Impacted crop question

[bismo]

Hi, yesterday I was treating my hen for impacted crop. There was a hard, golf ball sized mass in the crop. I fed her olive oil through a syringe and was able to soften and break up the blockage. The issue is, every time I massage it and break it up, it seems to re-settle and get firm again. Shouldn't it be getting past the crop after it's broken up? I was hoping her crop would be clear this morning, but it wasn't. So, today I did the same thing and started breaking it up again and feeding her olive oil, but I really don't know why I'm not seeing any progress. Any suggestions? Also, I am a first time chicken owner, and my hens are only about 6 months old, so I'm really new to this.

Extra:
She pooped twice yesterday, but they were both small and relatively liquidy.
She has drank a little bit on her own that I've seen, and I also fed her some through a syringe yesterday.
She has been separated from the other hens, and has only been given access to water/electrolytes
The crop seems to be empty other than the small mass.
Her tail is down and she seems sort of puffed up, and lethargic.
They have been switched to layer feed within the last week, and have access to grit.

 

[coach723]

Sometimes the crop is a symptom of something going on farther down the digestive tract. Did this happen after you changed feeds? Do they have access to grit (crushed granite, not oyster shell for calcium)? Have you ever wormed your birds or had a fecal done to check for internal parasites?
You should make sure she gets lots of fluids, use slightly warm or room temp and give her some several times a day, as often as you can, every hour or two if possible, and do crop massage each time. Some birds will drink a lot trying to get things moving, and others will not drink at all because they feel lousy. Dehydration will just make things worse. If it's something that is going to move (and the issue may be farther down where you can't feel) then it can take some time. I've had birds blocked with worms that took a solid week to start moving things through after worming.
These are good articles on crop issues, if you haven't seen them:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...ntion-and-treatments-of-crop-disorders.67194/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

 

[bismo]

Then do you think it may be possible she ate too much grit

Could be, although I think the massaging + oil + water should help, so I'll keep doing that.

 

[coach723]

Keep trying, give it some time. Things don't often happen quickly. Sometimes it happens overnight when they are relaxed that they will pass something. Patience is needed for this kind of issue.

 

[bismo]

The only foods should be water soluble, nothing fiberous or hard to digest. Some regular crumble or pellets mixed with some water to make a mash is good. But if the crop stays full then adding more to it is not going to help things. So that's a judgement call on your part based on how it's going. If some is passing, but just a small mass remains then some food would be OK. If nothing is passing then I'd stick with fluids until it's moving.

Probably just going to hold off on food for now. This morning, I felt a hard mass again, but it was about half the size as yesterday. Which is good, because no progress had been made with massaging and oil, so it seems like the stool softener trick is doing its job.

Thanks again for the help by the way, I really do appreciate it. You're super knowledgeable and helpful.

 

[bismo]

Sometimes the crop is a symptom of something going on farther down the digestive tract. Did this happen after you changed feeds? Do they have access to grit (crushed granite, not oyster shell for calcium)? Have you ever wormed your birds or had a fecal done to check for internal parasites?
You should make sure she gets lots of fluids, use slightly warm or room temp and give her some several times a day, as often as you can, every hour or two if possible, and do crop massage each time. Some birds will drink a lot trying to get things moving, and others will not drink at all because they feel lousy. Dehydration will just make things worse. If it's something that is going to move (and the issue may be farther down where you can't feel) then it can take some time. I've had birds blocked with worms that took a solid week to start moving things through after worming.
These are good articles on crop issues, if you haven't seen them:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...ntion-and-treatments-of-crop-disorders.67194/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

Thanks for the response. First, yes, it happened maybe 4-5 days after changing from starter to layer feed. Yes, they have access to grit (not oyster shell). I have not wormed my birds, although I can. My initial plan was to worm them in the winter since they lay less anyways, but I can now, too. I've read the links you've sent me, and have given her a good amount of water, and some of the stool softener. Do you think I should de-worm the chickens now, or wait a day or 2 and see if this works? I can do either, just wondering what you'd do in this situation.

 

[Auntiejessi3]

It won't hurt to deworm them now IMO

 

[coach723]

I would go ahead and worm her at least. If you only do her, and she improves then I'd do the whole flock. It wouldn't hurt anything to worm them all, though. The feed may be coincidence, but I have had issues on occasion when changing feeds. With one particular brand I was getting some slow crops, so stopped using that one. Even within the same feeds the actual ingredients can sometimes vary due to supply. Some birds may find certain ingredients harder to digest than others. Not saying that's it, but it's something to consider. I feed my flock a flock raiser or all flock feed, and when that's out of stock I use a starter/grower that has 18% protein. Your birds are young so layer is less of an issue, but if you have older birds (who may not lay or lay less often), birds out of lay for winter or molt, or males, they don't necessarily need the extra calcium and it can cause kidney issues sometimes. So I feed the all flock or starter/grower and have oystershell in a separate feeder all the time. Those that need it take it, those that don't need it I don't have to worry that they are getting too much. I've had less issues with digestion with those feeds also.

 

[bismo]

I would go ahead and worm her at least. If you only do her, and she improves then I'd do the whole flock. It wouldn't hurt anything to worm them all, though. The feed may be coincidence, but I have had issues on occasion when changing feeds. With one particular brand I was getting some slow crops, so stopped using that one. Even within the same feeds the actual ingredients can sometimes vary due to supply. Some birds may find certain ingredients harder to digest than others. Not saying that's it, but it's something to consider. I feed my flock a flock raiser or all flock feed, and when that's out of stock I use a starter/grower that has 18% protein. Your birds are young so layer is less of an issue, but if you have older birds (who may not lay or lay less often), birds out of lay for winter or molt, or males, they don't necessarily need the extra calcium and it can cause kidney issues sometimes. So I feed the all flock or starter/grower and have oystershell in a separate feeder all the time. Those that need it take it, those that don't need it I don't have to worry that they are getting too much. I've had less issues with digestion with those feeds also.

Sounds good, I'll worm her. So far, the mass in her crop seems to be staying broken apart, which is good. I think the stool softener is doing its job at breaking up the food/material, just hoping it passes through the rest of her system.

One thing though, is her tail being droopy and her being lethargic all from this crop issue? She hasn't laid an egg since she's had this problem, could that mean she has a crop issue and also egg bound? Or is it to be expected that she doesn't lay when not feeling well? Sorry for all the questions, just trying to get as much info as possible so I can do the best job I can in helping her out.

 

[Auntiejessi3]

Sounds good, I'll worm her. So far, the mass in her crop seems to be staying broken apart, which is good. I think the stool softener is doing its job at breaking up the food/material, just hoping it passes through the rest of her system.

One thing though, is her tail being droopy and her being lethargic all from this crop issue? She hasn't laid an egg since she's had this problem, could that mean she has a crop issue and also egg bound? Or is it to be expected that she doesn't lay when not feeling well? Sorry for all the questions, just trying to get as much info as possible so I can do the best job I can in helping her out.

Those are telltale signs that a bird is feeling puny and unwell...continue with the crop massages and do the worming. Let us know if there are any changes. I had a pullet this year that had an impacted crop and it took a week of coconut oil and massages before she was back to her mouthy self, lol, sometimes it takes a while. I hope your girl bounces back soon