Help! Exposed crop due to injury

[Eggcessive]

I haven't dealt with a ripped open crop, but either gluing or stiching it are the ways to close it. A vet would be the best thing.

 

[thirteen wings farms]

Is vet care an option?

I wish it was an option but I'm a minor and I can't get her there because my parents said no. So, I'm doing everything I can and doing a lot of research to treat it. We used superglue to keep it together (after reading about the risks). At this point it is the last option. if all goes well through the night she will get to eat scrambled eggs in the morning. Nothing is infected and I'm checking up on it every few hours to keep it clean.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I wish it was an option but I'm a minor and I can't get her there because my parents said no. So, I'm doing everything I can and doing a lot of research to treat it. We used superglue to keep it together (after reading about the risks). At this point it is the last option. if all goes well through the night she will get to eat scrambled eggs in the morning. Nothing is infected and I'm checking up on it every few hours to keep it clean.

Keep us posted.

 

[Eggcessive]

Be sure and keep your parents aware of what is happening.

 

[Offshoreorca]

Do you have access to rubbing alcohol or another sterilizing fluid? You can suture it up with a sterilized sewing needle and dental floss (you’ll have to eventually take the sutures out, so make sure to look up how to do these properly). Also, sterilize the area well as you run the risk of infection. This should work if you can’t get it to stay shut with glue - surgical glue is what you want to use as other glues have risks associated with them.

All the best,
A vet’s daughter who has had to get creative before

 

[Liz Birdlover]

One of my Homing Pigeons flew in, landed, and had an injury from a hawk attack. As he walked across the landing board, grain was spilling out of his crop! At the time, I had done inoculations, but never stitches. I called Dr. Pigeon, a well known bird fancier in PA, with decades of knowledge. He recently passed on, but bird owners around the world would call him for advice, and he humbly gave it. Well, he talked me through stitching up that bird's crop! 1st disinfected the area, then the needle and a bright color polyester thread, scissors & tweezer. The nearest veterinarian was a 3 hour hour drive & closed til the next day, so I did what I had to do. That pigeon recovered & you can't even tell, he is still flying around teaching the youngsters, at 17 yrs of age. Dr. Pigeon told me the crop is an area that will heal fast, I took the stitches out after 11 days, but because it is a high functioning & wet area, in motion expanding with food & water intake, it does need to be stitched shut. Adhesives won't work well for that area. I have not stitched a chicken, but I have laid them on their back on my lap when addressing bumblefoot, and mine did lay still for me, if they flap you just hold them gently but firmly til they stop, in a few moments they will just relax. My Homing Pigeons lay in my lap when I inoculate them. Something about laying still on their back on your lap, and just being gentle, does make them relax and stay there, holding still. I think they know we are trying to help them.

Recently, I had a baby chick that someone pecked and the crop was leaking. That was very upsetting! I had to separate that one from the group, set up in a spare bathtub for it to recover in peace. That was just 1 little puncture peck, and I tried steristrips 1st. Well, they were not sticking at all, kept coming off because as the chick drank, it was just too much wetness. It was such a small wound, yet I had to put 2 stitches in and put steristrip on top, layering. As the chick grew so fast the strip came off easily every 24 hrs & I had to apply new strip. Finally it healed after 10 days & I gently removed the stitches & did a few days of just steristrips to be sure.

I'm not trying to tell you what to do, just sharing what I had to do. There are new and improved types of bandages available nowadays, but I'm not sure how they'd do on a "wet wound" like a crop oozing out food & water, I haven't tried them yet. Those bandages are clear and used to cover wounds so they don't get wet while you get a shower. I just don't know if they'd work to hold a wet wound together. With a crop, you've got wetness coming out, from the inside of the wound, not like trying to protect from shower water. For any kind of adhesive to work, you must get a dry surface for it to adhere to...very difficult scenario for an oozing wound or a crop full of food & water.

Best of luck to you & your feathered friend!

 

[thirteen wings farms]

Keep us posted.

the glue stayed overnight and i’m giving her scrambled eggs this morning, hoping she’ll eat. mealworms dusted over them.

 

[thirteen wings farms]

One of my Homing Pigeons flew in, landed, and had an injury from a hawk attack. As he walked across the landing board, grain was spilling out of his crop! At the time, I had done inoculations, but never stitches. I called Dr. Pigeon, a well known bird fancier in PA, with decades of knowledge. He recently passed on, but bird owners around the world would call him for advice, and he humbly gave it. Well, he talked me through stitching up that bird's crop! 1st disinfected the area, then the needle and a bright color polyester thread, scissors & tweezer. The nearest veterinarian was a 3 hour hour drive & closed til the next day, so I did what I had to do. That pigeon recovered & you can't even tell, he is still flying around teaching the youngsters, at 17 yrs of age. Dr. Pigeon told me the crop is an area that will heal fast, I took the stitches out after 11 days, but because it is a high functioning & wet area, in motion expanding with food & water intake, it does need to be stitched shut. Adhesives won't work well for that area. I have not stitched a chicken, but I have laid them on their back on my lap when addressing bumblefoot, and mine did lay still for me, if they flap you just hold them gently but firmly til they stop, in a few moments they will just relax. My Homing Pigeons lay in my lap when I inoculate them. Something about laying still on their back on your lap, and just being gentle, does make them relax and stay there, holding still. I think they know we are trying to help them.

Recently, I had a baby chick that someone pecked and the crop was leaking. That was very upsetting! I had to separate that one from the group, set up in a spare bathtub for it to recover in peace. That was just 1 little puncture peck, and I tried steristrips 1st. Well, they were not sticking at all, kept coming off because as the chick drank, it was just too much wetness. It was such a small wound, yet I had to put 2 stitches in and put steristrip on top, layering. As the chick grew so fast the strip came off easily every 24 hrs & I had to apply new strip. Finally it healed after 10 days & I gently removed the stitches & did a few days of just steristrips to be sure.

I'm not trying to tell you what to do, just sharing what I had to do. There are new and improved types of bandages available nowadays, but I'm not sure how they'd do on a "wet wound" like a crop oozing out food & water, I haven't tried them yet. Those bandages are clear and used to cover wounds so they don't get wet while you get a shower. I just don't know if they'd work to hold a wet wound together. With a crop, you've got wetness coming out, from the inside of the wound, not like trying to protect from shower water. For any kind of adhesive to work, you must get a dry surface for it to adhere to...very difficult scenario for an oozing wound or a crop full of food & water.

Best of luck to you & your feathered friend!

thank you !!! my next option is stitching, but i’m not sure how to do it. this information helps me a lot, thank you so much

 

[thirteen wings farms]

Do you have access to rubbing alcohol or another sterilizing fluid? You can suture it up with a sterilized sewing needle and dental floss (you’ll have to eventually take the sutures out, so make sure to look up how to do these properly). Also, sterilize the area well as you run the risk of infection. This should work if you can’t get it to stay shut with glue - surgical glue is what you want to use as other glues have risks associated with them.

All the best,
A vet’s daughter who has had to get creative before

hey! thanks for your help. i didn’t know surgical glue was a thing, but i did try liquid bandage. is there a difference? if there is i might try that next. i might have to learn how to stitch up a chicken tonight .~.

 

[thirteen wings farms]

Be sure and keep your parents aware of what is happening.

they are aware and are helping me i just don’t think they want to spend a whole lot of money on an avian vet.