Hen with swollen watery crop, not eating or pooping

[Wyorp Rock]

Well, that's good that it went down. Hopefully this was a jumpstart to get it moving so it will empty completely.

Let us know how she's doing.

 

[Tookie]

How is she?

 

[aurorarora]

Hanging in there. The nystatin keeps the crop down but it’s definitely slow. She may have water belly but the doctor didn’t pick up any heart, liver issues, internal egg or large tumours. It could be an infection somewhere or smaller tumours.

 

[Tookie]

Hanging in there. The nystatin keeps the crop down but it’s definitely slow.

Has she improved at all?

She may have water belly but the doctor didn’t pick up any heart, liver issues, internal egg or large tumours. It could be an infection somewhere or smaller tumours.

Oh no!

 

[Saaniya]

Big Bertha is a nearly 2 year old red sex link. Two days ago we noticed she wasn't really eating. Her crop was big and squishy and she was kind of burping and moving her neck funny. We checked her crop yesterday morning and it wasn't any smaller. When I picked her up, she spit out some brown liquid (no smell). I'm scared she will aspirate if we try to help her vomit.

We then isolated her without food or water for 12 hours, and gave her a few gentle crop massages, which she really seemed to like. Her crop size went down a little and it got a bit firmer. I noticed there wasn't any poop in the crate during that time but she seemed perkier. We let her drink some water and put her in the coop for the night with the others. She may have pooped during that time but we aren't sure. Today she still has no appetite (we tried to give her a tiny bit of scrambled egg yolk) but she is drinking water. Her crop is still large and squishy.

I'm worried it could be an obstruction farther down the digestive tract which is so backed up the crop can't empty. She may have tumours or be egg bound or have an infection. She has had a slightly squishy belly for a while, which the vet had told us could be the beginning of water belly. Or she may have straw or grass or some kind of foreign body in there. We are hoping to see the vet soon, just waiting for an appointment, but I'm worried about her in the meantime. I think I'd feel better if we could get her to poop.

Do you have any suggestions for what we can do in the meantime? Is there some kind of chicken laxative? Or maybe a warm epsom salt bath? I'm worried about handling her too much because it causes her to spit up her water, but will do it if it is likely to help.

I will say we have been having a lot of problems with our hatchery sex link hens that are the same age. It is either the breed, the breeding stock or the hatchery conditions, because our older chickens haven't had these issues.

I face the same thing 2 years ago with my rooster he probably not make it but yes please try massage with light hand and don’t feed much hard food give him something that is laxative.
My prayers