IMPACTED CROP question

[tari]

Hi All, I've read the great information here, and watched the videos, and have a question. I had to cull my first hen, Rainbow, yesterday after trying to treat her for impacted crop. It was a huge mass, softball sized and hard. I tried massage, maggots, kefir, coconut oil, olive oil, isolation for 4 days while doing this. I finally knew it was either home surgery or slaughter. I just wasn't ready to try surgery, so we slaughtered her, quickly and hopefully little pain. We dissected the crop after her death and found a softball sized heavy tangled mass of all long dry grasses. I expected string, or plastic, or something foreign, but it was all grass. I had been letting the hens free range this spring and they pigged out on compost. Perhaps that's the culprit?!
Yesterday I followed the suggestion to palpate all the hens in the coop to assess their crops first thing in the morning. All were flat and fine....except Martha's. It had a mushy lump about the size of a golf ball. Of course, I panicked, isolated her immediately, started the olive oil, kefir and massage treatment immediately.
Last night I palpated her and the lump felt bigger and harder....so I watched videos all night for home surgery. This morning, I picked her up and the mass feels softer and smaller!!! I'm starting to be hopeful that I caught this soon enough...but here's my question finally: If she has a small amount of undigestible long grasses in her crop, will she be able to pass it naturally? I assume I continue the olive oil, massage, live yogurt culture? I read someone tried coca cola? Do I keep her away from layer feed until her crop is flat in the morning? Any and all help is much appreciated. One more thing: what do you all use for bedding? Someone suggested she's eating the hay I have in the coop. I hope not because hay makes such a sweeter coop floor than pine shavings, especially when composting it.
Thanks for your time, stay well!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I had to cull my first hen, Rainbow, yesterday after trying to treat her for impacted crop. It was a huge mass, softball sized and hard. I tried massage, maggots, kefir, coconut oil, olive oil, isolation for 4 days while doing this. I finally knew it was either home surgery or slaughter.

We dissected the crop after her death and found a softball sized heavy tangled mass of all long dry grasses. I expected string, or plastic, or something foreign, but it was all grass. I had been letting the hens free range this spring and they pigged out on compost. Perhaps that's the culprit?!

Yesterday I followed the suggestion to palpate all the hens in the coop to assess their crops first thing in the morning. All were flat and fine....except Martha's. It had a mushy lump about the size of a golf ball. Of course, I panicked, isolated her immediately, started the olive oil, kefir and massage treatment immediately.
Last night I palpated her and the lump felt bigger and harder....so I watched videos all night for home surgery. This morning, I picked her up and the mass feels softer and smaller!!!

here's my question finally: If she has a small amount of undigestible long grasses in her crop, will she be able to pass it naturally? I assume I continue the olive oil, massage, live yogurt culture? I read someone tried coca cola? Do I keep her away from layer feed until her crop is flat in the morning?

One more thing: what do you all use for bedding? Someone suggested she's eating the hay I have in the coop.

I'm sorry for your loss.

The one that still had a bit of a mushy crop this morning - had she been eating?

Never have read about using coca cola, doesn't sound like a good idea to me.
IF a crop is IMPACTED, then massage is needed. IF it's SOUR, then don't massage. Coconut oil would be better to use, imho. I would make sure she has water and withhold food for a day. Re-check the crop first thing before she drinks or eats.

Stool softener (NOT Laxative) can be given 1 time to see if that helps break up a mass in the crop if it's not resolving after several days. Crop issues can take days to get better, patience and perseverance is needed. You continue with the course of treatment you decide is best and stick with, don't switch things up unless you find after several days it's not working.

