Impacted crop question

[TX Chick Noob]

Still trying to help her pass it. Have done coconut oil and regular massages. She got a stool softener yesterday and one today. She has passed some mushy green poop several times. Worried she isn’t drinking enough but don’t have a way to tube her and not confident of giving her any by syringe without it going the wrong place. I did add some Hydro Hen to her water today.

Is it normal for the crop to feel like it has some hard edges and points, or is that what she ate? Hard to tell texture overall because of feeling the feathers in her skin.

 

[Shadrach]

Still trying to help her pass it. Have done coconut oil and regular massages. She got a stool softener yesterday and one today. She has passed some mushy green poop several times. Worried she isn’t drinking enough but don’t have a way to tube her and not confident of giving her any by syringe without it going the wrong place. I did add some Hydro Hen to her water today.

Is it normal for the crop to feel like it has some hard edges and points, or is that what she ate? Hard to tell texture overall because of feeling the feathers in her skin.

Hard edges and points are not usual so those are probably something she ate.
The poop looks like the blockage is clearing.
What one does feel on the crop walls are small nodules and this is normal afaik.
Keep going.
If you are reluctant to tube feed something like this might work. You just hold it over the chickens beak and tip. Some water goes in but it is messy. It does permit the chicken to drink at their own speed though. If you get half a syringe load into her each time your doing well.

 

[ANiceKaren]

Right, don't use laxative, just stool softener if you are going that route.

For me, if I catch a slow crop first thing, I just give coconut oil twice a day, massaging the crop. See if it empties overnight. Repeating the steps for a couple of more days even if it's emptying.

I do leave the hen with her flock to eat/drink as she wishes. My observation is usually a hen that is having crop problems will self regulate food but drinks a lot of water. Vary rarely do I isolate a bird at all.

If the crop is still hard and not moving after coconut oil for a few days, then I move to stool softener. I just pop the gel tab into her beak and let her swallow. Continue with coconut oil twice a day.


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

This is really good advice!

 

[ANiceKaren]

I was able to get out early enough today to do a general crop/condition check of my girls. One of my 23 week old ISA Browns has a hard lump in her crop, around golf ball size. I am chilling some coconut oil to give her, but wanted to confirm I need to crate her to restrict food access. Should I restrict water too?

Hi there! I’m going through same thing with my girl! It’s been over a week and I’m still dealing with the golf ball crop every morning but she eats, drinks, poops and is active… so I’m massaging every couple days and keeping an eye on it. I really like the advice from @Wyorp Rock about not necessarily isolating. I felt like that stressed my girls out more than crop issue was! You’ll get a lot of advice on this… I haven’t tried stool softener yet but I may soon! Good luck with your girl! You’re not alone

 

[TX Chick Noob]

Should I give her some nutridrench? Since she can’t eat anything?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Should I give her some nutridrench? Since she can’t eat anything?

If you are withholding food, then yes, I'd give her some Nutri-Drench.
Hopefully it will be better in the a.m.

Hi there! I’m going through same thing with my girl! It’s been over a week and I’m still dealing with the golf ball crop every morning but she eats, drinks, poops and is active… so I’m massaging every couple days and keeping an eye on it. I really like the advice from @Wyorp Rock about not necessarily isolating. I felt like that stressed my girls out more than crop issue was! You’ll get a lot of advice on this… I haven’t tried stool softener yet but I may soon! Good luck with your girl! You’re not alone

You're checking before she's had anything to eat/drink, after a full night's sleep?
I'd switch it up and give coconut oil 2X a day and massage twice a day instead every couple of days. See if that makes any difference.

 

[TX Chick Noob]

Well she wasn’t quite as full or hard this morning, but it still feels like it is full of hard fibrous things. We had given them a tree branch to eat leaves off of, I wonder if she swallows a clump of them with some harder branch tips attached? If so will it ever break down and pass, or will she needed surgery???

Thinking about getting some baby’s food to mix with the stool softener. What type/flavor?

 

[Eggcessive]

I would stop the tree branches and taking grass in to the chickens. Hopefully her crop will clear without any surgery. Good advice from everyone.

 

[DobieLover]

I really like the advice from @Wyorp Rock about not necessarily isolating.

You don't have to isolate from the flock at all. When I crated my hen, she was in the coop with the others coming and going throughout the day. It just makes giving the necessary crop massages much easier and less stressful chasing a chicken around to try to catch her for a crop massage.

 

[Oldegarlicshnapp]

I need to crate her to restrict food access.

Yes for sure

Should I restrict water too?

No, you’ll want her liquidy for a couple ways you may want to approach it. For one way, she’ll pass it naturally with liquid. The other way is that you can massage the crop when it has liquid inside.
Papaya helps with that more than anything else. Afterward think about the material they’re eating so it doesn’t happen again. Eggshells/oyster shells/some grit seems to cause this if it’s in excess.

But in the end I had to take my chick to the vet to get the blockage suctioned and her crop flushed.