Impacted crop to ... doughy or squishy crop?

[WaveyCreekChickens]

and then this personally is what I did the last time I had a chicken with a crop problem. I followed the steps almost exactly and the hen is alive and well today.

Thanks so much! Very helpful!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Update on Priscilla
I gave her a small amount of finely ground feed mixed with liquid around lunchtime. Later on she also got some yogurt. She drank electrolyte water like crazy, and threw up frequently. We decided to just leave the plain water out for her.
We had her walk around in the kitchen, thinking, moving is better than just sittting, to get this plug moving. She is very active, looking for food everywhere (we make sure she doesn’t find any), and not looking sickly. Now she is resting.
I would like some guidence now. My plan is to give her the stool softener tonight, when her crop has hopefully emptied a bit. She will sleep in the house in her crate. If tomorrow morning her crop is still not empty... then what?
I bought the miconazole cream in case she gets sour crop.
Please advise.
Thanks!

Bumping for help!
I am worried about my hen, please anyone, tell me what to do if she still has impacted crop tomorrow morning!
@Aapomp831 and @Wyorp Rock ?

Thanks for your patience.
Personally I use the article written by long time member Carol (@azygous )
You are there to feel the crop an access how it feels and which treatment you need to administer.
I have found sometimes that I need to give coconut oil, a stool softener and treat with an anti-fungal.
I've never waited to administer treatment, I just do it.

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

Where are you located in the world?

I would be hesitant to give the Senokot if it has a laxative in it (sennosides). Stool Softener (stimulant/laxative free) is what is normally given.
Get some Docusate Sodium and give her 1 whole pill.
With the crop being squishy, it may be turning sour, but see if it will empty with the stool softener and coconut oil if you have that. Careful syringing liquid oil so she doesn't aspirate, coconut oil can be given in small chunks that she can eat. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

Photos of her poop may help too.

Verm X is not a de-wormer so if you feel worms may be an issue, then ask your vet to perform a fecal float or administer a de-wormer.

 

[WaveyCreekChickens]

Thanks for your patience.
Personally I use the article written by long time member Carol (@azygous )
You are there to feel the crop an access how it feels and which treatment you need to administer.
I have found sometimes that I need to give coconut oil, a stool softener and treat with an anti-fungal.
I've never waited to administer treatment, I just do it.

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

Thanks for the reply!
It’s my newbie-ness in crop feeling that makes it hard to know which crop issue it is.
I have continued feeling her crop and trying to assess. I know if it doesn’t empty out overnight, I have to help her to do so. I have continued giving the oil and massage.
Last night I gave her stool softener and massaged before I went to bed. Her crop was still full this morning. Not super full, because I didn’t give her very much to eat. No poop in her cage, but she did a watery one when she walked around (in the kitchen).
Now I massaged again, she had water (until it came out again), and I am about to give another stool softener on some warm boils egg mash.
I switched her electrolytes for garlic water. I will keep her off carbs, and mainy feed her egg and yogurt and garlic, even though she doesn’t smell sour. Garlic and yogurt being the anti fungal.
I am just so relieved she is still alive. I want to get her through this.

 

[Aapomp831]

Thanks for the reply!
It’s my newbie-ness in crop feeling that makes it hard to know which crop issue it is.
I have continued feeling her crop and trying to assess. I know if it doesn’t empty out overnight, I have to help her to do so. I have continued giving the oil and massage.
Last night I gave her stool softener and massaged before I went to bed. Her crop was still full this morning. Not super full, because I didn’t give her very much to eat. No poop in her cage, but she did a watery one when she walked around (in the kitchen).
Now I massaged again, she had water (until it came out again), and I am about to give another stool softener on some warm boils egg mash.
I switched her electrolytes for garlic water. I will keep her off carbs, and mainy feed her egg and yogurt and garlic, even though she doesn’t smell sour. Garlic and yogurt being the anti fungal.
I am just so relieved she is still alive. I want to get her through this.

That is exactly what I did for my hen; exclusive garlic water for 24 hours then started giving her yogurt twice a day. After about a week her crop went flat and I let her out, she hasn’t had an issue since.

 

[WaveyCreekChickens]

That is exactly what I did for my hen; exclusive garlic water for 24 hours then started giving her yogurt twice a day. After about a week her crop went flat and I let her out, she hasn’t had an issue since.

I go that from the video you pisted for me!
Well, this morning I couldn’t get all of the stool softener in her. It kept leaking out.
I have a plan to take her to the vet today, if I can’t get it down her later on this morning.
She is still walking around, but slowing down. I am worried.

 

[Aapomp831]

I go that from the video you pisted for me!
Well, this morning I couldn’t get all of the stool softener in her. It kept leaking out.
I have a plan to take her to the vet today, if I can’t get it down her later on this morning.
She is still walking around, but slowing down. I am worried.

It would probably be a good idea at this point to have a fecal test done for worms. I know as someone posted above, sometimes crop issues are a secondary symptom to a larger problem, such as worms. I’m glad you have an avian vet to go to; hopefully she can pinpoint exactly the cause of what’s going on and point you in the right direction. We’re rooting for you; keep us posted!!

 

[WaveyCreekChickens]

It would probably be a good idea at this point to have a fecal test done for worms. I know as someone posted above, sometimes crop issues are a secondary symptom to a larger problem, such as worms. I’m glad you have an avian vet to go to; hopefully she can pinpoint exactly the cause of what’s going on and point you in the right direction. We’re rooting for you; keep us posted!!

Thanks for rooting for us!
It turns out, my goat vet didn’t think there was much he could do. Obviously NOT an avian vet. He is nice and all that, but not very knowledgeable in chicken crop issues. He said no point in bringing her in. He said to fast her again for another 24 hours and see if it empties.
So, we’re on our own. We are determined to fix this! The thing about the fecal float is that we already have wintry weather. It is 14 *F here this morning, and from all I know about worms is that the females don’t lay eggs when it gets cold.
But, I will read up on how to do it and try anyway. I do my own fecals for the goats.
Meanwhile I will fast her again, seeing as I can’t even get anything down her right now. It just comes out again. She is still active and walking around, preening, not on death’s doorstep!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

If nothing is going in then she's got a blockage. May be in the gizzard or intestines.
Let's see if @azygous has any other ideas.

 

[WaveyCreekChickens]

Thanks for calling for help!
She did pick up pieces of coconut oil that stayed in.
Massage, massage.
Later on I tried the ducosate sodium again, didn’t go in. She fights me hard, she hates the syringe. What I did put in came out again.
So, now, just garlic water and massages.
She is a trooper, but I hope she can hang on long enough to get whatever it is through.
Picture taken just now.

 

[azygous]

Practically everyone forgets about grit when treating a crop disorder. It's especially necessary when you are trying to clear an impacted crop. It may be one reason the hen is gobbling bedding, searching for grit. When we segregate a chicken to treat, they still require grit.

It sounds like she had an impaction, and now it's clearing. But yeast may have begin to colonize the crop due to the slow moving contents. I suggest starting her on a yeast med if you can find it where you live.

Women's vaginal yeast medication is what we normally use, but read the label and be sure it doesn't contain ethel alcohol as miconazole in Europe often does.

There are other crop yeast treatments if you can't find miconazole. Copper sulfate and nystatin are two.