Help! My chicken has a very swollen crop!

[YoungChickenFan]

Hi
I am an amateur at chickens so I really need some 'professional' advice. I have a young Iser Brown hen who is just coming into lay and the past few days I have noticed she has a very swollen crop. I have massaged it and it is semi squishy, but not totally hard either, and she doesn't seem to mind when I massage it. She is eating and drinking as normal, and I have only started separating her from the rest of the flock, so I haven't seen her poop yet. I have read around and found a few things it might be, but I don't think it is sour crop since her beak doesn't smell, but I think she might have grass stuck in there because it is spring where I am at, and I read that it happens in young hens when spring rolls around. So from what I have gathered I shouldn't give her food, but plenty of water. Some websites say that you can get the hen to 'vomit' but I don't know how to do that, nor do I know if it is safe or not. I will try and convince my parents to take her to the vet but they seem to not think it is worth the money, which kinda makes me mad, so I really need a home remedy. Please give me any knowledge you have about my chicken, and thank you in advance.
H

 

[TTracy]

Here is a great site with dealing with sour crop!

http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/04/answers-from-chicken-vet-on-impacted.html

 

[Eggcessive]

Welcome to BYC! Crops issues are very frustrating to chicken owners. There is conflicting advice on BYC and other websites. Some recommmend vinegar, some don't. I haven't treated it, but I do know it is best to figure out if it is impacted crop or sour crop. Apparently if impacted crop lasts long it can become sour crop. Vomiting a chicken is very dangerous, and the chicken can choke and die. Here is another good site: http://www.tillysnest.com/2012/01/crop-issues.html

 

[YoungChickenFan]

Ok
I checked her crop this morning and it has gone down a bit, which I guess is a good sign, and I saw some small poops as well. I have massaged her crop and fed her the oil soaked bread, but I don't think she is inclined to eat it, she just pecks at it. Her crop is getting softer but she doesn't smell bad so I don't think it has progressed to sour crop.
Thanks for the help,
H

 

[fuzzybutt love]

Sour crop can take a few days, it happens if the crop does not empty. The crop is supposed to empty every night; if you check her in the morning before she has eaten you will know. I know some of mine have scared me before though!

I have dealt with sour crop and impacted crop both.

The impacted crop
you get the oil or yogurt in there and GENTLY massage it to try to keep it from making essentially a rubber band ball in there. Then it will either start passing or turn to sour crop. I lost the one that didn't sour..... poor baby must have eaten something that just would not break down I had rubbed and rubbed her but it never got any softer/ passed.

The sour crop
one must not have had as serious an impaction, and it quickly progressed to the sour part. she was made better with lots of fresh diced up garlic cloves. One of the segments a day. Some people say they are bad for birds; all i know is back then i didn't know and i am certain it saved her. This would only be helpful it it was soured though. Also when i did feed her it was with manna pro showbird supplement; grains of any kind quickly turn alchoholic in there if it does start souring and pellets get funky too...... so i did the lesser of two evils and since you only need a Tb or two a day to get the daily vitamin value she was able to keep up her strength up while un-souring. Yoghurt, too. I will warn you that it was still touch and go, I almost lost her one night. The garlic is to kill the bacteria, in case you can't get antibiotics and the yogurt is the "probiotics"; plain non-sugared yogurt is best for this and they like it.

I tried the vinegar and it only made things worse. As soon as i stopped using it she got better quickly; perhaps i got the wrong dose? It made her bloat and smell even more sour. At any rate watch her and use your best judgement. Don't try to make her "puke" if you aren't experienced, they suffocate very easily! If she sours then at least it is breaking down and passing; the best you can do when that happens is to limit her feed and pray it goes through quickly! Once it is empty at night she can be fed normal.

 

[YoungChickenFan]

so this is the third day of her impacted crop and it hasn't gone down or soured, so I am getting very worried about my poor hen. I gave her some yoghurt since she wouldn't eat the oil bread and I have been massaging her regularly but she hasn't shown signs of improvement, although I have seen a few small poops around the place. I want to take her to the vet but the parents aren't budging on the issue. they seem to think it is not worth taking an animal that comes cheaply to a vet which is expensive, but I love my hens and I want them all to be healthy and happy.
H

 

[fuzzybutt love]

How is she today? Is the yogurt helping to loosen it? You said she was pooping, are they normal poops? If they progress to a bright green water you are in trouble; but don't give up on her just yet.

Are you withholding solid foods? I feel liquid nutrition would be best at this point, i understand your resources are limited though. A last ditch effort for liquid food is to feed her raw egg yolk from one of your healthiest hens.. be careful that it don't go bad in there but it may just do the trick to feed her in a way that will actually be able to reach through that ball; try to get the white off., and if she drinks or eats the yogurt afterwards it may help it from going bad. I don't remember why but i read once not to feed the white...? The yolk is the part with the nutrition, anyway.

Keep me updated!

 

[YoungChickenFan]

Hi
Thank for your interest in my poor hen.
The poops I found were small but of normal 'consistency' and color, and yes I have been withholding solid foods, and she has plenty of water. I can feed her liquid foods, but I don't know if she wants to eat them, she didn't have to much of the yoghurt. But to my disappointment it turns out my dad, after strict instructions to do so, didn't separate her from the other hens so she would have been able to eat some pellets, which is very frustrating, but the crop still doesn't feel too firm so we might be ok.
Thanks
H

 

[YoungChickenFan]

Her crop has gone down considerably but has not passed but she has her appetite back and she is eating the yogurt, which is good.
Her poops are still small but haven't changed from normal. So I will continue to massage it and hope we can kick this thing in the butt once and for all.
H

 

[fuzzybutt love]

Ok. You may have to feed her a little bit of something though, since this has gone on for a bit..... perhaps mash her normal food???? I wonder what she ate???? I hope it passes, it is good to know it did go down a bit.