Fastest way to fix a crop disorder?

[Kneedles]

Does anyone know a fast way to fix a crop disorder that isn't too dangerous to the survival of your chickens? Today I found out that one of my hens definitely has a crop disorder; I checked her crop in the morning and it was full. This makes sense, because I had recently thought that she was having difficulty eating. I don't think the disorder has developed into sour/impacted crop yet, but in any case, I need it to clear up quickly because I will not be at home for almost five days; starting mid-day tomorrow. The person who will feed my hens while I am gone knows nothing about handling or treating chickens, and teaching this person how to handle and treat my chickens is totally impractical at this point. I have given the sick hen some paraffin oil; she produced droppings that were mostly a clear liquid immediately after, further confirming that she is unwell. Would it be safe to make her drink some water with acidified copper sulfate in it now? Would using the homeopathic remedy 'Antimonium tartaricum' do anything?

 

[rebrascora]

Hi

We need more info about your hen as some crop problems are sometimes a symptom of a more serious issue going on in her abdomen.
How old is she and when did she last lay an egg?
What do you feed your hens including main feed and any treats and do they free range?
What does her crop feel like?
When you checked her crop this morning, had you ensured that she had no opportunity to eat something before you checked it... ie did you remove the feeder from the coop the night before?
Can you feel her abdomen and compare to other healthy hens. This is best done by cupping your hand between her legs from behind and feeling for any fullness or bloat there and below her vent.

Regular massage and coconut oil would be my first treatment plan for a slow crop and remove access to anything other than very sloppy, liquid feed. I have had hens go a couple of weeks with an impacted crop after I noticed it and probably several days if not more before that when I didn't notice there was a problem, so it may be that this will have to wait until you return rather than trying to throw the kitchen sink at it now in the hope something you use will work but may make her more sick whilst you are not there to monitor the effects.

 

[Kneedles]

Hi

We need more info about your hen as some crop problems are sometimes a symptom of a more serious issue going on in her abdomen.
How old is she and when did she last lay an egg?
What do you feed your hens including main feed and any treats and do they free range?
What does her crop feel like?
When you checked her crop this morning, had you ensured that she had no opportunity to eat something before you checked it... ie did you remove the feeder from the coop the night before?
Can you feel her abdomen and compare to other healthy hens. This is best done by cupping your hand between her legs from behind and feeling for any fullness or bloat there and below her vent.

Regular massage and coconut oil would be my first treatment plan for a slow crop and remove access to anything other than very sloppy, liquid feed. I have had hens go a couple of weeks with an impacted crop after I noticed it and probably several days if not more before that when I didn't notice there was a problem, so it may be that this will have to wait until you return rather than trying to throw the kitchen sink at it now in the hope something you use will work but may make her more sick whilst you are not there to monitor the effects.

She is five years old and I think she laid an egg yesterday, because she spent about an hour in her nesting box during the day, which I think is what all of my hens do.
I feed my hens HiLay pellets and they get cooked rice, bananas, cucumbers, tuna, and mince as treats. I saw this hen eat a lot of mince yesterday, but I don't think that is related to the problem. My hens' run is very small, so free-ranging is a must for them.
Her crop feels soft and warm, but lumpy, as if it is full of pellets.
I locked my hens in their run last night because an escaped dog came onto my property (which almost never happens where I am) and they don't have a feeder in their run, so this hen definitely hadn't eaten anything before I checked her crop this morning.
Her abdomen does not feel noticeably different from that of my other hens.
Can you please give me a link which says how to administer coconut oil? Will it be safe to use after I've already used paraffin oil?

