Huge crop/ slow crop problem! Please help!

[azygous]

Yes, she should drink it all. It's a mild laxative and will stimulate the movement of the intestines to draw the contents through her system, hopefully, drawing down the crop, as well.

You only need ten inches of tubing. It's inserted into the right side of the beak, going slightly under the right side of the tongue and that guides the tube right into the esophagus. It helps to first hold the tubing up against the outside of the crop and measure from bottom of the crop to the beak and make a mark on it. That way you know how deep to insert it.

Don't worry about the first time. If you err, she will cough. Simply withdraw the tube and reinsert until you feel it go smoothly down into the crop. then hold the tube in her beak as you insert the syringe full of solution. It's that simple. It also helps to wrap her tightly in a towel so she can't squirm and flap.

Try the molasses flush first and give it time to work. We'll see if we need the Epsom salts flush. I'll give you the directions for it at that time.

 

[applethechicken]

Yes, she should drink it all. It's a mild laxative and will stimulate the movement of the intestines to draw the contents through her system, hopefully, drawing down the crop, as well.

You only need ten inches of tubing. It's inserted into the right side of the beak, going slightly under the right side of the tongue and that guides the tube right into the esophagus. It helps to first hold the tubing up against the outside of the crop and measure from bottom of the crop to the beak and make a mark on it. That way you know how deep to insert it.

Don't worry about the first time. If you err, she will cough. Simply withdraw the tube and reinsert until you feel it go smoothly down into the crop. then hold the tube in her beak as you insert the syringe full of solution. It's that simple. It also helps to wrap her tightly in a towel so she can't squirm and flap.

Try the molasses flush first and give it time to work. We'll see if we need the Epsom salts flush. I'll give you the directions for it at that time.

unfortunately, I couldn't get the tubing to work. I tried several times, with someone else holding her in a towel. I couldn't see her airway hole clearly, even with a flashlight. I got it a few inches in on the side, but she was gagging and gagged it back up. She was also wheezing I think, like she couldn't breathe.

Im trying to syringe it to her from the side of her mouth, and she is taking it, its just very slow. She got at least a third of it in. Im going to try to give the whole amount to her, but it might be pretty hard. If it does work, how long will it take, and what can I look for?

Also, something else I saw is that people would give their chickens mineral oil for rocks in an impacted crop, since it doesn't absorb like other oils. Should I try that? does that work better than coconut oil?

 

[applethechicken]

I fed/ she drank about 4/5 of the molasses mixture in total. She also pooped out liquid and a dried mealworm (last time she ate dried mealworms was Wednesday) right when I put her down.
I then gave her some massages to incorporate the liquid with her mass, which she enjoyed. at the end of the massage, it got smaller and much more pliable, because of the liquids. around the same size as last night, but more pliable than last night. I feel like the molasses helped, or at least the liquid helped because the past poops were very dry since she doesn't drink a lot .

And she just pooped as I am writing this. The picture is attached. I don't want to move her since she's tired, so I can't open the poop up, but I can clearly see solid stuff in it even from outside. Also its not super liquidy, its holding its shape.

should I try mineral oil?

 

[applethechicken]

day 3 of "treatment" update:

When I returned her to the coop to roost, the mass was the size of a large egg. Its slightly larger than yesterday evening, but that's because she ate a lot more tonight. But the mass feels more doughy now, like it doesn't bounce back and it holds it shape more. It might be because there's more food in there tonight.

Something I noticed today is that after I massage, the mass feels smaller, but its not actually much smaller, since I just pushed it in. So what I tried today was massage 3 minutes, and let her walk 1 minute. That way I can let the crop protrude out again.

Food: she ate a lot of dried pellets, some diced cantaloupe, and watered down steamed egg in the afternoon. She is eating slower than before, and for some reason doesn't like me watching her eat. I was worried in the morning because she wasn't eating but she ate a lot later, hence the larger crop.

Her energy level was definitely lower today than yesterday, that's why I let her eat more, but I'm not sure if that will negatively affect her crop clearing.

Poops: I think there were a total of 3 cecal poops today, which is more than yesterday and the day before combined, which I think is a good sign. She pooped more than yesterday (especially after the flush), but also she ate more. (clean food on the floor with poop is not from poop. its food she spilled)
Non digested/ impacted things I found in poop: tough grass (I found a pretty long piece), rocks/ grit, oyster shells, dried bugs, whole grains, and very little egg shells.

I think the molasses definitely helped her poop faster and more, but it mainly helped the lower digestive system, not so much on reducing the size of the crop.

Looking back, the tubing didn't work because the tube I used is rubbery, unlike plastic tubing. Mine has more friction and is harder to slide down than plastic tubing I've encountered before. But also because im not experienced in tubing and she hated it.

I feel like im going in circles. Sometimes the crop feels better and more pliable, and then she eats and it becomes harder again. I massage after she eats, but maybe because her food is dry and she doesn't drink a lot, that's why its harder. She is still pooping out the "bad" stuff, and she's not eating more of those, so I guess that's still progress.

How do I encourage her to drink more water? Also, how much coconut oil in total should she be getting in a day? And should I try mineral oil. I found a few threads where that worked with rocks in the crop.

