Impacted Gizzard?

[tmac627]

I have a red sex link that has been sitting around with her eyes shut for about four days. I thought she might be egg bound but I could never feel an egg. I tried to add lube and oil and everything I could find on the internet. She would poop a little but would not eat or drink. After her hurting for so long, I put her down today. Wanted to see if it was an egg that I just couldn't reach but her gizzard was packed full of undigested grass. I don't know what was wrong with her, if it was an impacted gizzard then what can I do to fix it or keep it from happening again? Also had a green sac attached to her liver, not sure if it is supposed to be there. Cut it open and it was full of green liquid.

 

[Veer67]

https://sites.google.com/site/moodysbantams/poultry-health-1/crop-impaction and https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/140061/vet-says-her-gizzard-is-impacted-please-help should help you.

 

[BantamLover21]

I have a red sex link that has been sitting around with her eyes shut for about four days. I thought she might be egg bound but I could never feel an egg. I tried to add lube and oil and everything I could find on the internet. She would poop a little but would not eat or drink. After her hurting for so long, I put her down today. Wanted to see if it was an egg that I just couldn't reach but her gizzard was packed full of undigested grass. I don't know what was wrong with her, if it was an impacted gizzard then what can I do to fix it or keep it from happening again? Also had a green sac attached to her liver, not sure if it is supposed to be there. Cut it open and it was full of green liquid.

The green sac is the gall bladder, and it is perfectly normal. Impacted gizzards or crops are often caused when chickens eat long, tough grass or excessive amounts of other hard foods, such as grain. You can help prevent impacted crop/gizzard by cutting grass when it gets too long, not overfeeding scratch grains, and by providing coarse sand to function as grit (chickens don't have teeth, so they eat small stones. The stones lodge in the gizzard, where they, together with the gizzard muscles, help grind up feed the bird eats).

 

[tmac627]

The green sac is the gall bladder, and it is perfectly normal. Impacted gizzards or crops are often caused when chickens eat long, tough grass or excessive amounts of other hard foods, such as grain. You can help prevent impacted crop/gizzard by cutting grass when it gets too long, not overfeeding scratch grains, and by providing coarse sand to function as grit (chickens don't have teeth, so they eat small stones. The stones lodge in the gizzard, where they, together with the gizzard muscles, help grind up feed the bird eats).

Will oyster shells work as grit? Don't feed scratch just crumbles. Also she stayed on roost for two days and I had her in a dog crate for a day and a half. Should the gizzard still have been packed with grass? Didn't look like there was room for anything else and there was no feed so she couldn't have eaten in a few days

 

[BantamLover21]

Will oyster shells work as grit? Don't feed scratch just crumbles. Also she stayed on roost for two days and I had her in a dog crate for a day and a half. Should the gizzard still have been packed with grass? Didn't look like there was room for anything else and there was no feed so she couldn't have eaten in a few days

Oyster shells do work as grit, and they are what I usually use. The gizzard shouldn't have been packed with grass, but it was because if was impacted. My guess is that your hen hadn't been eating because of the obstruction.

 

[tmac627]

Oyster shells do work as grit, and they are what I usually use. The gizzard shouldn't have been packed with grass, but it was because if was impacted. My guess is that your hen hadn't been eating because of the obstruction.

So that's all I need to do for this not to happen again? Doesn't bother me to kill one if its real sick or injured, but if its something easily avoided. I'm just new to chickens, she was part of the first batch. Thanks y'all

 

[BantamLover21]

So that's all I need to do for this not to happen again? Doesn't bother me to kill one if its real sick or injured, but if its something easily avoided. I'm just new to chickens, she was part of the first batch. Thanks y'all

Well, nothing is foolproof. Giving grit, such as oyster shell, will help prevent crop/gizzard impaction, but doing so doesn't prevent it 100% of the time.

 

[catballou]

Oyster shells do work as grit, and they are what I usually use. The gizzard shouldn't have been packed with grass, but it was because if was impacted. My guess is that your hen hadn't been eating because of the obstruction.

Well, nothing is foolproof. Giving grit, such as oyster shell, will help prevent crop/gizzard impaction, but doing so doesn't prevent it 100% of the time.

I give oyster shell and grit.
Oyster shell is for added calcium.
Grit is to digest food.