sort then grit is needed. Pellets and crumbles do not need grit because they breakdown to a mush with water, but scratch and other grains or fibrous material like grass/hay and straw needs grit to break it down, because chickens do not have teeth to chew it.

If there is anything you do not understand about what I have written, please ask.... I'm into the early hours of the morning here so not as coherent as I usually am.

Good luck with her

Barbara

Thank you so much! I can't explain how helpful this will be!!! I was not at the vet when they drained her, but I believe she was surgically drained. That's how they knew there was no blockage. As for the feeding of the liquid feed, how should we go about this? Does Rosa need to be separated so she can be fed this food? And for how long does she need to eat this? Thanks immensely for all your help! I will keep you updated on progress!

 

[rebrascora]

When you say it was surgically drained, is there an incision wound in her chest where they operated or did they use a tube down her throat?

Yes she will need to be separated so that she only has access to is the sloppy food and nothing else. It is also easier if she is in a cage/box in the house to give her regular massages and monitor her intake. If she has a surgical wound, massaging needs to be done with care.
The birds that I have had with this problem, had mostly eaten too much grass or straw/hay and a soggy plug of fibrous material was stuck in their crop, clogging the outlet and preventing food and fluids from travelling into the gizzard. From the You Tube videos I have watched and discussions I have had with other members here on BYC it is a common cause, but reproductive disorders can cause a constriction lower down the digestive tract and the sour crop can be a result of things backing up. Giving the hen a thorough exam for any abdominal swelling and if she has started laying, then possibly an internal exam for a bound egg is worth doing just to be sure that the problem originates in the crop and not further down the system. If this has been going on for longer than a few days it is unlikely to be a bound egg and if she has not yet started laying eggs or not long been laying then it is less likely to be a reproductive problem.
Knowing what her poop looks like might help and assess her weight and body condition..... how does her breast bone feel? Is it sharp under the skin or well padded. Does she feel skin and bone apart from her large crop?

 

[The Angry Hen]

I have a question for you, @rebrascora. (If @ChattyChickens4Life doesn't mind me asking a quick question ). Can pendulous or sour crop be caused by a hen being overweight? The hen of mine that I had mentioned earlier, the one I assume has pendulous crop, is a very heavy hen. Granted she is a Brahma, but non of my other Brahma hens are half her size. Thank you in advance.

 

[Kiki]

Being over weight can cause all kinds of problems.

 

[rebrascora]

@The Angry Hen
It depends what is causing her to be overweight. Does she feel unusually heavy?Have you examined her for any abdominal swelling.... particularly between the legs and just below the vent..... compare to your other chickens if you are unsure. Usually if they look and feel overweight, it is because they have a reproductive issue which is causing egg material to build up inside them. Eventually it starts to put pressure on the digestive tract as the abdominal cavity gets packed with it and sometimes they are only able to pass semi liquid poop which dribbles down their butt feathers and cakes on.

Feeding too much scratch causes them to develop fatty deposits both on their tummy and around their internal organs including the digestive tract and this too can cause a constriction and result in a slow/pendulous crop. The bird will not feel unusually heavy like they do with reproductive problems as the fat is relatively light in weight, and there will not be significant abdominal swelling, but the bird will feel well padded.
I hope that gives you some ideas what to check for.

 

[The Angry Hen]

@The Angry Hen
It depends what is causing her to be overweight. Does she feel unusually heavy?Have you examined her for any abdominal swelling.... particularly between the legs and just below the vent..... compare to your other chickens if you are unsure. Usually if they look and feel overweight, it is because they have a reproductive issue which is causing egg material to build up inside them. Eventually it starts to put pressure on the digestive tract as the abdominal cavity gets packed with it and sometimes they are only able to pass semi liquid poop which dribbles down their butt feathers and cakes on.

