Impacted crop - massage with olive oil?

[Mavrik]

Both water or oil work, which is more healthy for the bird?

 

[sonew123]

Quote:
For crying out loud...of course water is better to drink..I don't put out a gallon of cold oil for chickens to drink I use it in emergency situations...oil works faster -and at times you don't have time to wait for the bird to decide if its thirsty...or force it to drink...eggs and oil are not harmful in small doses....is it the best method for me and for my birds IMO....this is not a debate...you stated your opinion I stated mine...salt is not healthy for birds either but alot of folks feed those salt enhanced leftovers to their birds...I do not insult their intelligence or try to Make a mockery of them.

 

[TwoCrows]

I just now stumbled on this post as one of my girls is having trouble in the crop. Last night she didn't come for her favorite treat, so I knew something was up. When I picked her up, she regurgitated some mucusy clear fluid. So I held her forward, massaged her crop and expelled a ton of fluid. She seemed fine until this morning.

Again this morning I had to "vomit" her and several times during the day today as her crop is huge and mushy. There is no smell in the fluid, so I am not sure if it is soured or just impacted.

I have dosed her twice over the past 6 hours with a medicine dropper full of olive oil. She is not eating so I am not trying the egg thing. I massaged it in and couldn't feel any hardness in the lower crop area, although the crop feels "crunchy", for a lack of a better word. Feels like tiny stones in there. I think she has been eating oyster shell for grit, (even though she has a 20'x30' area full of garden dirt and stones). I have since taken the oyster shell away.

Am I doing this right? Often enough and when will I see some improvements? She is still ill and not eating. I am not sure if she is pooping however. I won't really know till morning when I check under the roost bar. (I have not separated her yet and wasn't sure I needed to). Thanks...Leyla

 

[FarmerKid]

One of our 20 weekers was thought to have an impacted crop (Turns out she didn't) but what you would do is drop some olive oil (or any edible oil you have on hand. I've heard vegetable oil works as well.) into their mouth and have them swallow it. I believe you need 2 or 3 good drops. When the Silkie swallows it, you gently massage the hard crop until it softens. If this doesn't work you may need to see a doctor or perform minor surgery yourself to empty the crop, although I wouldn't go that far. I hope this helps

Best wishes!

 

[zengrrl]

I just want to add that the eggs n oil worked. What is a normal crop supposed to be like though? This bird seems to have a small knot every few days?

 

[Melissa Rose]

Hi

,
I am just greatful that you all share your opinions so that people without much Knowledge about chickens - such as myself - have the opportunity to learn from your experiences

Thank You All Very Much

 

[Lynne in Maine]

We just had this problem with our 6 month old Americana. She was fine in the morning, when I let them all out, but when I came home at lunchtime, she was crouching under a tree and making a squeaky, wheezing sound with every inhale and exhale. She could only breathe with her mouth open, and every so often she she would squeak really loudly and shake her head. I saw her poop once and it was just liquid. I did some research on the web and found a video clip that looked and sounded just like her, and that chicken had a respiratory infection for which they recommended an antibiotic. I went to our local Tractor Supply store, but they didn't have chicken antibiotic, only an essential oil mixture that was recommended for respiratory problems. I spoke to one of the sales associates who was knowledgeable about chickens and he suggested it could be an impacted crop and explained how to look for it.

We checked by rubbing underneath her throat at the front of her chest and there was a hard lump there that felt a little bigger than a golf ball. The TS guy recommended massaging it, so that's what we did for about 20 or 30 minutes. Her breathing seemed a little less labored and it seemed that the lump was a little smaller. When we let her go, she was very interested in drinking water and eating a little bit, so I scrambled an egg and mixed in several tablespoons of vegetable oil. She ate more than half of it (the other girls liked it, too) and she seemed a little more comfortable. They all went to bed and this morning she seemed fine. We can't find a lump, no wheezing, she's breathing with her mouth closed, eating and drinking and one good solid poop that I saw.


So we will keep both of those remedies in our bag of tricks for another time and hope we don't need them!

 

[gr0m1t]

A person I knew used to give her chooks leftover restaurant food - she worked in a restaurant. The chooks died of too much oil in their diet. I guess it's OK once in a while, but oil does kill chooks.

 

[CoopGirls4]

Quote:

You want the bird to ingest easy foods-I use scrambled eggs SATURATED in oil...bird eats it and gets oil down its throat without me having to force it in. wait about 10 minutes after they eat and then gently massage their crop for about 15 in all directions-but especially at the lowest part of crop where the blockage could be-It has worked for me everytime!

What is the technique for massaging. Squish it or press towards the chicken. I’m so worried for her

 

[Felicityfarm]

We use garlic water when our hens have a impacted crop...hope she'll be alright☺