I'm so sorry she didn't make it!! Sadness...
Yes, little pieces of egg and apple. Tried a very small amt of chickweed and a few burning bush berries that she loves, and through they came, the little sprigs and intact orange berries, in a pool of water. I thought the same as you. Maybe the gizzard only grinds things up so small? Yes, plenty of grit. I'm imagining her intestine lining covered in a layer of mucus and no digestive juices working. Or is there gizzard stasis along with crop stasis? Not sure how to help her.
After my 2nd year of this at molt, it's encouraging to hear others have hens like
Poor thing!
I have no advice that's different from what it sounds like you're already doing. Maybe someone else will have an action step that will help your hen.
Just to follow up, today, finally, she strained (pooped) out long dryish strings of coarse, twisted tangled grass. I suspect this was inhibiting her gizzard, causing food to pass through whole.
I wish I knew what combination of treatments caused this turn of events. Every chicken is different it seems (try this, try that, keep trying). Here is a summary for ideas for those who might be struggling with this currently.
Powder from one capsule (1/2t.) of psyllium husk dissolved in 30 mL water before bedtime and massaged into crop moved her from pooping nothing to something; did this 3 nights, then it seemed to be counterproductive. With this one I've tried both olive oil (makes her pooh gummy) and coconut oil (she Hates it so much it's hard to get it in her). She wants to eat dirt so gave her some tiny chick grit which she gobbled up (besides the reg grit). I try the feed completely softened with water with her and it always sets us back - she eats it eagerly, then pooh stops coming out and her crop gets bigger, then she refuses to eat it. Food is small servings 3-4x day of sprouted (easier to digest) rolled oats chopped to powder, egg&apple minced fine, mixed with plain yogurt. Also raw or cooked diced beef or lamb minced fine (I can't find a canned catfood without a bunch of gunk in it), cucumbers (she won't eat squash), mealworms, and sometimes smaller nightcrawlers from the bait shop. Prebiotics and probiotics in water, Electrolytes +vitamins every other day (or also offering plain water). This chicken refuses Nutridrench only during impacted crop. She is not allowed to eat any grass (only a little chickweed), but scratching in an area without edible greens really seems to help her (maybe she finds fiber or helpful bacteria? as well as the exercise). Keeping spirits up is important; other chickens get lonely or depressed - she does not, but needs breaks from being confined. Lots of crop massages. Still working on a crop bra that doesn't make her hop backward and absolutely miserable.
If you are dealing with this currently, hang in there! And thank you to others for sharing, I was encouraged to keep trying.
