Impacted Crop - Part 2 - Paper compaction

[vantain]

Maybe that is why she felt so bad and was not passing droppings.

She was doing a lot better this morning, eating and drinking a bit, scratching around with the others, but is back to feeling unwell this afternoon. The daily soft shell plugging up the works again. Her crop never did completely empty last night.

 

[vantain]

I'm going to finish this thread and start a new one related to the suspected crop impaction.

As as an update though, my hen, who was not doing so well into Monday morning, has successfully emptied her crop each day since. There have been no further soft shelled eggs, or eggs of any kind since Sunday. She has been acting perfectly normal since late on Monday.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm going to finish this thread and start a new one related to the suspected crop impaction.

As as an update though, my hen, who was not doing so well into Monday morning, has successfully emptied her crop each day since. There have been no further soft shelled eggs, or eggs of any kind since Sunday. She has been acting perfectly normal since late on Monday.

What makes you suspect the crop is impacted - it's still not empty in the morning?

You have links to 2 of the best articles I know of in POST#5 of this thread. Crop issues can take a while to resolve and you will want consider that it may be a symptom of an underlying. If one system (like the reproductive system) is not functioning properly, the rest of the "systems" will be affected as well.
If you feel the crop or gizzard are impacted, then she will have a full crop first thing in the morning before eating/drinking, she may not poop very much either. Massage, coconut oil and 1 stool softener may help clear it up, but you will have to work with her several times a day, perhaps for several days if it's not moving.

 

[vantain]

What makes you suspect the crop is impacted - it's still not empty in the morning?

You have links to 2 of the best articles I know of in POST#5 of this thread. Crop issues can take a while to resolve and consideration that it may be a symptom of an underlying cause needs to be made. If one system (like the reproductive system) is not functioning properly, the rest of the "systems" will be affected as well.
IF you feel the crop or gizzard are impacted, then she will have a full crop first thing in the morning before eating/drinking, she may not poop very much either. Massage, coconut oil and 1 stool softener may help clear it up, but you will have to work with her several times a day, perhaps for several days if it's not moving.

I originally posted that I "thought" it was a crop impaction, before and when first observing the soft shelled eggs issue. I learned from here, that the underlying issue of the soft shelled eggs was probably backing up the digestive system.

What is/was causing the soft shelled eggs issue is still TBD. I was just responding here today, that the soft shelled eggs issue has not been observed now since Sunday, and that currently, my hen has also had an empty crop in the morning now for the past three days. So progress of some kind.

Up till Monday, she had a full crop each morning for about a week. There were also a couple of days there where she had not eaten or had anything to drink for over two days, and I thought it was her end. She rebounded.

 

[vantain]

What makes you suspect the crop is impacted - it's still not empty in the morning?

You have links to 2 of the best articles I know of in POST#5 of this thread. Crop issues can take a while to resolve and you will want consider that it may be a symptom of an underlying. If one system (like the reproductive system) is not functioning properly, the rest of the "systems" will be affected as well.
If you feel the crop or gizzard are impacted, then she will have a full crop first thing in the morning before eating/drinking, she may not poop very much either. Massage, coconut oil and 1 stool softener may help clear it up, but you will have to work with her several times a day, perhaps for several days if it's not moving.

I also created a new thread today in the flock maintenance section, regarding my thoughts on this particular chicken eating a lot of pine shavings. Was wondering why she is doing this, and that maybe this behavior is related to a lack of nutrition from not eating enough of her normal feed. I would assume that could lead to some crop impaction, or simply fill her up too much that she avoids her normal feed, leading to said nutritional deficiency.

This may not be the issue at all. I'm just throwing darts at the board.

 

[vantain]

By the way, everyone here that has responded to my post and given me advice and pointers, is greatly appreciated! This is a great community.

This is my first flock, so it's all still very new to me. So far, I've raised these four from chicks...survived their early laying days with all sorts of oddities....survived a VERY cold winter here in Minnesota, with only some frostbite...

...having chickens is harder than I thought it would be. What I have learned...don't let your daughter take you to chick days at TSC without any kind of a plan.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

But the crop has been empty for the past 3 days correct - no soft shelled eggs backing up the system either.

I would say those go hand-in-hand. If she starts having problems with the soft shelled eggs again, I would suspect she's going to have a slow crop again.

Different hen? How much pine shavings is the hen eating? Does she have poultry grit(crushed granite) available?
Is she low in pecking order and/or being kept from food? Do you observe her eating her normal feed? Are you feeling the crop at night to make sure it's filled up?

I do have a few hens that pick up and eat tiny bits of wood shavings or looks like it anyway. Not sure why, chickens pick and scratch at a lot of things. I haven't had any problems with impacted crops due to shavings consumption. Any issues I've had were (imho) directly related to inflammation, cancer or reproductive problems (elsewhere in the body). I do look at crop and gizzard contents when doing a necropsy, nothing out of the ordinary except food and a little grit.

 

[vantain]

But the crop has been empty for the past 3 days correct - no soft shelled eggs backing up the system either.

I would say those go hand-in-hand. If she starts having problems with the soft shelled eggs again, I would suspect she's going to have a slow crop again.

Different hen? How much pine shavings is the hen eating? Does she have poultry grit(crushed granite) available?
Is she low in pecking order and/or being kept from food? Do you observe her eating her normal feed? Are you feeling the crop at night to make sure it's filled up?

I do have a few hens that pick up and eat tiny bits of wood shavings or looks like it anyway. Not sure why, chickens pick and scratch at a lot of things. I haven't had any problems with impacted crops due to shavings consumption. Any issues I've had were (imho) directly related to inflammation, cancer or reproductive problems (elsewhere in the body). I do look at crop and gizzard contents when doing a necropsy, nothing out of the ordinary except food and a little grit.

Nope..it's the same hen. I've been giving her extra calcium for awhile now, for the soft shelled egg issue, but maybe I should stop now that she seems to have stopped that as well?

I figured for now, it's only been three good days, so too early yet to tell what exactly is going on, or if she is actually recovering.

I have four hens, and she is lowest in the pecking order, but not so much that any of the others are keeping her from feed. I have observed her in the feeder, so she is eating the feed.

And you are right, I don't know exactly how much pine shavings she is eating. They don't do a very good job of logging their eating habits and daily food consumption.

There are two feeding stations in the run, and the layer feed is available all all the time, free choice. Along with that, they have free choice grit and oyster shell also available.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Nope..it's the same hen. I've been giving her extra calcium for awhile now, for the soft shelled egg issue, but maybe I should stop now that she seems to have stopped that as well?

I figured for now, it's only been three good days, so too early yet to tell what exactly is going on, or if she is actually recovering.

I have four hens, and she is lowest in the pecking order, but not so much that any of the others are keeping her from feed. I have observed her in the feeder, so she is eating the feed.

And you are right, I don't know exactly how much pine shavings she is eating. They don't do a very good job of logging their eating habits and daily food consumption.

There are two feeding stations in the run, and the layer feed is available all all the time, free choice. Along with that, they have free choice grit and oyster shell also available.

If you have been giving extra Calcium for a couple of weeks, then I would stop that. See how it goes.
So this is the same hen and she's picking at the shavings - I don't know, I do know mine pick at all kinds of stuff, sooo...
Maybe give them something else to pick at? Hang a small amount of cabbage, greens or some other veggie/fruit in the run.