Impacted Gizzard: preventable? treatable?

[KrazyChromatics]

if they are free ranging im sure they are getting enough grit, even a dozen stones at a time helps.... i feed my "captive" chickens hay from a feeder, and their FF is 40-50% alfalfa, when i butcher these birds, even after holding back food for 24hrs, their gizzards are full of stones and greens, i mean chock the frig full, no room for anything, and these are healthy birds, so im not saying i doubt your cause of death, but im just saying that i believe the gizzard naturally is on the fuller side, but my young birds also have the gizzard of much more mature chicken, idk if thats normal or not.. but if your birds have smaller gizzards it may be because they are filling up on "cheap" feed, meaning they dont need stones to digest it, its already chewed up for them so their gizzard doesnt have to work half as hard...

Our free range birds are let out in the am, they stuff themselves full of grass then later in the day they are fed fresh corn that we grew for them, we've never had any problems...

what are your symptoms before death?

 

[Michael Apple]

if they are free ranging im sure they are getting enough grit, even a dozen stones at a time helps.... i feed my "captive" chickens hay from a feeder, and their FF is 40-50% alfalfa, when i butcher these birds, even after holding back food for 24hrs, their gizzards are full of stones and greens, i mean chock the frig full, no room for anything, and these are healthy birds, so im not saying i doubt your cause of death, but im just saying that i believe the gizzard naturally is on the fuller side, but my young birds also have the gizzard of much more mature chicken, idk if thats normal or not.. but if your birds have smaller gizzards it may be because they are filling up on "cheap" feed, meaning they dont need stones to digest it, its already chewed up for them so their gizzard doesnt have to work half as hard...

Our free range birds are let out in the am, they stuff themselves full of grass then later in the day they are fed fresh corn that we grew for them, we've never had any problems...

what are your symptoms before death?

You will have problems soon enough if what you stated remains their staple "diet" for too long. Of course, if you don't keep them alive for very long, they don't suffer the consequences of gizzard failure (impacted/sour crop). Much is to be known about diet, and there are a number of things that cause gizzard problems. It is common for birds to search fulfillment of minerals in the wrong substances when their diets are mineral deficient, which is why those of us who know, supplement feed or water with balanced minerals, as well as vitamins: http://www.avianweb.com/blockedgizzard.html

Probiotics such as Acidophilus also prevent these problems from occurring.

 

[enola]

Newbies need to realize that calcium supplements are NOT considered grit. Chickens need to have BOTH available at all times.

 

[KrazyChromatics]

ive been doing this a long time and ive never had any issues, chickens are pretty simple, and they love their greens and veggies as much as they do insects, they are opportunistic omnivores. if my non-free-range chickens were able to be free ranged, their offered food would change as well, i feed the greens mostly to get more out of my eggs, im sure their bodies benefit from it as well... The only probios they get are the natural cultures in their FF

My guys get their grit from dust boxes i have available to them, i fill them with DE, granite chips, and oyster shell, they can dust and get their stones at the same time, i wouldnt throw it into their food, they tend to know what they need and everyone is quite healthy...

 

[boofy]

Have you tried liquid paraffin . An old and trusted method.

 

[boofy]

Has anyone tried liquid paraffin for impacted gizzard

 

[boofy]

Trying to find out why I have tiny dots of yellow stuff on some of my incubating eggs, anyone have a clue

 

[Summer98]

Symptoms before death: they get extremely thin/weight loss.

 

[Summer98]

They have been in their coops now for the winter, so they have had zero access to grass. I have been sprinkling grit into their Purina Crumbles to make absolutely sure that they are ingesting grit. I thought they would digest their grass by now and start to gain some weight. Wrong. Most of them are really thin still, but they are obviously able to eat and poop or they would be dead. I'm really not sure if I should give them time and see if they put on weight or just end them. A brahma and black australorp are supposed to be heavy breeds and mine are just tiny. I really thought adding the grit would solve any impaction. I'm really starting to wonder if the free ranging is what kills them. But in "nature" they would eat whatever they find outside. And it's not like they only ate grass all summer; they were always fed commercial feed too. They go through a lot of feed, but aren't gaining any weight. I don't suspect worms, I've seen no evidence in their poop.

 

[catballou]

Chicken deaths are so sad. I lost three of my favorites over the last twelve years. Just one from old age. She was my favorite favorite.my last one that died had an impacted gizzard, an egg in her and did a heavy molt all at the same time.