Huge Crop- So Frustrated!

[LynneP]

There is another possibility. Do you have hen grit in the coop? Sometimes a hen (like my Maggie) will gorge on hen grit before being ready. Hen grit can contain some very large pieces and occasionally you get an individual with a 'thing' for it. Most payer feed contains grit and oyster shell anyway. Or you can offer grit that has been strained of the large bits (coffee can with holes in bottom to catch rocks).

Read here- (incident 02)

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=7693-sick-hen

and see if this applies to her. More on fibrous impaction too, which you can solve if you are persistent. I wouldn't risk a flush except as a last scenario, it's easy to kil the hen if she aspirates into her lungs.

 

[a2ms4chickens]

I have an 8 week old chick who had the large squishy crop, too.

This is the first time I have ever had to deal with this, so I am reading this post with interest.

We separated him and gave him water with ACV in it, and I massaged his crop last night. I am at work today but my DS says the crop seems to have gone down a little. He seems to be drinking the ACV water.

If it still hasn't gone down by this evening, we may have to do the baking soda flush.

Good luck with your chickie.

 

[Ghostchick]

Thanks all. I will try to post a pic in a bit. She is acting normal. We are using ACV, without the mother as I haven't found it yet. Its more like a big airbag. Can she just be a glutton and have a big crop? We did just introduce oyster shells a couple days ago. When I went out this morning she ran was the 2nd to run over to me and started eating the rice I had last night for her. I really don't think its squishy. I think when she was massaged, she had a vinegar smell, but had been having the ACV. I am hoping its just abnormally large. To put it bluntly, she looks like she had a bad "boob job". Since the last 2 deaths I am extra nervous about things. She is not afraid to eat. I don't think I can handle the cutting thing. I am going to the fair tomorrow hopefully and will ask around there! Keep em coming. Thanks!

 

[Ghostchick]

I have read conflicting reports of purging upward. So up or down, what is better. I will check on her soon, and probably isolate her. I only had her in a guinea pig cage in the house. Now I got the playpen, which would be better. Not sure where to put it though!

 

[Ghostchick]

I also just started scratch a couple days ago as a treat.

 

[dlhunicorn]

Quote:
Ditto >In this case my vote goes for the vet (even very experienced poultry person is often unsuccessful dealing with this)...
No more scratch for now!

 

[Ghostchick]

she probably ate wood chips I am thinking. I will call around tomorrow.

 

[phalenbeck]

My EE's crop gets huge daily, or at least huge (2X) the other large birds. She simply is a big piggy. Healthy, friendly, and a bit FAT. I used to worry, but it is, I guess, normal for her.

 

[threehorses]

Let me see if I have this right - did you put the bird on any grit before giving the scratch? (Oyster shell doesn't count - it dissolves). If not, I'd suspect that she doesn't have grit in there and that her system backed up.

Another thing is that any time you keep birds away from food, they're going to binge and eat until their crops are full like that. In her case, you want to keep crumbles in front of her all the time, free choice. Since she's possibly having crop issues, do not let her have any food that isn't very easily dissolved. In other words, if you put it in a glass of water and walk away for 10 minutes, you should come back and find it kind of puddled at the bottom of the glass. This means that boiled egg yolks are good (if mixed with water) but whites and scrambled eggs are not. Crumbles for now are good, scratch is off limits until she's well. Oatmeal is ok if you process it dry in the food processor before cooking.

Also be quite certain that you're really seeing impacted crop as the crop storage area is *supposed* to mix food and water so that the feed is wet before it goes into the proventriculus. So it will feel squishy like that in the summer when birds are drinking a lot of water and eating feed, especially if they binge.

This also means that if she feels light weight, you will want to add another feeding station so she has a place to go freely any time to eat and doesn't have to wait until other birds are out of the way. Otherwise she'll wait and binge.

Make sure tonight one last time by removing her food tonight. Then see if her crop is empty mostly or still full very early in the morning. Then *slowly* introduce feed back starting with a small amount of a damp mash including yogurt, water, crumbles. You could add a little boiled/mashed egg yolk, and a 1/2 teaspoon of babyfood applesauce to help clear out her system if it's slow. After she finishes the small amount of damp mash, give her some more then wait 10 minutes to let her feel full. And then finally give her the dry mash free choice and keep it there.

If the crop is still full in the morning, you will want to do the baking soda flush followed by a week of easily dissolved feeds, OACV in the water (1 teaspoon per gallon), and no solid feeds with that yogurt-damp-mash every day during that time, and of course keeping crumbles in front of her all the time after the first fast.

Feeding the crumbles first after the fast as a dampened mash will help it to go through to the next stages of the digestive tract more easily. It won't have to sit in crop storage until she drinks enough water.

 

[BigSkyChickens]

Hi Ghostchick,

I'm not that experienced, but just chiming in to give moral support.

My Speckled Sussex had a HUGE crop a few weeks ago after too much lawn to eat. She looked and felt absolutely deformed, so I was freaked out.

I gave her a little olive oil, then gently massaged her crop with a downward motion for 5-10 min. It took a couple of days to go down, and her crop is still sometimes very big in the evenings.
I have read advice against trying to force anything back up.

Yogurt & ACV (1 tsp/gal water) are helpful (probiotics).

I think the most important indicator is how your chick is acting. Is she still running around being perky? If yes, I would worry less.

Good luck!