Impacted Crop for a week

[JuliaSunshine]

My Light Sussex hen has been dealing with an impacted crop for about a week.

The crop was big and hard at first, but now it’s a bit smaller. However, I’m worried about her stamina since I’ve only been giving her about 2 tsp of food per day (unsweetened applesauce, meat broth, Greek yogurt, or scrambled yolk).

She doesn’t want to eat the same thing for more than 2 days, except for the scrambled yolk.

I’ve mixed some olive oil into her food, but she hasn’t eaten much. Should I administer it directly into her beak?

I haven’t given her any grit since I separated her because I thought it wouldn’t reach the gizzard. Should I be offering it?

I’ve been massaging her crop several times a day and also giving her Epsom salt baths with massage daily for the past 3 days.

After a bath, her crop feels softer, but later it gets bigger and harder again.
Her breath has started to smell bad over the last 2 days.

She poops 1–3 times a day, but it’s watery.

Now she seems subdued and shaky. I’m worried about how long she can last without proper food, and whether I should consider putting her down.

 

[azygous]

Use coconut oil. Measure out two teaspoons of coconut oil, the solid kind, not the liquid. Break it up into marble size pieces and freeze. Then push one piece at a time into her beak. She will swallow okay. Try to get all two teaspoons into her. Then massage the crop.

After an hour, give her another teaspoon of frozen coconut oil with more massage. This should cause the contents to go down.

If this fails, give her one capsule of a stool softener. (Not a laxative) Yes, you should be offering her grit throughout the treatment. Also water. If she hasn't had water for a couple days, she could be close to death from dehydration. Offer it, she will drink.

Due to the crop being impacted for so long, yeast has likely begun to take hold. Once the crop is empty, you will probably need to treat for sour crop. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

 

[JuliaSunshine]

Use coconut oil. Measure out two teaspoons of coconut oil, the solid kind, not the liquid. Break it up into marble size pieces and freeze. Then push one piece at a time into her beak. She will swallow okay. Try to get all two teaspoons into her. Then massage the crop.

After an hour, give her another teaspoon of frozen coconut oil with more massage. This should cause the contents to go down.

If this fails, give her one capsule of a stool softener. (Not a laxative) Yes, you should be offering her grit throughout the treatment. Also water. If she hasn't had water for a couple days, she could be close to death from dehydration. Offer it, she will drink.

Due to the crop being impacted for so long, yeast has likely begun to take hold. Once the crop is empty, you will probably need to treat for sour crop. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

Thank you for your reply.
Today her crop feels noticeably soft same squash. The size is like a ping pong ball or less.
So maybe impacted crop is over and sour crop is happening now.
I've read your thread about sour crop. I guess I still shouldn't give her food. I hope she get better before she runs out of energy.

 

[azygous]

Offer food. It's a mistake many people make with crop disorders, withholding food. Soft boiled egg or thin mash made runny are good. to feed. It will activate crop function, helping to defeat the yeast.

It's normal to have a little lump in the crop in the morning for a few days following a crop disorder. Just massage it down. Give her a probiotic tablet each day for the next several days to help install microbes that will get the crop rolling again. Also be sure she has easy access to grit. This is gravel from her yard or commercial granite grit.

 

[JuliaSunshine]

Offer food. It's a mistake many people make with crop disorders, withholding food. Soft boiled egg or thin mash made runny are good. to feed. It will activate crop function, helping to defeat the yeast.

It's normal to have a little lump in the crop in the morning for a few days following a crop disorder. Just massage it down. Give her a probiotic tablet each day for the next several days to help install microbes that will get the crop rolling again. Also be sure she has easy access to grit. This is gravel from her yard or commercial granite grit.

Thank you. What do you mean by thin mash and probiotic tablet? mash of chicken food? Can I give probiotic tablets for humans or is there something for chickens?
Should I have given her food during impacted crop? I did give some but only 2 tsp-full a day. She was eager to eat for the fist 3-5 days but now she seems to have lost interest in food. She only eats a few tiny bites of scrambled yolk now. I'll try boiled egg and find out what else she wants to eat. She liked 10% Greek yogurt and some fat on the meat broth.

 

[azygous]

Yes, make the feed wet and soupy. Yes, human probiotics is what I use. Pop a tablet directly into the beak once or twice a day.

Let her eat what she wants. Chickens with crop issues will instinctively eat and drink what they need or refrain from trying to stuff food into a stuffed crop. Also chickens that have been starving may not be quick to recover their appetites, and they may also be weak. Keep offering water first and foremost, and whatever foods she seems interested in.

 

[JuliaSunshine]

Yes, make the feed wet and soupy. Yes, human probiotics is what I use. Pop a tablet directly into the beak once or twice a day.

Let her eat what she wants. Chickens with crop issues will instinctively eat and drink what they need or refrain from trying to stuff food into a stuffed crop. Also chickens that have been starving may not be quick to recover their appetites, and they may also be weak. Keep offering water first and foremost, and whatever foods she seems interested in.

I left grit for her and started to give her more food. Surprisingly, she's eager to eat even though she doesn't eat a lot at a time. I see more poop now, too.
I'm giving her wet feed and Greek yogurt as well as the medication for yeast infection (Monastat 7). Her crop was noticeably smaller first thing in the morning today and not as squish or hard like before. I'll give her another Epsom salt bath tomorrow if her crop doesn't clear tomorrow morning as the bath seems to help with her hard crop.
I'm glad that I didn't starve her to death or gave up on her. Thank you so much for your help.

 

[azygous]

You're doing well. She's making very good progress. Definitely on the right track.