Impacted Crop?

[sierra123]

So you think the lump in not her crop?

I really can't tell. How can one tell if it's in or outside of the crop just by touch? I know it's in the same area as the crop, but I'm not sure I can determine the difference just by touch. Especially without experience. Are there other symptoms that would rule out alternatives? Example: another user mentioned a leaking air sac...what would that mean? Is there something specific that would indicate it's a growth or leaking air sac vs a crop issue?

 

[sierra123]

I'm leaning towards taking her into a vet. I haven't been able to find any photos that match what her crop looks like. Diagrams + articles help, but I still have no idea what the problem is. I've been doing what was recommended for impacted crop for 2 days and there hasnt been any improvement. I don't want to induce vomiting or treat for sour crop unless I know thats the issue. I will update after the vet visit. Thanks!

 

[Tookie]

I'm so sorry I didn't see your posts. How is she?

 

[sierra123]

I'm so sorry I didn't see your posts. How is she?

No worries! She's the same. Still eating and drinking, limping, and doesn't seem bothered. I reached out to a local chicken friend who directed me to a vet. I'll take her in this week and will plan to post an update. My friend said that based on the photos, it looks lower than her crop but wasn't sure what it was.

 

[Tookie]

No worries! She's the same. Still eating and drinking, limping, and doesn't seem bothered. I reached out to a local chicken friend who directed me to a vet. I'll take her in this week and will plan to post an update. My friend said that based on the photos, it looks lower than her crop but wasn't sure what it was.

Ok!

 

[Tookie]

How is she?

 

[sierra123]

Wanted to post an update. The biggest thing is that she has internal parasites. I'll treat the whole flock with Fenbendazole per the vet's advice. She had a pretty heavy load of parasites and there were different kinds (some in the colon & all other parts of her digestive tract) so essentially from her crop to her butt there were worms of different types. The tough molt and tiny black spots on her comb indicated anemia due to lack of nutritional absorption because of the parasites.

There are also a few lifestyle changes that could be contributing to this. I never supplemented with probiotics or Omega 3 (they free range, and I figured food has the probiotics) but I guess this wasn't enough. The vet recommended I start them on krill chews, flax seed, and a twice weekly probiotic.

As for the limp, the ground starts to get hard as winter approaches (my run is set on the earth, so the ground is just compacted dirt with pine shavings). The vet thinks it's just an injury due to hardness of the ground. She recommended adding some Mulch underneath the pine shavings or even digging 12 inches and layering materials (sand, gravel, mulch, pine shavings) to give the ground more cushion.

 

[Tookie]

Wanted to post an update. The biggest thing is that she has internal parasites. I'll treat the whole flock with Fenbendazole per the vet's advice. She had a pretty heavy load of parasites and there were different kinds (some in the colon & all other parts of her digestive tract) so essentially from her crop to her butt there were worms of different types. The tough molt and tiny black spots on her comb indicated anemia due to lack of nutritional absorption because of the parasites.

There are also a few lifestyle changes that could be contributing to this. I never supplemented with probiotics or Omega 3 (they free range, and I figured food has the probiotics) but I guess this wasn't enough. The vet recommended I start them on krill chews, flax seed, and a twice weekly probiotic.

As for the limp, the ground starts to get hard as winter approaches (my run is set on the earth, so the ground is just compacted dirt with pine shavings). The vet thinks it's just an injury due to hardness of the ground. She recommended adding some Mulch underneath the pine shavings or even digging 12 inches and layering materials (sand, gravel, mulch, pine shavings) to give the ground more cushion.

Yikes, get rid of those worms!