Gritty partially full crop in morning

[Jgarza77]

Hello, this is my first time asking a question here. One of my cochin bantams has been waking up with a smallish amount of gritty substance in her crop. I know that the crop should be completely empty in the morning so I am worried. She is otherwise acting completely normal, eating, pooping, and laying. I'm on the 4th day since I first noticed. On 2nd and 3rd days I brought her inside to withhold food and give crop massages, but both days I had to leave the house in the afternoon so she went back in the coop since I don't have an indoor setup for her yet. I'm certain she ate while she was outside. Today crop is still not empty, but she's still acting normal. Any advice on what to do next would be great!

 

[azygous]

You don't tell us the age of this chicken. Older chickens sometimes have slower crops, retaining grit overnight in them rather than completely emptying the crop. This is not usually a problem. However, it would not hurt anything to give her a little piece of bread thoroughly soaked in olive oil to help lubricate the contents so they might clear out.

You can also use coconut oil slightly chilled to make it easier to slip about a teaspoon into the beak. Massage a bit breaking up the mass.

Also, with some chickens, their crops may sag, interfering with the crop emptying overnight. A crop bra might prove useful in this case.

 

[Jgarza77]

You don't tell us the age of this chicken. Older chickens sometimes have slower crops, retaining grit overnight in them rather than completely emptying the crop. This is not usually a problem. However, it would not hurt anything to give her a little piece of bread thoroughly soaked in olive oil to help lubricate the contents so they might clear out.

You can also use coconut oil slightly chilled to make it easier to slip about a teaspoon into the beak. Massage a bit breaking up the mass.

Also, with some chickens, their crops may sag, interfering with the crop emptying overnight. A crop bra might prove useful in this case.

Sorry, I should've mentioned her age. She's only about 6 months old

 

[592667]

To be on the safe side, I’d recommend keeping her the run without access to grass or other large treats. I have allowed my impacted crop chickens access to their feed (since my feed is a crumble feed) and have had no problems.

Then, use a syringe (such as a baby medicine applier) to give her water and/or olive oil. Do this 2 times a day, and once before bedtime (morning, lunchtime, and before they go to sleep).

You may also give her some yogurt, to help the gritty bits slip into the digestive system.

Continue to do this every day, until her crop is empty one morning.

hope this helps!!

 

[Jgarza77]

To be on the safe side, I’d recommend keeping her the run without access to grass or other large treats. I have allowed my impacted crop chickens access to their feed (since my feed is a crumble feed) and have had no problems.

Then, use a syringe (such as a baby medicine applier) to give her water and/or olive oil. Do this 2 times a day, and once before bedtime (morning, lunchtime, and before they go to sleep).

You may also give her some yogurt, to help the gritty bits slip into the digestive system.

Continue to do this every day, until her crop is empty one morning.

hope this helps!!

Thank you, this helps me feel a little better! I haven't noticed any signs of sour crop, and I've been smelling her breath to check. ( Never thought I would talk about smelling chicken breath ha!). I did get some plain unsweetened yogurt and she apparently loves it haha. As for feed, I have chick starter and a high power blend (pictured below). Which would be better to give her? Thanks again for the quick replies, I think I'm gonna like it here

 

[592667]

I am glad my post helped you!
I totally understand feeling concerned and scared for a chicken I've been there done that!

And yes, chickens loooooove yogurt hehe! I can tell she is really enjoying it!

As for the feed, probably don't give her the scratch, but just the chick starter pellets. I am not sure how those large kernels will digest with her crop right now.
In the future, you might want to consider getting a feed that is crumbled instead of pellets. This might help avoid future crop impactions.
Just a suggestion

 

[Jgarza77]

I am glad my post helped you!
I totally understand feeling concerned and scared for a chicken I've been there done that!

And yes, chickens loooooove yogurt hehe! I can tell she is really enjoying it!

As for the feed, probably don't give her the scratch, but just the chick starter pellets. I am not sure how those large kernels will digest with her crop right now.
In the future, you might want to consider getting a feed that is crumbled instead of pellets. This might help avoid future crop impactions.
Just a suggestion

Thanks I will definitely try the crumbles for my next feed purchase!