Hard Crop Not Clearing

[azygous]

Here's the link to the article I forgot to add. It shows a basic bra pattern. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

I would say a good 90% of us chicken freaks are preoccupied with poop. It tells us so much about the health of our chickens, we usually check it every day. For example, this morning I rejoiced see all the poop boards full of normal, healthy, pretty much solid poop. I have a ten-year old hen that I thought I'd need to euthanize by now since she had a stubborn infection in her intestines and was very sick. Her very watery poop was full of intestinal lining for days. It appears the penicillin finally cured her.

A crop bra would be helpful during this treatment to help raise the contents of the crop so they can drain all day long and not just with massage, although you do need to keep that up several times a day until the hard mass breaks up.

 

[Shadrach]

I just wanted to mention that the crops of the hens here tend to be 'handed'.
The small lumps you've felt when massaging your hens crop seem to be common to all the crops I've felt here.
I'm a bit concerned about the dark greenish poop color given she isn't eating any vegetable matter (?).
You're doing a great job. Uncooperative hens

 

[Mimi13]

I'm a bit concerned about the dark greenish poop color given she isn't eating any vegetable matter

You know, that is strange come to think of it. Her last exposure to anything was this past Monday. I immediately brought her inside Tuesday morning after coming off the roost.

Thanks for keeping tabs on my situation.

 

[Mimi13]

I would say a good 90% of us chicken freaks are preoccupied with poop. It tells us so much about the health of our chickens, we usually check it every day.

This is a definite! Some mornings I don’t have as much poop to scrape because several of my hens will hold it until they are in the run. I really would much rather them deposit it on the DB. That saves me a few extra minutes by not having to walk around the run and kick litter over the massive poops. I almost think some of them are smuggling contraband in those huge things.

 

[Mimi13]

I am very happy with the progress Gabby is making. This morning her crop was incredibly small, but still very hard so her problem is still there, but considerably diminished. She had another great poop this morning (two mornings in a row). And last night and this morning she ate the miconozole right off my finger. I am still having to wick the oil into her mouth. She was drinking it, but I guess she stopped liking it.

Yesterday around 5 pm I decided to take her outside to maybe take a little dust bath. On the way up the hill, the ever-calm Gabby got so excited she flew up and right out of my arms, busting my lower lip in the process. She went right about her business like she’d never been gone. She headed straight for the water tub, her favorite place to stand on these hot days. And her incessant vocalizations, hence her name. You would think she’s part guinea. Gabby was back in the yard.

I hung around and did outside chores until roosting time. She didn’t miss a lick and went right on in with the others. But, when I went into the coop to do a head count and move 3 of the newly laying pullets (that don’t feel like they’ve entered the ranks of “real roosting” yet), she hopped down and came up to me. I think she was a bit confused. I did acknowledge her even though I didn’t immediately pick her up so she hopped back onto the roost. After I finished my nighttime chicken routine, I plucked her off the roost and carried her back into the house and proceeded with my sick chicken routine. These things just take time, the way I do it anyway. She settled right down listening to NPR on the radio.

She did well outside with the others yesterday and our temps have dropped just a bit (one of my biggest worries of putting her back out). I think as long as her crop continues shrinking I am going to let her out during the day with the others. I will bring her in at night because it will be easier to administer the meds and do crop massaging.

Hopefully Gabby’s ordeal will continue well and she will be another success story! I cannot say enough about the BYC community and its faithful members who are willing to jump on a problem at a minute’s notice...and stick with it till the end. Their broad knowledge and wisdom, coupled with their love for these birds (and I’m sure other animals as well), is unmatched. I know that veterinarians have the ability to administer certain medications, however, I place my faith and trust right here with these many wonderful, selfless individuals.

I will continue to update Gabby’s progress until she is back to herself. Once again, thank you all!

 

[Mimi13]

Yesterday when I returned home from a family reunion, I got Gabby and let her go outside. (Yeah, she would not be a happy camper if kept inside all the time.) I think she took the longest dirt bath I’ve seen a chicken take. I noted that her crop was immensely smaller and not nearly as hard as it had been being.

She didn’t skip a beat last night at roosting time, going right on in and hoping on the roost. When I made my head count I checked her crop. I was thrilled beyond belief at its normal size and firmness. I decided to get her miconozole and give it to her but leave her in the coop overnight.

