Impacted crop now sour- crop not clearing

[azygous]

Supplies to assemble:

A helper
Vetericyn wound spray
Betadine or alcohol
Saline wound flush
Sharp, sterilized cutting tool such as a one-sided razor blade or Xacto knife.
Sterile gauze
Tube of super glue gel
Latex gloves
Bath towel
Scissors to cut away feathers from incision site

Surgery:
-Wrap hen securely in a bath towel confining wings and feet, but leaving the crop exposed. No anesthesia is required. No pain meds.
-Have your helper hold the hen on her back on a hard surface or table.
-Locate the spot where the lump is most concentrated.
-Trim her feathers away so just skin is exposed.
-Prep the site with Betadine or alcohol to remove external bacteria.

Make a one inch incision in the skin. Do not cut any deeper than the outer layer. This will expose the crop sack.

Next, cut a one-inch opening into the crop sack, slightly offset to the outer cut. This is very important. You should be able to see the obstruction, grass or maybe something else that shouldn't be in there.

Putting slight pressure on the crop, push the obstruction toward the opening and pull it out. Continue until you can't get anything else out of it.

Irrigate the inside of the crop with a generous amount of saline until the saline comes out clean.

Dry the incisions by patting with sterile gauze. First apply super glue to the edges of the inner incision. Stretch the incision and hold the tissue together until it bonds, about one minute. If it doesn't hold, apply more glue and continue to hold it until it bonds.

Glue the outer incision as you just did the inner one. Spray the incision liberally with Vetericyn. This promotes the tissue to grow together and heal. Do this twice a day for the next two days.

Feed only soft food such as yogurt, soft boiled egg, apple sauce, or gruel made from mixing water into her feed until it's soupy for the week following surgery. Give her a dose of Nutri-drench each day for five days plus continuing the miconazole for seven days.

This video is good but you need to sign in and prove you have the courage to watch it.

This is an older thread that might also help. https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/please-help-my-pet-hen-is-sick-need-help.1344273/

 

[amysarah01]

Yes, please. Yesterday when I got home it was as hard as a rock and had changed shape. I dont want her to suffer and I dont want to lose her. At least this way I have a shot at saving her. Thank you.

Almost always when grass and hay are clogging a crop, crop surgery is the only way to resolve the issue. The stuff simply will not dissolve by the usual methods. I've given precise directions to members here to perform their own surgery, and most have done it successfully. Would you be interested in this?

I wanted to let you know we did the surgery last night. It has saved her life. Thank you so much! I started her on scrambled eggs and plain yogurt. When do you think it would be okay to introduce her back to her food?

 

[azygous]

Excellent! I love it when people jump right on it like that. You are very courageous to want to do whatever it takes to save your hen.

Watch the incision. It must be healed before she eats dry or rough foods. About five to seven days. If the incision isn't healing, but gets red and swollen and oozes, she will need an oral antibiotic. If you have any on hand you can start her on it as a preventative, if you wish.

She can have scrambled egg, tofu and rice, baby food or wet catfood. She will probably be loving recovery.

 

[amysarah01]

I knew if we didn't do it, she would die. I felt at least the surgery would give her a shot at life. Thankfully I have a friend who is an anesthesiologist and did the majority of it. I don't know what I would do without her.

We did give her an injectable antibiotic and planned to again in a 4-5 days to be on the safe side. I do not remember the name but it started with an "O".

I hope to never have to do this again, but I am so grateful for your guidance. Thank you again.

 

[azygous]

I've had a medical professional help me with a necropsy once, and it sure makes all the difference having someone who knows how to cut into chicken tissue and know what they're doing.

Recovery from crop surgery is almost always 100%.

 

[lmterp]

Almost always when grass and hay are clogging a crop, crop surgery is the only way to resolve the issue. The stuff simply will not dissolve by the usual methods. I've given precise directions to members here to perform their own surgery, and most have done it successfully. Would you be interested in this?

I would be interested in this. Thank you.

 

[lmterp]

I would be interested in this. Thank you.

 

[azygous]

Thank you Tudy!! Please also call my husband Mike Hawk

I would be interested in this. Thank you.

See post #11

 

[khind]

Glue the outer incision as you just did the inner one. Spray the incision liberally with Vetericyn. This promotes the tissue to grow together and heal. Do this twice a day for the next two days.

Feed only soft food such as yogurt, soft boiled egg, apple sauce, or gruel made from mixing water into her feed until it's soupy for the week following surgery. Give her a dose of Nutri-drench each day for five days plus continuing the miconazole for seven days.

This video is good but you need to sign in and prove you have the courage to watch it.

This is an older thread that might also help. https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/please-help-my-pet-hen-is-sick-need-help.1344273/

@azygous Can I ask you a question about feeding post-op from crop surgery? My hen Buffy just had emergency surgery yesterday afternoon, after I was finally able to find a vet to do it. Unfortunately, the vet ran out afterwards, so I had a hard time getting info on what to feed... He said feed asap (before running off), but the other vet there said to hold off. (Her crop was enormous before surgery, and he was very concerned about that.)

I contacted a very good farm vet in a different state, and he messaged me back to feed Buffy scrambled eggs and yogurt for 3 days after surgery; next, crumble; but no grit for 10 days. He told me that she (being a Bantam) should have the maximum of 20 mL of food or liquid in her crop at any one time. So last night and today I've measured out 20 mL of the eggs and yogurt when I've fed her. (Once she gets on crumble, I'll set it out for free feeding, unless I notice that she tends to gorge. After this turn of events, who knows?)

My question is, on this day 2 & on day 3, even if she has just 20 mL of that food, do you know how many hours I have to wait to feed her again? Her interest in food is good. For her first 2 meals post-surgery I waited 6 hours, but for her 3rd meal I gave her maybe 7.5 mL about 1.5 hrs later, trying to quickly work her up to normal eating again.

 

[azygous]

She should be getting about a fourth of a cup of food per day, so offer her frequent feedings until she has had that amount. Let her have more if she demands it.

For about a week, no rough foods that would require grit to digest. So keep it to soft food such as egg, yogurt, tofu, applesauce, boiled rice, and her crumbles.