Hens Crop Not Empting at Night Please help

[shell3]

pwand- it does seem to be really hard to get them to vomit sometimes especially when it gets so gloopy like that! dont try too hard would be my advice, if it dosnt come dont go past your comfort zone, its frustrating when you know they'll feel better when its out but you dont want her choking!! when i had that i found it emptyied easier the next morning. also the hay type mass- what a shame you couldnt grab it, maybe it will come up next time. if not how about some olive oil into her mouth (or crop if you have tube) and a good massage couple times a day. it may help to slide it on through. that blinking hays a menace isnt it!

olive oils good calories too

 

[pwand]

Her crop was flat this morning, however, she is battling on going slightly green diarrhea. As yesterday progressed, it was improving. Gave her nystatin last night, feed her later in case it's not agreeing with her and lots of diarrhea again this morning. Other wise her crop seems to be working and she looks fine.

 

[casportpony]

Her crop was flat this morning, however, she is battling on going slightly green diarrhea. As yesterday progressed, it was improving. Gave her nystatin last night, feed her later in case it's not agreeing with her and lots of diarrhea again this morning. Other wise her crop seems to be working and she looks fine.

Is she gaining or losing weight? And is she drinking enough water? I would be very tempted to hydrate the heck out of her.

This link explains how to tube feed/water
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...cken-and-give-subcutaneous-fluid#post_9911290
And this is another good one:
http://forum.backyardpoultry.com/viewtopic.php?t=7933

Emergency care:
http://www.harrisonsbirdfoods.com/avmed/cam/07_emergency_and_critical_care.pdf

This is from the link above:

FLUID THERAPY
Oral Administration
Oral administration is the ideal method of giving fluids.
This method is more commonly used in mildly dehydrated
birds or in conjunction with subcutaneous (SC)
or intravenous (IV) therapy. Oral rehydration (30 ml/kg
PO q 6-8 h) also may be used in larger birds (eg, waterfowl)
that are difficult to restrain for parenteral fluid​

therapy.

And chapter 15 here:
http://www.harrisonsbirdfoods.com/avmed/chapters.html

 

[pwand]

I weighted her and she doesn't appear to be losing weight. She is drinking. I'm considering giving her vitamins in her water and the apple cider. It's hard to know which way to go. I gave her a tsp of yogurt in her mushed food. She containtly wants to eat. I'm feeding her about every two hours. Thanks for the links.

 

[casportpony]

Have you seen this? I just saw it yesterday and it says not to use ACV. Just thought I should share it with you.

Source: http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/04/answers-from-chicken-vet-on-impacted.html
Apr 22, 2012
Answers from The Chicken Vet on Impacted, Sour & Pendulous Crops


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Today's question in my series "Answers from The Chicken Vet" comes from several fans: Q: "'What's the difference between impacted, pendulous and sour crops?

*note crop location​

A: Impacted vs Pendulous vs Sour Crops

Although there are several presentations for crop issues in chickens, the root cause, and the actual disease is usually the same. When chickens gorge themselves on long, fibrous foods, their crop (and occasionally gizzard) can become blocked. Sometimes this results in an impacted crop, which is a crop that is full of a tangle of fibre that is firm, dry and relatively hard. Sometimes, the bird will drink a lot to try to help pass the blockage....this will result in sour crop, which is a crop full of watery, half-rotten, acidic soup that actually smells worse than it sounds. Sour crop may also be associated with fungal infection, although there is some question about whether the fungus causes the poor emptying of the crop, or is a result of it. Finally, if the crop (which is basically a sac of smooth muscle) becomes damaged, the muscle will fail, and the crop loses its form and tension. Unfortunately, it also loses much of its function. This is what results in “pendulous crop”....the sac is saggy and enlarged.

The main factor in crop problems is prevention. DON’T give your hens access to long, lush, springy grass, twine or other long, stringy things that they can eat. DO make sure that there is plenty of good, palatable water near where the hens will be foraging. If you yard is large, and you have some “bully” birds, it is a good idea to provide a few “drinking stations” where timid birds can get some water while they are feeding.

