Impacted crop advice

[azygous]

Your hen is a stubborn case of impacted crop. When you turned her losse in the yard, her going right to picking up gravel and grit is a big clue that she's still very stopped up.

Can I assume you've completed the seven full days of sour crop treatment?

I suggest you begin a new attack on the impaction with a round of coconut oil. Stuff a teaspoon of the slightly chilled oil into he beak and massage the hard lump with the tips of your fingers, trying to focus on getting it to break up. Be firm but gentle. Massage for fifteen minutes. Then let her rest.

Check her in half an hour. You may need to give her another teaspoon of oil and repeat the massage.

If two massages and oil treatments still haven't broken up the mass, then do a third infusion of oil with a stool softener. This time let the oil and softener work for half an hour before you massage.

Then we'll see what happens.

 

[TurtletheCoturnix]

Update: she seemed pretty lethargic today.

I don't think it's just her crop that's stuck. I feel like maybe her gizzard is impacted, or somewhere inside that's stuck. I don't think after 19 days of treatment it is just the crop that's impacted.

Her stool is completely dark green, even the water. They look like this picture from a few days ago. Is there any chance of the green being worms? Or just bile?

 

[azygous]

It's just bile. Did you do the oil and stool softener?

The crop isn't the only thing the stool softener and oil will affect. The gizzard is the next stop. If you haven't given her the oil treatment and stool softener, It really would be a good idea to do it.

 

[TurtletheCoturnix]

Okay, and in the meantime, what can I give her so that she'll stay alive during this process? Unfortunately I didn't get the nutridrench.

 

[azygous]

If she appears to be declining rapidly, mix a teaspoon of sugar into a cup of warm water and let her drink it. If she won't drink, syringe it into her.

Soft boiled egg is the best thing to give her as food.

 

[azygous]

SOS @casportpony @Eggcessive @dawg53

I could use a bit of backup here. We have a very sick chicken, and I have a feeling our young chicken care giver doesn't quite think my advice is adequate. I would really appreciate, as I'm sure our OP would, second and third and fourth opinions.

We need to get treatment going on this patient. We are very close to losing her.

 

[dawg53]

I truly believe it's impacted gizzard and not much can be done. The only advice I can offer is to try and give her tomato juice, hopefully it'll get things moving.

 

[TurtletheCoturnix]

I truly believe it's impacted gizzard and not much can be done. The only advice I can offer is to try and give her tomato juice, hopefully it'll get things moving.

Alright. How much tomato juice?

 

[Eggcessive]

Honestly I think that @azygous has given you more information than anyone else on this forum could possibly do. She is a real authority on crop disorders, and much more patient and tenacious than I am. I think that she suggested you get Poultry NutriDrench 13 days ago, and you still have not given any. Electrolytes with vitamins are very important when chickens are this sick.

Crop disorders in a 5 year old hen may be due to reproductive disorders putting pressure on the whole digestive tract, or tumors, but this just may be a chronic crop disorder. I have treated many of my older birds with similar disorders, and lost them all eventually. One I treated for 8 weeks and she finally weighed nothing. Now, I usually treat for a few days, and stop. I let them be, and when the time comes, put them down.

Sorry about your hen. But I have nothing more to offer than Azygous.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

SOS @casportpony @Eggcessive @dawg53

I could use a bit of backup here. We have a very sick chicken, and I have a feeling our young chicken care giver doesn't quite think my advice is adequate. I would really appreciate, as I'm sure our OP would, second and third and fourth opinions.

We need to get treatment going on this patient. We are very close to losing her.

I have to agree with @Eggcessive I've been following/reading along with the daily posts. Carol (Azygous) has given very good advice and has stuck with you. Following her directions is important, she has a lot of experience dealing with crop issues and has helped many people resolve it.
Sadly, sometimes there may be more going on than just a crop issue and a hen doesn't make it.

Honestly I think that @azygous has given you more information than anyone else on this forum could possibly do. She is a real authority on crop disorders, and much more patient and tenacious than I am. I think that she suggested you get Poultry NutriDrench 13 days ago, and you still have not given any. Electrolytes with vitamins are very important when chickens are this sick.

Crop disorders in a 5 year old hen may be due to reproductive disorders putting pressure on the whole digestive tract, or tumors, but this just may be a chronic crop disorder. I have treated many of my older birds with similar disorders, and lost them all eventually. One I treated for 8 weeks and she finally weighed nothing. Now, I usually treat for a few days, and stop. I let them be, and when the time comes, put them down.

Sorry about your hen. But I have nothing more to offer than Azygous.