Help! Impacted Crop Won't Leave

[Bandana chick]

My one year old Black Starr hen (Tux) has an impacted crop that has been hanging around for more than a week. She is currently in a large dog crate but she roosts with the rest of the flock. I'm worried that she is eating poop in the roosting area. I have treated a couple impacted and pendulous crops before, but none of them lasted this long. I am not giving her any food (except olive oil). I massage her crop a few times a day. Her waste is solid but there is not much of it. I don't think she is egg bound but she hasn't laid eggs... well, pretty much her whole life. This chicken has also survived a coyote attack.

 

[chickens really]

@TwoCrows
She can help you...

 

[TwoCrows]

I am on the case!

 

[chickens really]

I am on the case!

.....

 

[TwoCrows]

Welcome to BYC!

Is she passing grass or things that would indicate inpaction? The crop could be doughy. If you can knead it and it holds shape like bread dough, its doughy. If its just plain hard, than it must be an impaction. Many times its hard to tell the difference.

Stop with the oil, especially with impactions, it only dries out the ball even more. Impactions need water. Its not going to move without plenty of liquids.

So lots of wet foods. (Watermelon, cucumbers, pureed up things, etc..) I would also recommend plain Dolculax with no laxative, 100mg Docusate Sodium only. Its the ingredient in Crop Bound pills. Start with 2 this morning, then go down to 1 twice daily. Prick it open and squeeze onto something you know she will eat. If she isn't eating, you will have to syringe it down the throat under tbe tongue. This may take a week or more. And depending on whats in there, sometimes they never move. :-(

Is she the lowest in the order? She may be being bullied away from food and eating poop because shes hungry. They can also eat poop for the probiotics. I would definitely get your flock on probiotics in the water.

So this is what I would start with. No grains, seeds or other hard foods until this passes.