Impacted crop? PICTURES!

[fowlmouthgirls]

She seemed fine this morning, I didn't notice the big bump, I guess she just stuffed herself silly! I don't think I'm going to give her anymore BOSSas a treat though, I think she had too many and that's what caused it to become so full, and I've read that they have a hard time passing those.

 

[My Lay D's]

"no reaction" doesn't mean they don't feel pain! Prey animals often do not behave any differently when subjected to painful stimuli, but that doesn't mean they do not feel it. They probably evolved to not show it because showing it would attract predators. Even if squawking and moving didn't attract predators, there would be no advantage for a chicken to show signs of suffering, because flock mates do not help sick and injured birds. They instead often kill them. People evolved to show it when they are suffering, because other people help them.

If chickens don't feel pain, why do they pull away and squawk when you accidentally step on their feet? Why do they make that little squawk and run away when pecked on by another chicken? If your vet cousin really said chickens do not "register" pain, that's an idiotic statement and I hope I never end up in your cousin's office with any of MY animals.

Sorry for the rant, but it's thinking like yours that people use to justify all sorts of animal abuse as seen in factory farm conditions.

Perhaps a more accurate statement would be that chickens don't always SHOW signs of distress when subjected to overwhelming painful stimuli. That appears to be true. But it certainly does NOT mean they FEEL no pain.

End of rant.

I completely 100% agree with you! Thank you for saying that out loud! All of these at home surgeries make me sick for the poor hens who must endure this kind of treatment. If you cant afford to properly care for your animals by finding a vet - don't bother getting them.

 

[ChickensRDinos]

I respect your opinion. I do however think it is important to remember that there is a very diverse group of people on this site who are raising poultry and livestock for a lot of different reasons -- not all of these animals are pets. For me it is not completely a matter of whether or not I can afford a vet. If push came to shove and it needed to happen then I could.

It is about weighing the pros and cons of each choice with your overall goals as a backyard farmer. A $300+ chicken dinner is not on my list. A new point-of-lay pullet is $25. It sounds harsh but it is the truth. So when it came down to doing crop surgery -- which was very simple with little blood and fuss and a very small and not very deep incision made with a great deal of research as a very carefully considered last resort -- and euthanizing an otherwise healthy bird who went on to live a good life eating high quality food, free ranging in the sunshine with a good amount of space, fresh daily greens and worms in a very clean living environment in a friendly and well maintained flock then it is hard for me to look at the situation as cruel. I feel the same way about other simple procedures like bumblefoot surgeries. My bird went from nearly dead from starvation to completely normal in two weeks. I also see that this route is not for everyone. When giving advice I always tell people to be sure they know what is wrong before proceeding and to do so as a last resort. I am not here to answer anyone's moral questions I simply wish to relay my experience.

I am very careful to never get more animals than I can properly care for. What is proper care? I don't think it is a solid black and white line that you or I get to decide for everyone else. Animals domesticated and breed for food in particular are a very interesting moral question that has a lot of social and cultural variables. It is not fair to assume there is one answer. For me, the beauty of this site is the sharing of information so that people can make these sort of decisions for themselves in an intelligent and informed way. If you are a vegan who raises chickens as house pets then I can understand that we are never going to quite meet in the middle on anything like this, but if you are eating chicken nuggets or a grocery store chicken breast while you type then I urge your to be a bit more open minded of others farming practices.

My long term goals are to build up a sustainable urban farm in which I can grow as much of my own food as possible including meat and be able to significantly reduce and maybe someday eliminate commercial meat from my diet. The reason I want to do this is mostly to do with not being a part of what I consider to be extreme farming practices that are to me cruel and brutal. But, to be successful I also need this to truly be sustainable and being able to do my own medical care when possible is part of that.

One of my favorite new shows is The Incredible Dr. Pol which is a reality show about a rural large and small animal vet. I highly recommend it if you have never seen it. There are a number of small procedures that he does regularly on a wide variety of farm animals that involve small incisions or stitches that do not include anesthesia and this is a well respected professional. Putting an animal under comes with its own set of risks. Farmers will commonly use this pokey plug like thing to poke a hole into a cows stomach (which to me seems sort of similar in degree to a crop surgery) to eliminate gas, It is a fast and simple solution done by both the home farmers and VETS to a problem that could over wise cause a really painful death and does not involve trying to down a 300 lb animal. Is this proper care? Not proper care? I am sure it is painful. Who decides?

 

[Chiquechicken]

I absolutely agree with what you did! While I think its ok for some people to clarify the difference between chickens 'registering' and 'feeling' pain, it is certainly NOT nice (or necessary) for anyone to get so mean about 'making a point' and to make moral judgements for others! Geeze, were all just doing our best with what we've got...right?! Thankyou ChickensRdinos for sharing what you have learned!!! Good job saving your chickens life. I'm sure she'd thank you if she could

 

[realsis]

I personally think its wonderful that you saved your chickens life and I greatly admire your ability! Sometimes taking them to the vet does not mean they will accurately treat your animal. Espically concerning chickens! A lot of cases the vet does not know how to correctly treat a chicken. This is sad but true. And if your able to save your hens life with at home surgery I say good for you! That takes real skill and courage! If put in the similar situation I don't know if I'd be able to pull it off . my hands would probably be shaking awfully! I think its wonderful what you did and there shouldn't be any negative comments for saving a life! I hope she continues to recover and God bless.

 

[R.M.Qureshi]

I had this problem with to of my Brahma hens. I used 1:1 apple cider vinegar and water (about 3 ml each) filled the syringe with long tube that can go up-to crop and drenched.
I performed this procedure at night and in morning when i checked the impacted crop was half the size. after few hours it was all clear.

 

[chrissyr]

I had this problem with to of my Brahma hens. I used 1:1 apple cider vinegar and water (about 3 ml each) filled the syringe with long tube that can go up-to crop and drenched.
I performed this procedure at night and in morning when i checked the impacted crop was half the size. after few hours it was all clear.

how can you tell the difference between the crop and lungs? i would be worried I would go into the wrong one

 

[R.M.Qureshi]

Dear Chrissyr,

Crop is a sack between skin and neck just where chest begins and if its impacted it will feel like a ball in skin.
Lungs are in the body surrounded by skeletal structure. I use a thin rubber tube fixed to syringe about 3 to 4 inches long which easily slides in the mouth and goes upto crop.

 

[Fancychooklady]

You know we all do what we can for our birds and animals. When push comes to shove I will try anything. My husband and I have had to pierce a goats stomach with a troacha to release gas.
Cut the flesh from a horses leg after it was caught in a fence. I once laid in a ditch with a new calf , trying to keep it warm, only to watch it die waiting for the vet to arrive. My children have been brought up in the country ( and I wouldn't change that for anything ) but they know that with life , comes death. There are many ailments that our animals can contract, that dont necessarily mean a death sentence, so long as we research and educate ourselves we can only do the best with the tools we are given.

 

[nettifer]

i tried to cure an impacted crop on my grandchildrens favourite rooster today ! curley a 7mth old easter egger , i filled him with oil over 2 days massaged him 4 times a day he was standing or lying down gasping for air

so i decided i had to do something! after a good long massage his crop was squishy so i tipped him forward still massaging , yey it was working

but then he started squirming and he had a huge ball of grass stuck !!!! i tried soo hard to get it out but he died

i was devastated as the grandchildren were with me , i feel like a murdurer

if i had not done anything he would have died as he couldnt eat or drink , but that doesnt make me feel any better