Hen with impacted crop

[From the North]

Ok, I'm not going to be able to make it home at lunch today to massage her again, due to road closures -- a water main froze and burst on a major road (it's been that cold!) so I'll have to take care of her when I get home.

How much should I feed her? Can I let her have 2 scrambled eggs and some soaked layer mash? Can I let her eat as much as she wants or should I be limiting it? I'm worried she'll eat the bedding (shavings) if she's hungry and no food is available.

 

[ten chicks]

Ok, I'm not going to be able to make it home at lunch today to massage her again, due to road closures -- a water main froze and burst on a major road (it's been that cold!) so I'll have to take care of her when I get home.

How much should I feed her? Can I let her have 2 scrambled eggs and some soaked layer mash? Can I let her eat as much as she wants or should I be limiting it? I'm worried she'll eat the bedding (shavings) if she's hungry and no food is available.

If she has an impact or sour crop,she probably will not eat much. Let her eat if she wants.

 

[From the North]

Can anyone advise how often she should be pooping?

 

[casportpony]

Never counted number of poops, but if I had to guess I would say one or more an hour. Giving her water orally with a tube should produce poop within an hour. I think your hen is dehydrated and her crop and intestines are not clearing due to that.

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

Just saw my hen do four poops in the last hour... Three were regular, one was cecal.

-Kathy

 

[From the North]

She pooped twice this morning and was drinking on her own, so I'll see how she is when I get home.

Is there a way you can tell if a chicken is dehydrated?

 

[From the North]

She's not looking very good today. Her crop was still full this morning and she didn't want to eat breakfast. She only pooped about 3 more times overnight. If she doesn't look better by tonight, I think I will be culling my first chicken

 

[ten chicks]

She's not looking very good today. Her crop was still full this morning and she didn't want to eat breakfast. She only pooped about 3 more times overnight. If she doesn't look better by tonight, I think I will be culling my first chicken

You are dealing with another impacted crop. What is she eating that is causing this recurrence of impacted crop and does she have access to grit at all times? Impacted crop can also be a result of an infection. Apply the same treatments as before,or is a vet a possibility to flush out/suction impacted mass? You could try tube feeding her.

 

[From the North]

You are dealing with another impacted crop. What is she eating that is causing this recurrence of impacted crop and does she have access to grit at all times? Impacted crop can also be a result of an infection. Apply the same treatments as before,or is a vet a possibility to flush out/suction impacted mass? You could try tube feeding her.

I'm not sure what she ate. She hasn't had access to grass since probably September, but I did put down straw in the run. Maybe she ate some straw? They do have access to grit and oyster shell at all times.

 

[casportpony]

She's not looking very good today. Her crop was still full this morning and she didn't want to eat breakfast. She only pooped about 3 more times overnight. If she doesn't look better by tonight, I think I will be culling my first chicken

Please, please, please, try to tube some water into her. Don't take this the wrong way, but how is it that you are willing to vomit one but not tube one? If you want to say that you tried everything, try tubing, you just might save her life.

-Kathy