These problems are more prevalent in the spring, when the grass is lush, and less likely to break when the hens peck at them. This is especially true when the hens are coming into lay, and have large appetites that may cause them to gorge themselves when they get the chance. You should cut your grass fairly short before releasing your hens for the first time in the spring, and if the cuttings are long, rake them up. Naturally, keeping strings and twine away from the hens is a good idea.


Treatment for crop disorders involves 1) emptying them as appropriate and 2) treating for secondary infections if necessary. Sour crop can be helped by holding the bird face-down, at about a 60 degree angle, and massaging the crop towards the throat....the stinky mess should come out like vomit, and reduce the swelling. Be sure to let the hen breathe between bouts of massaging, and keep her inside for a couple days after, feeding soft foods and adding a little bit (1tbsp/gallon) of baking soda to the drinking water to combat the acidity. Do NOT use cider vinegar to treat this, as it only adds to the acid burden. Treatment with an anti-fungal agent might be of value, but often, once the sour crop is dealt with and the hen is back to eating well, it is unnecessary.


Impacted crop can be treated by flushing the crop with water to help soften up the “ball”. Using a syringe and tube, put water gently into the esophagus, behind the opening at the back of the throat that goes to the lungs. Gently massage the crop several times per day, softening the mass. Adding some vegetable oil may help a little, but you will usually get reasonable results from water alone. I would NOT recommend surgery on your own....if you cannot get the impaction resolved through massage, water and oil, contact a vet to help you out....gastrointestinal surgery has a HUGE potential to go horribly wrong in an amateur’s hands.

If the crop becomes pendulous, there is little you can do to help. Feeding very digestible food will help her health, massaging the food through the crop and allowing it to empty fairly regularly will help as well, but the crop will seldom return to normal. This problem is considered to be fairly heritable, so hens with pendulous crops should likely not be used for breeding.
-The Chicken Vet


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*Anatomical illustration reproduced for educational purposes, courtesy of Jacquie Jacob, Tony Pescatore and Austin Cantor, University of Kentucky College of Agriculture. Copyright 2011. Educational programs of Kentucky Cooperative Extension serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability, or national origin. Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, M. Scott Smith, Director, Land Grant Programs, University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Lexington,and Kentucky State University, Frankfort. Copyright 2011 for materials developed by University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension. This publication may be reproduced in portions or its entirety for educational and nonprofit purposes only. Permitted users shall give credit to the author(s) and include this copyright notice. Publications are also available on the World Wide Web at www.ca.uky.edu. Issued 02-2011

​

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[pwand]

I have seen this website. It just seems confusing with what is being said as to how to handle this.

 

[pwand]

I and took a milk jug and had screwed in a watering nipple into it, and the girls love it, I brought it in and harnessed it in the shower and she is loving it. I will go with just vitamins in her water for now.

 

[casportpony]

I have seen this website. It just seems confusing with what is being said as to how to handle this.

My vet suggested that I use ACV and Cooper Sulphate to help prevent yeast and histomoniasis infections, but she never said how to treat yeast infections.

 

[shell3]

Thats fantastiv pwand!! a flat crop

i like that a lot! means its emptying and working properly again. dont stop the nystatin yet thou til you can be sure the inf gone. think its like us with antibiotics, if you dont finish the course it comes back! give a good 5-7 days of empty crop in the morning would be my advice. and just keep feeding her mashed up food for a week too then start to thicken it slowly eventually adding the normal food the other eat in to the mash until gradually you get back to normal pellets/crumbs , whatever you use.
all in all this is looking like very good news , keep us updated. i hope this is the cure for you.and she can get back to normal chicken life very soon

 

[pwand]

I hope she has a normal life soon. We're in day four of the nystatin treatment. Here poop is starting to get more on the solid side again, but still soft. I spoke to the vet, he said either stop the treatment or cut the dose in half or continue as we are. Have to decide.