Impacted crop on a severely underweight hen - how to treat?

[FarmerGirl101]

Oh man, definitely hoping not to have to do crop surgery, that definitely sounds intimidating / something I'd rather not have to do but I'm open to whatever needs to be done. Was it a sour crop for your girl by this point? Thank you for the resource!

Does her crop smell

 

[MissChick@dee]

Use some non-stimulant laxative, massage. If it’s a food based impaction this will soften it.

 

[ChickenMama308]

Does her crop smell

At this point, it does not.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thank you! I will try the oil today, and in the beginning of this whole ordeal I was concerned it was egg binding as well but did check her internally and there was no egg thankfully

most basic explanation, she had lice, then cocci, then bad diarrhea, and now an impacted crop, over the last 2.5 weeks and during that time she has lost 1/2 her body weight and obviously I am super concerned.

pooping regular looking (smaller) poops though ever since she started on the anti-diarrhea antibiotic Oxytetracycline yesterday

I just did the check of cupping the behind from the bottom as you mentioned and it actually did feel surprisingly full in comparison to the rest of the body... not sure if it's normal or not though.. I'll go do it to another healthy chicken to assess. I'm not sure if it's a crop issue or something else..

I pulled one photo from your other thread. That looks very much like it could be some lash material which could indicate that she might have Salpingitis. @rebrascora what do you think?
You at first thought she may have been egg bound - I'm assuming there was some type of behavior she was exhibiting to make you think that. You dismissed this because you felt no egg. Hens that have reproductive disorders can have similar symptoms to egg binding.
The crop not emptying, the poop photos in your other thread and your report that she her bottom felt surprisingly full - to me, makes me think she has a reproductive problem.

The Oxytetracycline may help with inflammation and infection enough for you to be able to start getting the crop to clear. Eliminate any dairy or extra calcium (spinach included) while she is on the antibiotic. I believe it's one that calcium binds with and makes it less effective.

Work on the crop to see if you can get it to clear. The oil is a good place to start, massage 4-5times a day if possible. If it's not clearing in a couple of days, then give 1 stimulant free stool softener.
I understand you are throwing everything you have at her, but give the Corid, the antibiotics and dewormer time to work.
She didn't lose weight overnight, so she's not going to gain it overnight either. I would get some regular chick starter crumbles and make them into a wet mash. Scratch and peck is separate pieces and may be hard to digest.

If she is suffering from something like Salpingitis, she may improve for a short period of time with antibiotic treatment since that can help reduce inflammation and fight infection. Often times a crop issue is a symptom of an underlying condition or illness. Many hens that have reproductive problems also have crop issue due to swelling, inflammation and/or masses pressing upon the internal organs - this makes it hard for the digestive process to work properly.
Do the best you can and keep us posted.
Just my 2¢

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...ght-please-help-cocci-diarrhea.1278010/page-2

 

[micstrachan]

I pulled one photo from your other thread. That looks very much like it could be some lash material which could indicate that she might have Salpingitis. @rebrascora what do you think?
You at first thought she may have been egg bound - I'm assuming there was some type of behavior she was exhibiting to make you think that. You dismissed this because you felt no egg. Hens that have reproductive disorders can have similar symptoms to egg binding.
The crop not emptying, the poop photos in your other thread and your report that she her bottom felt surprisingly full - to me, makes me think she has a reproductive problem.

The Oxytetracycline may help with inflammation and infection enough for you to be able to start getting the crop to clear. Eliminate any dairy or extra calcium (spinach included) while she is on the antibiotic. I believe it's one that calcium binds with and makes it less effective.

Work on the crop to see if you can get it to clear. The oil is a good place to start, massage 4-5times a day if possible. If it's not clearing in a couple of days, then give 1 stimulant free stool softener.
I understand you are throwing everything you have at her, but give the Corid, the antibiotics and dewormer time to work.
She didn't lose weight overnight, so she's not going to gain it overnight either. I would get some regular chick starter crumbles and make them into a wet mash. Scratch and peck is separate pieces and may be hard to digest.

If she is suffering from something like Salpingitis, she may improve for a short period of time with antibiotic treatment since that can help reduce inflammation and fight infection. Often times a crop issue is a symptom of an underlying condition or illness. Many hens that have reproductive problems also have crop issue due to swelling, inflammation and/or masses pressing upon the internal organs - this makes it hard for the digestive process to work properly.
Do the best you can and keep us posted.
Just my 2¢

View attachment 1570375
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...ght-please-help-cocci-diarrhea.1278010/page-2

Totally agree that looks like mash egg material. Sorry about your girl.

 

[ChickenMama308]

Use some non-stimulant laxative, massage. If it’s a food based impaction this will soften it.

She is currently taking Oxytetracycline to treat her diarrhea, I am wondering if taking a laxative would be necessary or safe for her to take while she is taking this medicine...

 

[ChickenMama308]

Totally agree that looks like mash egg material. Sorry about your girl.