Feeding too much scratch causes them to develop fatty deposits both on their tummy and around their internal organs including the digestive tract and this too can cause a constriction and result in a slow/pendulous crop. The bird will not feel unusually heavy like they do with reproductive problems as the fat is relatively light in weight, and there will not be significant abdominal swelling, but the bird will feel well padded.
I hope that gives you some ideas what to check for.

Hello, thank you very much for your response. I appreciate this info greatly. I will be sure to give her a check up first thing tomorrow and look for these issues. She seems to be producing eggs okay and there isn't anything mess on her vent or on her feathers. I will take a look to be sure of myself tomorrow as well.
Maybe I'll weigh her too... Right now my guess would be that she is around 11-13 pounds. Does that sound okay? I'm sure my rooster is heavier than her, but she is overweight. I know it.
I will be sure to feed her a little less and tomorrow I'll probably clean out the coop and start with fresh food to get rid of any leftovers. I sure hope everything with Lilly (the hen) is okay.

Thank you so so much for your information. You truly are helpful. Have a very nice evening and God bless!

-Angry Hen

 

[ChattyChickens4Life]

When you say it was surgically drained, is there an incision wound in her chest where they operated or did they use a tube down her throat?

Yes she will need to be separated so that she only has access to is the sloppy food and nothing else. It is also easier if she is in a cage/box in the house to give her regular massages and monitor her intake. If she has a surgical wound, massaging needs to be done with care.
The birds that I have had with this problem, had mostly eaten too much grass or straw/hay and a soggy plug of fibrous material was stuck in their crop, clogging the outlet and preventing food and fluids from travelling into the gizzard. From the You Tube videos I have watched and discussions I have had with other members here on BYC it is a common cause, but reproductive disorders can cause a constriction lower down the digestive tract and the sour crop can be a result of things backing up. Giving the hen a thorough exam for any abdominal swelling and if she has started laying, then possibly an internal exam for a bound egg is worth doing just to be sure that the problem originates in the crop and not further down the system. If this has been going on for longer than a few days it is unlikely to be a bound egg and if she has not yet started laying eggs or not long been laying then it is less likely to be a reproductive problem.
Knowing what her poop looks like might help and assess her weight and body condition..... how does her breast bone feel? Is it sharp under the skin or well padded. Does she feel skin and bone apart from her large crop?

Thank you for the info! I don't know all this information, but I will ask and get back to you!

 

[rebrascora]

@The Angry Hen

Well it is good news that she is laying regularly as that pretty much rules out reproductive issues, which can be killers. I have no personal experience of Brahmas although I know they are big birds. What I would say is that if there is a significant problem with the crop, the birds will lose weight (body condition) quite rapidly so if your girl is looking and feeling overweight (breast bone well padded), I would not be overly concerned that she has a problem with her digestive tract. She may just be a glutton.... the important thing is that the crop goes down overnight and is more or less empty first thing in the morning before she gets a chance to eat.

Giving your hens an appropriate diet is really important, just like it is for top athletes. Hens have been selectively bred to be finely tuned egg laying machines....you need to put the right balance of things in one end to get eggs out of the other. Egg production needs protein, but too much protein can be bad for them and too much carbohydrate can be equally bad. Like us, excess carbohydrates get turned into fat, and like us, they love carbohydrates (scratch), so you have to be quite disciplined about the treats you give them. Poultry feed is produced to have the right balance of protein and carbohydrates and other nutrients they need to be healthy and lay eggs. Once you start adding extras, you risk upsetting that balance. Of course we all like to give them treats, but you really do have to be firm with yourself and them.
I butchered some chickens for my neighbour that were not laying very well. They had been fed too much scratch and the thick layers of yellow fat on their belly and encasing all their organs was quite an eye opener and almost certainly why they were not laying well. Two of the 4 had reproductive issues that I believe were as a result of those fat deposits.

I hope that explains things a little better

 

[rebrascora]

Thank you for the info! I don't know all this information, but I will ask and get back to you!

No problem. I'm heading off to bed now (it's after 2am. Eek!) but will check in whenever I get the chance tomorrow, for an update.