I’m desperate - do we call it quits?

[FunClucks]

This is her right now - you can see she just pooped and it’s already absorbed into the towel.
There’s no doubt she has pendulous crop but crop bras aren’t working. I put the bra on and she flails around until she gets to a corner and increases the risk of cutting herself.
Her breath is sour and crop is massive. It’s not hard like impacted and I can see it contracting at times. As weird as it sounds, you can hear her “digesting”.
I have compared her crop to my other 1 year old chickens and 2 other 18-20 weekers (of a different breed). It’s like softball size and easily fills my hand at all times.

Softball size is something I'd expect to see on a Cornish Cross meat bird of 11 lbs or more, not on an egger of 3-5 lbs. And even then, the meatbird would have more of a baseball size crop, that is either deflated and not evident, or hard and full of food. Just for your information. I'm agreeing with you - you're right, the size is definitely an issue and not normal.

 

[clairhoffman]

Sometimes the crop issues start when something else further down is amiss.

How does her lower abdomen look and feel, is it swollen, hard or bloated? Or does she rather feel emaciated when palpating allover?

You can try deworming as it can help in case she has a parasite induced obstruction.

It’s hard to tell but from my understanding, everything beyond her crop is normal. She did just expel some liquid from bending her head down to eat a few crumbles though.
When palpating, she doesn’t seem bothered. I just took a video and she was sleeping during it. I’ll stick the link below

Have you tried using a crop bra? Sounds like that's what is needed here to stabilize a pendulous crop.

However, crop bras are not easy to keep up with, although it might help protect from injury. For how long you've been treating, and the challenges this chicken has had, if it's time for her to join the coop in the sky, then it's time.

Is there a possibility she could pass along her faulty genetics into your flock? Because all of these issues - propensity towards sour crop, pendulous crop, and balance issues/body mechanics - have a genetic component. I would not want to let her contribute offspring into your gene pool if I could avoid it.

I’ve tried a crop bra but she hates it and flails around until she backs into a corner. When trying the bra she’s cut herself before too so it’s like a rock and a hard place. I don’t foresee her being able to wear a crop bra long term.

Thank you for being honest, I feel like I’ve tried so hard and I’m kind of at the end of my rope, I don’t know what else to do. I don’t want to put her down but I can’t just let her suffer all the time anymore. My husband thinks I’m doing too much and we should just “let her go” with the others and see what happens (we've delayed introducing these three to the bigger flock because I know if we let the healthy 2 go then add her later, she’ll just get picked on, if she ever gets to normal health) but I know if we just throw her with the others now, she’ll suffer more or just get pecked to death.
I had no problem getting rid of our rooster, he was an asshole. But this one is so tough. Why didn’t anyone warn me - lol!

 

[aart]

What would you do??

I would euthanize her.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

I just tried to save a pullet, treating impacted crop for a month, that was going through same things you've described. First I wormed her, then treated as if sour crop, then realized it was impacted. We ALMOST saved her. She aspirated while expelling a large amount of liquid and then I could see a grass/straw mass in her throat. We kept pulling and pulling the straw and if only she'd been able to hang on a little longer, that was the issue. So the obstruction might not be worms.

But also, even though I'm sad that we lost her, she had wry tail and though crop problems and wry tail are not related, I did feel like genetically something was not right. And upon further thought about that. In nature a mother hen will decide to not let chicks that are "not right," live. But in hatcheries there is no chance for natural selection to cull out the bad genetics.... So I'm not happy that she died but I am glad that she's not dealing with a poor quality of life. She could not balance and walk right with that huge crop, not able to jump up to roost with her mates, etc. I feel like the issues were going to continue had she survived.

I'd do what you're doing, keep trying everything, but if she doesn't make it, it was probably for the best. Good Luck.

