Orangeblossomranch
Chirping
- Apr 14, 2021
- 29
- 41
- 61
Hi everyone!
I have been caring for a one-year old Speckled Sussex hen that has pendulous, or spastic crop. I ask anyone with experience with pendulous, or spastic crop to please offer some guidance. This is my first experience with this crop issue and I would like to know if there is anything else I can do to bring her some relief.
Here is the background:
About 6 weeks ago, I noticed that her crop was not emptying overnight. Her crop was big, like an orange. I realized that this issue had probably been happening for a while, but I had not caught it! I am not sure when it started. I tried to recall her crop before I noticed the issue, she always looked like she had eaten alot. There was never cause for concerned since she was not acting sick and was always very active.
Once I noticed, I kept her isolated in an adjacent smaller coop/run to her flock for 10 days and monitored her crop, her poops and her egg laying habits. Initially, I treated her for what I thought was an impacted crop. I gave her coconut oil and crop massages every few hours. She had access to water, but no food for the first 4 days. During these first 4 days of withholding food, there was no change. During this time I also started treating her for sour crop (Monistat regime as described in other posts) as there was some odor coming from her mouth. The smell went away with the treatment.
On day 4, I started to give her a few teaspoons of wet crumbles and a small amount of scrambled eggs and continued to feed her daily but sparingly. There was no improvement on the size of her crop. Her crop never fully emptied.
Unlike other hen's that I've treated with impacted crop or sour crop, this hen was active and acted like nothing was wrong. She was very vocal and rather upset that she could not be with her flockmates. She laid an egg the 2nd, 3rd and again on the 7th day. But she would only poop 2x /day and another poop overnight--always a very small quantity of poop. I also noticed that she would bob her head alot-- perhaps to adjust her crop?
Seeing no real improvement, I searched the posts and found out about pendulous, or spastic crop. Her symptoms fit. I learned that it was a chronic condition and that hens cope with this condition, but might have frequent issues with sour crop. She seemed to be coping fairly well, besides looking uncomfortable. I debated keeping her isolated for longer but let her back to the main coop/run because she was hurting herself trying to go back to her flock.
The next week, I monitored her and her crop did not empty. She was still acting normal but looking uncomfortable. Her crop got very big closer to a large orange. I wanted to do more to help her and I searched the posts and found folks suggesting a crop bra. I made the one with vet tape. I went through several iterations of the vet tape crop bra trying to make one that was more durable and that she could not take off. In searching the posts someone suggested getting a crop bra off of Etsy and I ordered one for her. I was really excited to order the Etsy crop bra because in the reviews, folks said that it helped their chickens empty their crops completely. I was very hopeful.
Well she has been wearing her Etsy crop bar every day for two weeks now, but there is no change. Her crop remains huge. The Etsy bra covers her crop and seems to fit well under her wings. She does pick at it and often due to her doing her normal chicken activities her crop pops out of the side. However, I check the fit daily, and adjust it as needed throughout the day. She seems to be slowing down. She is more uncomfortable now. I feel helpless and I want to help her feel better and get her crop to empty.
My questions:
Is there anything else I can do to help her crop empty? I do not want to make her vomit to avoid the aspiration risk.
What is your experience with crop bras? Have you had these help with emptying the crop or reducing the size?
I appreciate any suggestions! Thank you.
I have been caring for a one-year old Speckled Sussex hen that has pendulous, or spastic crop. I ask anyone with experience with pendulous, or spastic crop to please offer some guidance. This is my first experience with this crop issue and I would like to know if there is anything else I can do to bring her some relief.
Here is the background:
About 6 weeks ago, I noticed that her crop was not emptying overnight. Her crop was big, like an orange. I realized that this issue had probably been happening for a while, but I had not caught it! I am not sure when it started. I tried to recall her crop before I noticed the issue, she always looked like she had eaten alot. There was never cause for concerned since she was not acting sick and was always very active.
Once I noticed, I kept her isolated in an adjacent smaller coop/run to her flock for 10 days and monitored her crop, her poops and her egg laying habits. Initially, I treated her for what I thought was an impacted crop. I gave her coconut oil and crop massages every few hours. She had access to water, but no food for the first 4 days. During these first 4 days of withholding food, there was no change. During this time I also started treating her for sour crop (Monistat regime as described in other posts) as there was some odor coming from her mouth. The smell went away with the treatment.
On day 4, I started to give her a few teaspoons of wet crumbles and a small amount of scrambled eggs and continued to feed her daily but sparingly. There was no improvement on the size of her crop. Her crop never fully emptied.
Unlike other hen's that I've treated with impacted crop or sour crop, this hen was active and acted like nothing was wrong. She was very vocal and rather upset that she could not be with her flockmates. She laid an egg the 2nd, 3rd and again on the 7th day. But she would only poop 2x /day and another poop overnight--always a very small quantity of poop. I also noticed that she would bob her head alot-- perhaps to adjust her crop?
Seeing no real improvement, I searched the posts and found out about pendulous, or spastic crop. Her symptoms fit. I learned that it was a chronic condition and that hens cope with this condition, but might have frequent issues with sour crop. She seemed to be coping fairly well, besides looking uncomfortable. I debated keeping her isolated for longer but let her back to the main coop/run because she was hurting herself trying to go back to her flock.
The next week, I monitored her and her crop did not empty. She was still acting normal but looking uncomfortable. Her crop got very big closer to a large orange. I wanted to do more to help her and I searched the posts and found folks suggesting a crop bra. I made the one with vet tape. I went through several iterations of the vet tape crop bra trying to make one that was more durable and that she could not take off. In searching the posts someone suggested getting a crop bra off of Etsy and I ordered one for her. I was really excited to order the Etsy crop bra because in the reviews, folks said that it helped their chickens empty their crops completely. I was very hopeful.
Well she has been wearing her Etsy crop bar every day for two weeks now, but there is no change. Her crop remains huge. The Etsy bra covers her crop and seems to fit well under her wings. She does pick at it and often due to her doing her normal chicken activities her crop pops out of the side. However, I check the fit daily, and adjust it as needed throughout the day. She seems to be slowing down. She is more uncomfortable now. I feel helpless and I want to help her feel better and get her crop to empty.
My questions:
Is there anything else I can do to help her crop empty? I do not want to make her vomit to avoid the aspiration risk.
What is your experience with crop bras? Have you had these help with emptying the crop or reducing the size?
I appreciate any suggestions! Thank you.
