impacted or sour crop..help

[eggsited chickens]

I have been dealing with a chicken all week who has not eaten now in several days, drinks little water and has a full crop. I don't know what else to do. I have tried giving her yogurt, but she wont eat. She drinks once in a while. I have tried to get her to throw up by massaging the crop and tipping her upside down, but nothing comes out. I don't have anyone to help me keep her still in order to try to rinse the crop out, I also don't trust myself. What other options are there.

 

[Dora'smom]

What do you feel when you massage her crop? Is it like a water balloon, or more like there is a stringy or hard mass in there? I have heard of the treatment of using 3-4 cc's of wine and that helps whatever through, but I'm not sure if that is appropriate for your bird. I've also heard of using small pieces of bread, soaked in olive oil for her to eat, and then massaging afterwards to try to break up and pass whatever is in there. You should also try to check her breath, as from what I understand, sour crop is different than a crop impaction. Good luck with your bird.

 

[eggsited chickens]

Her crop is a hard mass, but when I tip her over what does come out...liquid stinks terribly like throw up. I did try the bread and olive oil earlier in the week and she only ate a little of that.

 

[FinsUp]

I tried the oil/bread/massage - not much good. I did separate her from the others and just gave her 1/4 cup of yogurt (with live bacteria - very important) and 1/4 cup of her food with lots of water available to her each day. Did that for 48 hours - then let her back with the girls. More yogurt - seemed to clear up on its own. I did call the avian vet in town and that is what they suggested. They don't seem to like the oil/bread or ACV - but the yogurt will get good bacteria and counteract the yeast that may be building up in there. The reason they don't like the bread is the oil can go rancid before it passes through - creating more yeast/problems.

She is on the bottom of the pecking order, so had to separate her to give her the yogurt at first. Hope that helps

 

[eggsited chickens]

I had yogurt in her cage for quite some time, but she wouldn't touch it. I finally gave in, b/c she had gone without food for so long, gave her some water downed food and put a immuno booster in her water (she was drinking). She has passed some nasty looking poo, and she is eating like there is no tomorrow. I gave her some cooked grits with buttermilk mixed in today and she is/was gobbling that up. Her crop is still a little full, but not like it was. I will check it in the morning and see how it is. She is acting a lot better too....so maybe soon she can rejoin her friends.

 

[beachchickie]

The poultry vet I contacted when it happened to my chicken told me to give olive oil. 1 teasp a day be careful not to do it too fast. Give it as a few drops at a time several times a day. It took a couple of days but her crop emptied and she is still living and thriving 15mos later.

 

[rosco]

Quote:
Great post to read. well handled.

it is after the fact, but i'll throw it out there: i heard pedialyte/pepto-bismal is given to other birds for sour crop. but since your bird seems to be past that, no need.

what does the oil do? i thought, in a very novice way, that birds didn't really digest oil and it would basically serve as a "intestinal blow." seems like it'd do the trick of emptying the crop. oily/greasy food has the same effect on me

i'd be interested to hear about the effects of wine and whether it works. i have heard lots of people talk about chickens which drink effluent from silage. chickens are said to be lushes. an off-topic comment - our vet had me give our dog hydrogen peroxide to make it yack up poison it'd just eaten. it saved our dog's life. the dog emptied its entire GI tract as i drove to the vet's office.