 

[clairhoffman]

I just tried to save a pullet, treating impacted crop for a month, that was going through same things you've described. First I wormed her, then treated as if sour crop, then realized it was impacted. We ALMOST saved her. She aspirated while expelling a large amount of liquid and then I could see a grass/straw mass in her throat. We kept pulling and pulling the straw and if only she'd been able to hang on a little longer, that was the issue. So the obstruction might not be worms.

But also, even though I'm sad that we lost her, she had wry tail and though crop problems and wry tail are not related, I did feel like genetically something was not right. And upon further thought about that. In nature a mother hen will decide to not let chicks that are "not right," live. But in hatcheries there is no chance for natural selection to cull out the bad genetics.... So I'm not happy that she died but I am glad that she's not dealing with a poor quality of life. She could not balance and walk right with that huge crop, not able to jump up to roost with her mates, etc. I feel like the issues were going to continue had she survived.

I'd do what you're doing, keep trying everything, but if she doesn't make it, it was probably for the best. Good Luck.

Thank you for this. I was just having a really sad moment but I think you’re right. Something just isn’t right here and her quality of life isn’t what it should be. I feel ridiculous crying over a chicken but I don’t like seeing any person or animal suffering.

 

[LaFleche]

If after all you have tried deworming does not help, I would put her out of her misery.

Don't feel ridiculous crying over a chicken. Some just worm their way into our hearts and it can be very hard to see them suffering without the possibility to help them get better.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

Thank you for this. I was just having a really sad moment but I think you’re right. Something just isn’t right here and her quality of life isn’t what it should be. I feel ridiculous crying over a chicken but I don’t like seeing any person or animal suffering.

I'm so sorry. It was a really somber day here too. She died in the hubs arms. And the whole month leading up to that was stressful and frustrating. You're not alone. Nature is beautiful and cruel too. I saw a thread where a Hen culled her newborn chick the day we lost our blue pullet (same age as yours,) and it really helped me to think about the whole big picture.

 

[clairhoffman]

If after all you have tried deworming does not help, I would put her out of her misery.

Don't feel ridiculous crying over a chicken. Some just worm their way into our hearts and it can be very hard to see them suffering without the possibility to help them get better.

As soon as I started treating her, my husband said he was worried it would cause me to get attached and if we got to this point, it would be even harder. Of course, he was right too. I’m also 26 weeks pregnant and emotional at baseline so this doesn’t help. You’d think a family member died by my reaction

It’s just sad and frustrating. I so badly wanted to help her and it’s frustrating that nothing has worked despite my commitment. Nature is beautiful and ugly all at the same time, I suppose

 

[FunClucks]

As soon as I started treating her, my husband said he was worried it would cause me to get attached and if we got to this point, it would be even harder. Of course, he was right too. I’m also 26 weeks pregnant and emotional at baseline so this doesn’t help. You’d think a family member died by my reaction

It’s just sad and frustrating. I so badly wanted to help her and it’s frustrating that nothing has worked despite my commitment. Nature is beautiful and ugly all at the same time, I suppose

So sorry you're dealing with this. Sometimes, you can try everything but there's just nothing you can do to fix things, and life just sucks. At the end of the day, you know you tried your hardest to help this hen. Release from pain can be a blessing.

Don't feel bad if you cry about this chicken. We raise pet eggers and meat birds. The meat birds get a prayer and a quick end at the end of a wonderful (for chickens) 2-3 months. The pet eggers get a funeral service, complete with prayers, recital of their most adorable and annoying quirks and adventures, and many tears. We still speak of the ones we've lost with fondness and miss them. Their lives may be short, but the chickens we love are never just chickens.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

It’s just sad and frustrating. I so badly wanted to help her and it’s frustrating that nothing has worked despite my commitment. Nature is beautiful and ugly all at the same time, I suppose

This is precisely how I felt. She was a gorgeous little french blue copper maran's and I got her because I love my adult black copper maran's, I was really excited to have another feather foot beauty. And I also felt so bad for 3 little flock mates. They were very bonded and always hanging back with her, seemingly protecting her, napping with her instead of free ranging. Simply heartbreaking. You'll be okay. Hugs.