Impacted crop at night and won't hold head up this morning.

[LindsayRae]

One of my hens had a big balloon crop a few weeks ago. I emptied it, kept her separate and she was fine. Last night I come home to same thing. I emptied, put her up and this morning she can't stand or hold her head up. I emptied her out, what was left. Now it's just grit in her drop.
Shes breathing but also her neck is floppy. She's bobbing her head, like a tic. I feel like she's on her last breath. Just so different from last time. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[coach723]

Persistent crop problems are often an indication of something going on farther down the digestive tract. How old is she? Do you know when she last laid? How is her weight, is the keel bone prominent? What do droppings look like? Any abdominal bloat, below the vent between the legs? I do not vomit my birds. The risk of aspiration is too high.

 

[LindsayRae]

Persistent crop problems are often an indication of something going on farther down the digestive tract. How old is she? Do you know when she last laid? How is her weight, is the keel bone prominent? What do droppings look like? Any abdominal bloat, below the vent between the legs? I do not vomit my birds. The risk of aspiration is too high.

She's a little over a year old. She laid for sure the day before yesterday. She seems a little under weight compared to my other hens now just holding her. She was totally fine yesterday. Pooping all over my porch and being herself. I came home after work and she was standing with her wings a little out. When I picked her up to put her on the perch water sprayed out of her mouth. So I tipped her over and she poured like a teapot. Then I put her in the dog crate with yogurt. She got on the perch, made a few chirps and I left. This morning she was just laying as she is in the photo. Her breath is for sure sour smelling. She gurgled up some yellow stuff. She's breathing. Her comb is bright red. ...

 

[coach723]

These are good articles on crop problems, and trying to narrow down what it may be. Are the droppings runny, or normal? Any wheezing, coughing, or sneezing? Based on your picture she's pretty sick, I can't say if it's too far gone to be able to treat her and have her recover. Possibly pneumonia from aspirating crop contents. Unfortunately it is sometimes hard to know exactly what is going on until necropsy.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...ntion-and-treatments-of-crop-disorders.67194/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

 

[LindsayRae]

These are good articles on crop problems, and trying to narrow down what it may be. Are the droppings runny, or normal? Any wheezing, coughing, or sneezing? Based on your picture she's pretty sick, I can't say if it's too far gone to be able to treat her and have her recover. Possibly pneumonia from aspirating crop contents. Unfortunately it is sometimes hard to know exactly what is going on until necropsy.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...ntion-and-treatments-of-crop-disorders.67194/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

Well, she passed about an hour ago. I purchased 4 hens that were Blue Sapphires- they've all become sick in some way or another. My comets are fine and my newer batch that I made sure were vax'd, are doing great. I just never had so many problems with chickens before- and I hate to relate it to a breed, but I probably wont be getting any more of this type.

Thanks for the articles. I swear I have learned so much in just this last year with these blue girls.

 

[coach723]

I'm very sorry. I highly recommend necropsy. It's the best way to know what happened and if it matters for the rest of the flock. Those birds may have had genetic predispositions to things, or just didn't have real good parent stock, it's very hard to say.
We all have breeds we like more than others.