 

[rebrascora]

Coconut oil can be chilled and fed to the hen as solid chunks which will soften into oil in her crop. I would say it is safer than mineral oil, but not sure about one straight after the other. How much mineral oil did you give her?
A crop issue with an older hen is more likely to be a reproductive disorder putting pressure on the lower gut. The fact that she was in the nesting box for an hour certainly doesn't mean anything as regards having laid an egg. If she has a reproductive problem, she may be more inclined to spend time in the nest box trying to lay, but just not be successful. Egg binding, lash egg(salpingitis) or internal laying can all cause them to spend time in the nest box but not result in an egg being laid and can all cause a slow crop. It can also cause them to just pass clear poop which is essentially urates. The oil would take hours to pass through her system, so the clear poop is not likely to be connected to the oral administration of mineral oil. Have you massaged her crop at all. I usually massage for 10-15 mins 4x a day, but preventing them from eating any fibrous material or anything other than liquid feed that would pass through a sieve is important otherwise they are just adding to the impaction whilst you are trying to clear it.
Can you post a photo of your girl from the front and from behind. My gut feeling is that it is likely to be an underlying issue rather than a straightforward crop problem. Any chance you can take her with you and give her regular oil and massage whilst you are away. A dog crate would be suitable for her to live in during her treatment. I always put my crop problem girls in a cage to prevent them from accessing anything like grass, bedding or grains or insects/worms that can all just add to the problem and just give them very watery feed and oil and a poultry vitamin supplement. Not sure what you have available in New Zealand. Here in the UK we have Nettex Nutri Drops or in the USA they have Nutri Drench or Rooster Booster Poultry Cell.
What does her breast and keel bone feel like? Usually an impacted chicken will have lost some breast muscle before the impaction becomes obvious and her keel bone will be quite prominent.

 

[Kneedles]

She is not waddling and she is still able to jump and make short flights.
I am going away on a plane, so I don't think that taking her with me is possible.
I gave her 2-3mL of paraffin oil.
Her chest does not feel any different from how it usually feels.
I will try to perform a crop massage later.

 

[Kneedles]

I have just finished massaging her crop for about twelve minutes. There seemed to be a stiff moldable lump at the base of her crop, which I think I managed to mostly break up with a lot of gentle squeezing. Hopefully this has helped, but I will still use the frozen coconut oil if I am able to get some in time.

 

[Cragg Klefor]

Hi Kneedles,
Will it be possible for the person looking after your chickens to make sure this one gets wet feed (crated within the coop) while you are away? Might be some hope of her getting something into her that way. I wouldn't leave her out and about, most of what she picks up will add to the impaction.
They always have access to grit right?

 

[Kneedles]

Hi Kneedles,
Will it be possible for the person looking after your chickens to make sure this one gets wet feed (crated within the coop) while you are away? Might be some hope of her getting something into her that way. I wouldn't leave her out and about, most of what she picks up will add to the impaction.
They always have access to grit right?

All of my hens are going to be fed blended pellets while I am away.
Locking this hen in its run the whole time is not an option for it. I am certain that doing so would make her very stressed and uncomfortable, and could even trigger a different and more serious illness.
Where I live, oyster shell is often called 'grit', and I have yet to find a place that sells actual grit because of this. So, they have access to oyster shell, but not grit.

 

[Cragg Klefor]

Ok, looks like it may have to wait until you get back.
Just FYI, any small natural pebbles/stones would work for grit. I never buy grit, I go pebble hunting
With her getting blended pellets - that's not so bad. Even still, anything she picks up from the ground will further impact her crop, but it sounds like she hasn't lost too much weight yet so hopefully it will be grand.

 

[rebrascora]

Thanks for the photos. Her crop is not bulging excessively so if this is a slow crop, she is in the early stages. The ones I have had, the bird was being tipped forward by the weight of the crop contents and were noticeably "very busty" If you can massage as much as possible before you go that should help to tide her over until you get back to deal with it properly. Ideally get the oil and water into her crop before you massage, to help break things up.
At least you are in summer there so you don't have to worry about her suffering with the cold when there is possibly insufficient food going through her system to keep her warm. She looks bright eyed and alert, so that is good.
Not sure if you are aware but she could probably do with being treated for scaly leg mites when you get back and have more time. A good slathering of petroleum jelly on those legs and feet for a few weeks would make a world of difference. Hope you have an enjoyable trip and all is well on your return.