Impacted Crop/Sour Crop. Help Please.

[terrilhb]

My RIR hen is 9 months old. I noticed her acting a little funny last Sat. Did not think to much about it because we did alot of work around their house. But on Sunday I let the guinea's out and she did not chase them. So I stood watching. She would not eat. I picked her up and felt a lump about the size of a golfball in her crop. Came on here and did research. We have been giving her Olive Oil. Massaging her crop. When we give her the olive oil and massage she throws it up. It smells sour. The lump is getting smaller but she is still not eating. All she does is drink. She is beginning to walk around more. Does she need surgery or should we wait? I don't want to do surgery unless needed. Any advice is most appreciated.

 

[Frithest]

Do a search on the site for "impacted crop". There are many cases in the forums. It sounds like olive oil, water, massage etc is good. I remember someone holding their bird upside down and massaging and vile black liquid coming out its beak (I think that was in the "crop surgery" photos - graphic but very interesting).
Wish I could help more. Best of luck.

 

[Animalian]

my cockatiel has that at the moment. He's on nystatin (sp?) from the vet.

It didn't seem to be quite enough, so I got to researching. Found a few more ideas, tried them, they're working!

He's really began responding well when first thing in the morning (before food or water offered) I hold him upside down and massage the crop till he brings up all the yeasty mucus (and leftover food) he's accumulated overnight. Then give him his dose of nystatin, wait half an hour, then offer him water (first day was water with alka seltzer in it, a home remedy), then wait another half hour. Then I give him his seed with probiotic yogurt and grainivore rearing mix in it, and change the water to one with vitamins in it.

Today is his second day on this routine and making him empty his crop in the morning and slowly starting his day with food has made him go from vomiting mucus/food up to 12 times a day to not vomiting at all! (apart from the forced morning vomit!). His weight seems to be more stable too!

Apparently an empty crop in the morning helps because when they eat new food it becomes contaminated by the old food in the crop, so nothing gets fixed. Treating an empty crop (with nystatin or the 1/2 alka seltzer to 1/2 cup water crop flush) if far more effective. Also waiting a while before feeding after treatment lets it do it's job better.

Here's the website I used to the alka seltzer, apparently it also helps break up lumps like yours has
http://justcockatiels.weebly.com/sour-and-slow-crop-remedies.html
note I used the massage/non invasive way to empty the crop rather than using the tube. And let him drink the alka seltzer mix because he was willing to, rather than force it down his throat.
I'm sure it would work for a chicken too, they're tougher than a cockatiel. I would treat my chickens this way if it happened to them.

 

[pgpoultry]

If the lump in the crop is diminishing in size, you are probably on to a winner.

'Vomit' her first thing in the morning to clear out the crop as much as you can and then use the oil and massage twice daily. This usually works. She may well need Nystatin or similar to treat the yeast infection.

Good Luck.

 

[clucksbc]

I did have about a 6 week girl...with an impacted crop...
she was so little with this huge ingorged chest...looked very difformed and unbalanced
for 5 days...we treated her with olive oil and vinager...but didn't seem to be doing anything and stoped..on the 8th day she started showing remakable change and turned out perfectly fine...
my hubby saw those pics...and was convinced we were going to loose her
but with mine she was still eating and drinkng...
I am a bit more concerned...
maybe add sugar to the water or karo syrup, to help keep up strength...
sorry, don't know about the fowl smell...
hope it all works out fne

 

[Animalian]

I wouldn't add sugar to the water in case it's a yeast infection (not bacterial) because yeast thrives on sugar

 

[OvertheHenHouse]

Quote:
I've read that as well. There are good posts here about surgery, but if the lump is already getting smaller you're probably not going in that direction. It sounds as though you're already onto the right thing. The upside-down-vomitorium could help further break up the impaction.
Good luck -

 

[rcentner]

use apple cider vinegar to help restore the pH in the crop, I have had luck with olive oil and massage. Took 3 days to get her unplugged, but was great after that. I never used any drugs, but I caught it real early before it became sour, the ACV should help that once she is drinking

 

[clarkston_mike]

I am very new to the chicken world but used to breed cockatiels and lovebirds. When my cockatiels would get impacted/sour crop i would massage and get them to vomit some out then with a syring (no needle of course) would get them to drink water with a drop of bleach in it.....the bleach kills the bacteria very quickly and the bounced back very quickly within a day or two.....with my babies i would add a drop right to thier formula once in a while as a preventative...the bleach kills bad bacteria but also good bacteria.....so a drop in a coffee cup size of water should do the trick