HELP!!! Can sour and/or impacted crop be fatal?

[loralei]

Ok.... I'm new to chickens. Is sour crop the same thing as impacted crop? Almost all 28 of my 3 week old chicks have something... a large mass in the breast area. Some are hard and feel grainy and others are soft and spongy.

I've been using pine shavings and I'm sure my little geniuses have been eating them in spite of a nice feeder full of crumbles. I never dreamed they would do that at their age.

I've removed the shavings and have given each of them a couple drops of olive oil. I read that on another post. I also read something about flushing them with baking soda water. What is the most effective? My girls turn their noses up at yogurt no matter what I mix it with so that's not an option.

Now about massage... how much pressure? How long? Upside-down... really?

As a new chick mom I worry about over-reacting and/or doing the wrong thing. I started with 34 chicks and don't have the heart to lose any more especially from my actions or inaction. Please advise.

 

[JennsPeeps]

Hi Loralei.

I'm going to giv eyou some very important instructions.

1. Take a deep breath.

2. Go to bed.

3. Check the chicks' crops in the morning.

I'm willing to bet they don't have sour or impacted crops, just normal nighttime full crops. That's 100% normal. The crops should all be empty in the morning. If the crops are full 1st thing in the morning, we'll figure out the next steps.

jenn.

p.s. I stayed out of the "emergencies" section for about the first 6 months of having chickens. I couldn't bear the thought of illnesses, so stayed away. It helped me b/c I was ignorant of potential illnesses!

 

[loralei]

Thanks JennsPeeps.... I will try that sleep thing you mentioned and check my little darlings in the morning!

 

[JennsPeeps]

I'm sure they're fine.

 

[SangaChicken]

The odds of it hitting that many of your chicks is astronomical. All my little peepers have weird feeling crops.. especially after a big meal. They're fine. I promise.

 

[Judy]

There are some good threads on the FAQ page about crop problems.

But the other posters are correct; the crop is supposed to feel full at night.

 

[loralei]

Thanks folks, for talking me down from the ledge.... again! I should have started smaller with maybe 5 or 6 chicks. I fuss and fret over my 28 overly much! I guess I am just your typical over-protective new parent!

They do seem less swolen but a couple of them still don't seem quite right. I'll be keeping my eye on em' for sure!

 

[JennsPeeps]

Hi Lorelei,

Glad to hear that you needed - and got - reassurance. How are all of the chicks now?

 

[Akita]

Well, I feel just awful. I killed my hen trying to massage her crop. I thought I had read the instructions, but I did something horribly wrong. Not even 60 seconds after I started to massage, she vomited and died. Did I choke her? Drown her? I feel like such an idiot.
Dorie

 

[JennsPeeps]

Oh no, Dorie, this is awful!

It's impossible to know if your massaging caused problems or if that would have happened anyway. I'm so sorry to hear about this traumatic experience.