The article below is what I use if I have a hen that I need to treat.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

 

[tari]

Wyorp Rock, thank you for your input ! I used coconut oil with the first hen .... then I read so much about olive oil that I've been doing that with Martha. I've been massaging her three/four times a day...she had no food today and yet her crop seemed bigger tonight! I don't get it. But I'll continue for the next few days, keep her isolated, and give her water with ACV, kefir and coconut oil. I think I need to hear that this can actually be resolved without surgery..... Fingers crossed!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

she had no food today and yet her crop seemed bigger tonight! I don't get it. But I'll continue for the next few days, keep her isolated, and give her water with ACV, kefir and coconut oil.

Try giving her just plain water - no ACV or Kefir. Those may be causing the crop to be "gassy".
If her crop is turning sour, it may be bloating a bit.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I am sorry to hear about the loss of your hen and hope your second one improves. Wyorp Rock will give you good advice. I am only here to learn but I have a question. In your first post you said you treated your first hen with maggots. Can you explain how that is done, and why? How do you know if that is helping, and where do you get them from? I am not familiar with that treatment. Thank you.

Edit: spelling error

 

[tari]

Try giving her just plain water - no ACV or Kefir. Those may be causing the crop to be "gassy".
If her crop is turning sour, it may be bloating a bit.

Thanks, I'll do plain water today!

 

[tari]

I am sorry to hear about the loss of your hen and hope your second one improves. Wyorp Rock will give you good advice. I am only here to learn but I have a question. In your first post you said you treated your first hen with maggots. Can you explain how that is done, and why? How do you know if that is helping, and where do you get them from? I am not familiar with that treatment. Thank you.

Edit: spelling error

When trying to learn everything I could to save Rainbow, one of the posts in Vermont Bird Fancier's FB page mentioned the 'sure cure' was white fishing maggots. Supposedly they eat the crop contents which breaks it up and allows it to pass. It did not work in Rainbow's case. But I never researched the treatment further. I had some left over, so I've given them to Martha thinking they couldn't hurt. I got them at a Bait and Tackle store in Crown Point, NY....but most areas will have that kind of fishing store, especially in Spring.

 

[azygous]

CocaCola?! The stupid stuff on the internet amazes. That would be like putting Draino down a chicken. The stuff cleans toilets, for crying out loud.

Maggots to eat the crop contents like so many little PacMan icons is wishful thinking at best. The maggots would be rendered as inert crop content in a matter of a very short time. Food. Nothing more.

The hen with the massive crop blockage would have needed to have crop surgery in order to clear the blockage. I've guided determined chicken care givers through the process with good outcomes. But it requires a steady resolve and not a little courage and confidence.

This present case should clear eventually with a series of oil and massage. It would likely take most of the day with marathon doses of oil and massage every hour, slowly breaking up the clog and getting the crop the gradually empty.

I find that coconut oil is easiest to use. A heaping teaspoon of the slightly chilled oil at a time is what I use, following by massage to disperse the oil and to break up the mass. Little by little, you should be able to feel the contents break up and go down.

 

[tari]

CocaCola?! The stupid stuff on the internet amazes. That would be like putting Draino down a chicken. The stuff cleans toilets, for crying out loud.

Maggots to eat the crop contents like so many little PacMan icons is wishful thinking at best. The maggots would be rendered as inert crop content in a matter of a very short time. Food. Nothing more.

The hen with the massive crop blockage would have needed to have crop surgery in order to clear the blockage. I've guided determined chicken care givers through the process with good outcomes. But it requires a steady resolve and not a little courage and confidence.

This present case should clear eventually with a series of oil and massage. It would likely take most of the day with marathon doses of oil and massage every hour, slowly breaking up the clog and getting the crop the gradually empty.

I find that coconut oil is easiest to use. A heaping teaspoon of the slightly chilled oil at a time is what I use, following by massage to disperse the oil and to break up the mass. Little by little, you should be able to feel the contents break up and go down.

Thanks a million. Am on it. Never did the Coca Cola, btw!! Sounded nasty to me.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Thank you, @tari and @azygous for your responses regarding the maggots. Can always count on azygous for good info! Sure hope for a good outcome on this hen!