Thank you <3

 

[ChickenMama308]

I pulled one photo from your other thread. That looks very much like it could be some lash material which could indicate that she might have Salpingitis. @rebrascora what do you think?
You at first thought she may have been egg bound - I'm assuming there was some type of behavior she was exhibiting to make you think that. You dismissed this because you felt no egg. Hens that have reproductive disorders can have similar symptoms to egg binding.
The crop not emptying, the poop photos in your other thread and your report that she her bottom felt surprisingly full - to me, makes me think she has a reproductive problem.

The Oxytetracycline may help with inflammation and infection enough for you to be able to start getting the crop to clear. Eliminate any dairy or extra calcium (spinach included) while she is on the antibiotic. I believe it's one that calcium binds with and makes it less effective.

Work on the crop to see if you can get it to clear. The oil is a good place to start, massage 4-5times a day if possible. If it's not clearing in a couple of days, then give 1 stimulant free stool softener.
I understand you are throwing everything you have at her, but give the Corid, the antibiotics and dewormer time to work.
She didn't lose weight overnight, so she's not going to gain it overnight either. I would get some regular chick starter crumbles and make them into a wet mash. Scratch and peck is separate pieces and may be hard to digest.

If she is suffering from something like Salpingitis, she may improve for a short period of time with antibiotic treatment since that can help reduce inflammation and fight infection. Often times a crop issue is a symptom of an underlying condition or illness. Many hens that have reproductive problems also have crop issue due to swelling, inflammation and/or masses pressing upon the internal organs - this makes it hard for the digestive process to work properly.
Do the best you can and keep us posted.
Just my 2¢

View attachment 1570375
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...ght-please-help-cocci-diarrhea.1278010/page-2

Thank you so much for your comprehensive reply - can't tell you how much I appreciate it. I've never heard of Salpingitis... it does seem to match her symptoms in a lot of ways. That possible egg mash material came out the same day I gave her the Valbazen de-wormer, I was hoping it was either worms or something not too terrible... I thought maybe it was intestinal flesh from her bout with coccidiosis but the material 'smooshed' really easily, not like flesh. I am thinking I'll take her to the vet tomorrow, maybe they could empty her crop and test her poop & the possible egg mash to see what's going on - maybe they could give her sustenance via IV? She barely ate or drank today, I had to force everything.

Thank you for the nutritional tips, especially about not to use the spinach with the Oxytetracycline. Stimulant-free stool softener should be ok with the Oxytetracycline? Do you have a specific brand and dosage that you recommend?

I was thinking to keep her on a liquid diet until her crop clears I guess... I'll try another 2 TBS of coconut oil tomorrow. Maybe no nutri-drench so the vitamins don't counteract with the oxytetracycline? She may still have interest in eating papaya, I'll try that with her tomorrow.

She is the sweetest and kindest of all the chickens and I love her very much, thank you for your time and consideration, we really appreciate it <3 I will keep you posted!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thank you so much for your comprehensive reply - can't tell you how much I appreciate it. I've never heard of Salpingitis... it does seem to match her symptoms in a lot of ways. That possible egg mash material came out the same day I gave her the Valbazen de-wormer, I was hoping it was either worms or something not too terrible... I thought maybe it was intestinal flesh from her bout with coccidiosis but the material 'smooshed' really easily, not like flesh. I am thinking I'll take her to the vet tomorrow, maybe they could empty her crop and test her poop & the possible egg mash to see what's going on - maybe they could give her sustenance via IV? She barely ate or drank today, I had to force everything.

Thank you for the nutritional tips, especially about not to use the spinach with the Oxytetracycline. Stimulant-free stool softener should be ok with the Oxytetracycline? Do you have a specific brand and dosage that you recommend?

I was thinking to keep her on a liquid diet until her crop clears I guess... I'll try another 2 TBS of coconut oil tomorrow. Maybe no nutri-drench so the vitamins don't counteract with the oxytetracycline? She may still have interest in eating papaya, I'll try that with her tomorrow.

She is the sweetest and kindest of all the chickens and I love her very much, thank you for your time and consideration, we really appreciate it <3 I will keep you posted!

Are you still giving her Corid? If you are don't give any vitamins until you finish the course of treatment.

The stool softener should be fine alone with the antibiotics. You just want to find one that is stimulant free. It's not just the spinach to eliminate with the Oxy, it would include dairy products as well - cut out the yogurt - wait until you finish all treatments, then add vitamins and probiotics/yogurt.

If you have care, that would be best.
It's possible what she expelled could have been Cecal Core, but with your initial concerns and the other symptoms, personally I would think it's a reproductive problem like Salpingitis.

 

[rebrascora]

Hi again.

Just to clarify, the term is LASH egg not mash egg which was a typo on Michelle's part, I'm sure. It looks like it could be lash egg material from salpingitis or possibly a cecal core, as a result of coccidiosis. The fullness between her legs suggests it is more likely to be salpingitis.

If her crop is impacted and her whole digestive tract is stopped back then giving her any oral medication is going to have a very limited effect and the long term prognosis for salpingitis is not good. The vet may be able to inject the antibiotics and perhaps show you how you can do that yourself, but considering how much weight she has lost you are going to struggle to find any muscle to put a needle into and bearing in mind that she probably has a terminal reproductive disorder, it might be kinder to end her suffering now. I'm sorry that sounds so negative and I know it will not be what you want to hear but I believe it is important to be realistic in these cases.