Impacted crop advice

[micstrachan]

You are receiving great advice. If you can get her to take some soupy feed (regular feed ground to dust or baby bird formula) with some molasses and coconut oil in it, it might give her a little energy and help get things moving. You have not done the coconut oil yet, correct?

 

[TurtletheCoturnix]

You are receiving great advice. If you can get her to take some soupy feed (regular feed ground to dust or baby bird formula) with some molasses and coconut oil in it, it might give her a little energy and help get things moving. You have not done the coconut oil yet, correct?

I've done almost everything. I feed two teaspoons of coconut oil a day, stool softener, massage, but it's not just the crop that's stuck. The oil also comes out in her poop, along with the bile and maybe a tiny piece of grass or something she ate.

I've just given her stool softener mixed with boiled egg yolk. I'm not sure about the molasses, though, because it might feed the yeast.

 

[micstrachan]

Sorry; I just reread this thread. I think I mixed it up with a different one. You have done quite a bit. Did you finish the yeast treatment?

If she’ll take it, I still think soupy feed might give her some energy without adding to the impaction.

Please keep us posted.

 

[TurtletheCoturnix]

Okay, the nutri-drench finally arrived, how much should I give her? She doesn't have a lot of energy today.

 

[Eggcessive]

Dosage is on the label—1 ml for every 3 pounds of weight given orally daily.

 

[TurtletheCoturnix]

Well, even though I knew it was too late, yesterday I took her to the vet to see if there was anything to be done. They said they would wash out her crop and try to get it moving, and today I received the news: they couldn't get anything out and her crop and gizzard AND intestines were stuffed with dirt and grass. They can't do anything about it.

I knew I should've at least brought her to the vet earlier. I guess it's too late.

Thank you, @azygous and the others who contributed to this thread. I truly appreciate your advice.

I guess if you keep chickens, you lose chickens.

 

[TurtletheCoturnix]

Update: I think her intestines are clearing out.
She just pooped, and there was stuff. I think it was dirt and grass. I'll keep this thread updated.

 

[TurtletheCoturnix]

Update: Her crop every morning is just a tiny lump of grass, which I am not that worried about because the food and nutrients can go down. Because she's getting the nutrients, she is no longer lethargic. I guess I can say she's basically recovered, except for her strange appetite. I just found out she's been eating paper.
Her stool isn't COMPLETELY back to normal, but there's grass and normal stool. Still needs time adjusting her appetite, but I think it might be safe to say that she will survive, as long as nothing gets clogged and she's still eating.

 

[TurtletheCoturnix]

@azygous I know I updated this thread a long time ago, and she's still alive... right in time for winter.
She doesn't seem completely well, though. This summer, she started having diarrhea, and I just never really tried to cure it (I give her Big ole Bird probiotic regularly, but doesn't seem to be helping a lot). She still has it now. So, any ideas for helping diarrhea? Also, her comb and wattles are very dry, and I don't know if it's because it is the cold season, or because of some other reason.
She is still very skinny and is currently molting her wing feathers. It is already the middle of December.
So what can I do for her right now?

 

[azygous]

Molting into the coldest part of winter, unfortunately, is what some chickens do. It's not something they choose, but a factor of their genetics and individual makeup. The pale dry comb is one sign of molt along with feather loss. Good news is the cold weather stimulates the new feather growth.

Often, molt causes secondary issues - starvation, diarrhea, weakness, and even lameness as we've seen in some threads over the past couple weeks. The best thing you can do is some TLC. This means vitamins and extra protein feedings to get her energy level back up and improve her appetite. This also helps the feathers grow back more quickly.

Foods I feed are a rotation of boiled egg, tofu, canned mackerel. You can feed fresh fish, raw hamburger and liver. Usually the runny poop clears up when the chicken regains their appetite and strength.