This morning, I checked her crop and, although it was not completely empty, I felt good. I gave the her medicine and let her go on her merry way. I am thankful.

 

[azygous]

I'm so happy to hear about Gabby's progress. While the treatment methods for impacted and sour crop are tested and true, an awful lot depends on the individual patient. Most will get better, and I've had a very serious case just like Gabby respond just as dramatically, and she's still alive and well in the years since her ordeal.

However, I also had such a case respond not at all to treatment. The hen kept getting worse and worse, instead of starting to show even the slightest improvement at some point. It turned out this hen was so riddled with cancer it was a miracle she was even alive for as long as she was since absolutely none of the food I'd been tube feeding her was even moving out of her crop. It was because she was so clogged with tumors, there was no place for anything to go.

If you ever have another case like Gabby, and no matter what you do, there isn't any improvement, you will be safe in assuming there is an underlying problem that is much worse than what you are trying to treat.

 

[Mimi13]

I'm so happy to hear about Gabby's progress. While the treatment methods for impacted and sour crop are tested and true, an awful lot depends on the individual patient. Most will get better, and I've had a very serious case just like Gabby respond just as dramatically, and she's still alive and well in the years since her ordeal.

However, I also had such a case respond not at all to treatment. The hen kept getting worse and worse, instead of starting to show even the slightest improvement at some point. It turned out this hen was so riddled with cancer it was a miracle she was even alive for as long as she was since absolutely none of the food I'd been tube feeding her was even moving out of her crop. It was because she was so clogged with tumors, there was no place for anything to go.

If you ever have another case like Gabby, and no matter what you do, there isn't any improvement, you will be safe in assuming there is an underlying problem that is much worse than what you are trying to treat.

@azygous, thank you so very much. Your expertise has helped yet another chicken keeper save one of her birds and also gain much needed experience. Hopefully one day I’ll be able to repay my debt and help someone as you did me.

There are two things that really stick out in my mind regarding Gabby’s treatment:

* The first was when you suggested I give her grit. I remember thinking, “Oh wow, that’s what she’s already severely packed with.” But I completely trusted what you were saying and provided some. She wasted no time at all inhaling the little chick grit. I believe this one singular step was the turning point in her recovery. Really! It was that evident.

* The second thing was starting her on Miconozole. I have read many times how this medicine helps with many crop issues, but I wasn’t thinking it would be useful with Gabby. When you mentioned that she had to have started developing a yeast infection in her crop after the contents had been there for several days, it kind of made sense to me then. I am thankful I already had some for my chicken first aid kit and was able to begin it immediately.
​

I was afraid there could possibly be another underlying problem with her. I guess I was a bit gun shy just coming off the two terrible necropsies I did in April. I just figured Gabby was “all eat up” with cancer like the other two were. I guess she still could be, but I’m going to think positively.

I hope Gabby continues on improving. She isn’t looking back, I do know that. I will continue my part of her improvement by giving her the miconozole and massaging her crop. I couldn’t be more thrilled if I had won the lottery. Well, yes, yes I probably could. Several million dollars could buy me a lot more... what else... chickens! “It’s what a girl wants and what a girl needs.” (Since you don’t have TV, you probably didn’t catch my jingle reference to an early 2000’s movie, “What A Girl Wants!”) It’s a cute movie.

Anyway, I can’t thank you enough, with words. I guess if I win the lottery I could always thank you by sharing some of my winnings though, huh?

​

 

[azygous]

You know I have to be stark raving nuts about chickens. It's why it's so rewarding to help folks make their sick chickens better.

You go ahead and try hard to win that lottery! We'll both get more chickens! It definitely is what a girl wants and needs!

 

[Mimi13]

I have given Gabby a clean bill of health. What seemed like a daunting task of massaging her crop down has now turned out to be a fleeting memory.

You know how the thought of rehabilitation instead of surgery seems grim (to my impatient butt anyway)? Well it worked out perfectly for Gabby’s crop and for me when I had a frozen shoulder. Even though I wanted to rush and do surgery on her, with future birds I will always choose to work and work and work to clear the crop first. Patience, patience, I need to learn patience is worth it in the end.

Thanks again to ALL!