Help - impacted crop???

[girlsrule]

Hi, I'm new and need some help. Amanda seems to have a crop issue. It is not hard, but is large and I can feel "stuff" inside. This has been going on for a week. It is full every day when everyone else's is not. I've been giving the mineral oil, massage treatment which makes her pass horrible gas and burp, and the junk inside is very "smooshy". Her only other symptoms are not eating very much, and her droppings now consist of only a lot of bright green liquid, and what looks like small amounts of undigested grass.

I don't want to wait until she is very sick, but also don't want to rush into any home crop surgery if unecessary. Wouldn't the crop be hard if it was impacted, not just large??? Thanks for any help!!

 

[trilyn]

Try looking through old threads on this forum. There is a ton of stuff for crops. Hope this helps-good luck! If anything, I just bumped you!!

 

[cgmccary]

Hello, I had a hen with the same problem when she ate too many grass clippings from the lawn. I was about to try crop surgery when my vet told me to try the following:

Take plain mineral oil and a small plastic tube (a nurse gave me one meant for an infant). Open the hen's mouth and AVOID the trachea (windpipe) that is on the bottom of the mouth-- instead run the plastic tube along the roof of the mouth down the throat to the crop; with the plain mineral oil in a syringe, shoot the oil down into the crop.

Massage the crop gently for a few minutes. Only feed her water and keep her isolated. Repeat this twice a day for 2-3 days. NO FOOD, ONLY WATER.

This worked for my crop bound hen after a couple of days. I did not have to do the surgery. The hen did not struggle once I got the tube down her throat. remember, avoid the trachea. have someone to help you.

 

[girlsrule]

Thanks, I will try that. I've been feeding her tiny bits of bread soaked in mineral oil and massaging, but I have not removed her food. Maybe this will do the trick. I've been hopefull since I've been seeing the grass in her droppings. Thanks for the advice.

 

[Glenda L Heywood]

HERE IS THE CROP FLUSH WITH BAKING SODA AND THE SURGERY LIST

Sour crop can be caused by any thing toxic to chickens
it can be from feed that is spoiled
it can be from botulism
it can be from grass forming a ball in the crop and not able to go thru

also one lady wrote her hen ate a filter tip from the cigarette
of which she had to give it two crop surgery sessions

with that said maybe your hen picked up something when free ranging

so here is the flush if it is grass she may have a wad of grass balled up in the crop that can't go thru the crop hole
you may have to flush her out
CROP FLUSH
first use the flush
1/2 cup of baking soda
1 pint of warm water

Here is what I always did for the crop problem
I took the 1/2 cup of baking soda
and disolved in the pint of warm water and with a
childs ear syringe filled the syringe with the soda water mixture.
Now I held her out from me and slwoly put the syringe to the back of her mouth and squeezed the water solution into the crop.

Then with my fingers came up under the out side of the chest of the bird. Starting below the crop and brought my fingers up so as to expel the impacted sour feed and what ever.

I did this till the water was gone - three times. Then I took and put her in a cage
alone and fasted her from feed for 24 hrs.

Then the next day i mixed the milk and two slices of bread and 1/2 small container of yoguart. and fed her this.

The next morning when I went out to give her the
bread/milk/yoghurt mixture, her crop was completely empty for the first time

So then as I havd put the chicken on a fast
I still feed the bread/milk/yoguart mixture this twice a day for a week
then the bird could be put on crumbles
DO NOT feed it any whole grain for quit a while

Also give the bird
1 tbsp of ACV in pint of water
as the ACV will help the gut restoration for good gut flora

CROP SURGERY???
AT WORST SIDE you may have to do this: A
friend of BYC made this up for impacted crop surrgery
more professional than mine

Items Needed:

Betadine solution
Isopropyl Alcohol
Gauze Pads
Razor blade or Exacto-knife
Tweezers (surgical - if available, find at Vet Supply or Pet)
Hand Towel
Sutures or Heavy weight Thread
Sharpie sewing needle that will accommodate thread
Scissors
Antibiotic ointment
access to warm water, preferably a kitchen sprayer

To perform the surgery, a "surgeon" and "assistant" are needed. The assistant holds the bird, wrapped in a hand towel,from behind being sure to keep the wings secure and unflapping.

1. Approximately 1/3 of the way down the crop, located on the right the breast; push back the feathers and have the assistant hold the feathers away from the site. Place a few drops of betadine solution on a gauze pad and clean the dermis of the crop at the site of the incision.

2. Wipe the area with an alcohol pad. Allow to dry.

3. Holding the skin slightly spread, cut through the outer dermis with the cutting tool. The opening needs to be only 3/4" - 1" in length. (The incision that we made was more horizontal than vertical.) The skin is fairly tough, so you may have to apply several strokes. The tool will pass through the outer dermis and you might encounter adipose (fat) and then flesh before entering the crop.

4. Once the crop has been opened, material may start to be seen through the opening. Place the bird over the sink and massage the crop so that the contents move towards the opening. The surgeon can grab the contents and dispose in the sink. Once the material is removed, rise the site thoroughly with warm water. Additional material may come to the surface, massage the crop to feel if there are any additional contents. (Tweezers may be needed to remove blades of grass or in our case a cigarette filter.)

-Be careful not to tear the skin around the site with the massaging.

5. Rinse the site again. Pat dry with a gauze pad. Take a minimum of a dime size dose of antibiotic ointment and "pack" the site - lightly smearing the cream or ointment into the site.

6. Thread your needle, cutting a 12" section of doubled thread. Knot the end, leaving a 1/2" tail. Place 3-4 stitches through the dermis, catching the lining of the crop. End the stitches with a knot on the opposite end from which you started.

7. Allow the "patient" to recuperate isolated from the flock. Use newspaper for bedding, offer water and withhold grain. Offer plain yogurt 6-8 hours after. Yogurt and mash/grain can be offered on day 2. Water at all times.

8. Keep an eye on the incision, being sure that their is no tearing or redness. The stitches can be removed 7 days after surgery. Apply antibiotic ointment to the site.

We put our girl back with the flock on day 4, watching her closely.

I hope that this helps for future reference.


and the surgery you probably won't need but will include
keep us posted how your helping her

 

[JewellFarm]

Glenda that is an excellent post. I only wish I could have ran upon this about 2 months ago when one of our Roos had an impacted crop from grass clippings. I searched everywhere for info. Unfortunately by the time we figured out the issue and had to resort to surgery he was too weak and died.

 

[girlsrule]

Thanks to everyone for all you info and help - will attempt this evening. Lucky me my sister is a Urology PA and has surgical experience - she is on board to perform surgery if it becomes necessary. Again much thanks from myself, Amanda and all the girls and ladies!!!!