 

[applethechicken]

day 4 of treatment update:

this morning, her crop was pretty much the same as last night, and it felt quite doughy. So I made sure to give her a lot of coconut oil, and it became way softer. I think its the softest its been since starting her treatments.

she is pretty energized/ alert when I let her walk around the garage, but when I put her in her cage, she sits down more of the time.

Poops: She pooped a lot less today than yesterday and the day before. Yesterday had a lot of poops because of the flush, but today there were a few times where it was over 2 hours between poops. There is also some undigested grains in her poop, along with the same stuff: grass, rocks, oyster shells, etc. She hasn't had grains since Wednesday when she was out. Also had 2 cecal poops today

Food: I gave her olive oil + steamed eggs in the morning, and flaxseed oil + steamed eggs, diced up cantaloupe, and wet pellets in the afternoon. She didn't eat a lot of the pellets, but she ate the rest. I didn't feed dried pellets because I feel like she isn't drinking enough water for dried food. and for water, I brought the flock's waterer up to her, and she drank a lot in the morning. However, when I tried later in the afternoon, she wasnt interested. I also tried syringing water from the side of her beak, and she didn't want anything to do with the syringe, after the flush yesterday.

I decided to not give her mineral oil after doing some research on it. 1. its a byproduct of petroleum. 2. at least for humans, it has pretty much the same effectiveness as olive oil.
3. if it goes down the wrong pipe, then it can cause irreversible damage to the lungs because the oil can't be absorbed by the body. And im not good at syringing, so I prefer to use more natural and safe methods. I just have to give her enough coconut oil.

Hopefully it gets smaller overnight. When I placed her on the roosts, her crop was around the size of a small egg, but very very pliable and liquidy. I still feel rocks, or maybe its grains, in there.

 

[applethechicken]

@azygous Do you know what these black dots on her comb are? They're very very tiny, and don't seem to be moving. She had them yesterday/ a few days ago, but there's definitely more today. I checked the rest of the flock and they don't have it. My others are 2 Ameraucanas, and a black australorp. The black australorp has black stuff on her comb, but its not the same, and I think hers are peck marks because she gets pecked on.

 

[applethechicken]

@azygous Do you know what these black dots on her comb are? They're very very tiny, and don't seem to be moving. She had them yesterday/ a few days ago, but there's definitely more today. I checked the rest of the flock and they don't have it. My others are 2 Ameraucanas, and a black australorp. The black australorp has black stuff on her comb, but its not the same, and I think hers are peck marks because she gets pecked on.

black australorp pics:
@azygous

 

[azygous]

I can't tell you for sure, but I believe them to be a very mild form of dry pox. Don't consider that an expert declaration, though.

I've seen that on rare occasions in my flock, usually on roosters. That are too uniformly shaped to be pecking injuries, and not the usual blisters you see in pox. So I'm only guessing.

I do know that Blu-kote, an anti-bacterial and anti-fungal will make them go away. Dab it on with a Q-tip or you end up painting both you and the chicken purple.

 

[applethechicken]

I can't tell you for sure, but I believe them to be a very mild form of dry pox. Don't consider that an expert declaration, though.

I've seen that on rare occasions in my flock, usually on roosters. That are too uniformly shaped to be pecking injuries, and not the usual blisters you see in pox. So I'm only guessing.

I do know that Blu-kote, an anti-bacterial and anti-fungal will make them go away. Dab it on with a Q-tip or you end up painting both you and the chicken purple.

is dry pox contagious? Should I let her sleep in my garage, or put her back on the roosts with everyone?

Is dry pox a version of fowl pox?

 

[applethechicken]

day 5 update:

this morning, her crop was 3/4 the size it was last night. Very pliable though. Im not sure why her crop doesn't clear as much overnight as other impacted crop situations I've read. Also, I see people say they can feel the mass get smaller after a massage session, but I can't.

Today, she ate a lot of wet pellets in the morning, but only a little in the afternoon. She ate cantaloupe in the afternoon though. she refused to touch the egg in olive oil, and the yogurt with crushed black solider fly larvae on it, even though that's her favorite treat.

She also drank a lot of water today, especially in the afternoon. She only likes drinking from the drinker everyone uses, so I kept that with her today, and gave another water to the others. and she got a few pieces of coconut oil throughout the day, but she now hates it when I have to feed her coconut oil, and won't open her beak.

She was a lot more active today than yesterday, walking around more and being a little more vocal.

I made an Epsom Salt flush solution (1 tsp in 1/4 cup) and offered it to her in the afternoon by putting her beak in it, and she drank a little. I just want her to get some into her system, to maybe help her poop faster, easier, and more often.

There were around 13 poops (2 were cecal) today, which is more than yesterday. They were more wet towards the evening, probably due to the coconut oil and Epsom Salt. They also smelled a little bad, even the normal ones, probably because the stuff she's pooping out has been in her since at least Wednesday. She's still pooping out whole grains, tough grass, egg shells, oyster shells, a dried mealworm and rocks. Also, she barely poops in her cage now. once it was 2 hours between her poops. I think pooping is easier for her when she can walk around, which I try to let her do a lot of.

At night, the mass was only slightly smaller than this morning when I returned her to the coop to roost. Her crop is very pliable, but I still feel some rocks in there. but at least she's pooping the bad stuff out, slowly.
Hopefully this gets resolved soon, because I feel like keeping her in my garage is lowering her immune system, and she can't dust bathe or do anything normal. Also, dragging this on will more likely result in sour crop, which I don't want to happen.