Hen ate a dime and many rocks, need advice.

[apryl29]

So I'm not even close to an expert in chickens, but I'm wondering if it's possible to stick a finger in the hens backside and try to get some of those rocks passed through so the eggs can move along. With all those rocks appearing so close to the end, I wonder if it's kind of impacted there b/c of the pressure of the rocks trying to move along the intestines. Maybe manually removing some of them will help.

 

[staceyj]

So I'm not even close to an expert in chickens, but I'm wondering if it's possible to stick a finger in the hens backside and try to get some of those rocks passed through so the eggs can move along. With all those rocks appearing so close to the end, I wonder if it's kind of impacted there b/c of the pressure of the rocks trying to move along the intestines. Maybe manually removing some of them will help.

I think this is worth a gentle try.

 

[21hens-incharge]

A chicken enema maybe......

 

[staceyj]

A chicken enema maybe......

I had that thought too but suggested something like that for a different bird months ago for a different problem and was told the risk of flushing infection up inside was too great. So idk if that would work in this case or not.
Assuming there’s no infection yet, maybe it would work.

 

[pitbullmomma]

Lol ! If you’re watching the bird box don’t try any of the Internet challenges! We can’t have you getting hurt and leaving BYC in a lurch!

What?!

@amungo , that Xray is the craziest thing I've ever seen. I hope that stuff passes...

 

[rebrascora]

I'm sorry to see your hen is in such a state. Thank you for posting the X-rays. They are very interesting, if scary!
I agree that this bird's whole system is packed with grit and it is going to take too long for it to work through, so emptying that crop would definitely be the first thing I would do, which would likely require surgery (it can be done successfully at home), as well as trying to manually evacuate as much from the cloaca as possible. Grease her back end up and scoop out as much as possible. The nails are more of a worry than the coin and I think that even if you can get the grit worked through her system before she starves to death, those nails are a significant threat. Unfortunately gizzard surgery is not really feasible, so it is in the lap of the God's beyond the crop. I would be looking to get KayTee Baby bird formula into her for maximum nutrition and Nutri Drench. I would not give her anything that requires a lot of processing and ensure she does not have any access to soil or even bedding. I would keep her caged on puppy pads with just her feed made into a slurry with water. She will also need to be kept warm because she will not be getting enough nutrition to keep herself warm.

 

[Sue Gremlin]

I too am wondering about a crop surgery.......

It's in the gizzard though.

 

[21hens-incharge]

It's in the gizzard though.

Yes but that bird is so packed with stones the crop cannot hold any food either.

 

[123RedBeard]

So ... any change?

 

[staceyj]

OP hasn’t been back.