Impaction procedure 1.5 weeks ago, seemed better, now not eating and sleeping a lot

[porokelle]

Our 2 year old orpington had an incredibly sagging crop 2-3 weeks ago that would not empty. We took her to the vet and they removed a lot of material via tubes. Over 4-5 days we had her inside and managed to clear the rest.
Last weekend she was reintroduced to the flock and immediately went on the bottom of the hierarchy.
She was still getting food but sticking to her own. We've checked her crop and she did fill it with food. She was even starting to hang out with the others like normal.

But... the last three days she's been sleeping a lot, she won't go near the others, her face looks different (maybe dehydrated? more wrinkly), she isn't laying regularly, and not going for food in competition like she used to.

Yesterday she barely took greens or treats (almost like her beak hurt to take it). So we gave her a very minor dose of meloxicam we had left over from our other girl that was at the vet the week before the impaction.

Today she won't come for food or treats.
She wouldn't leave sleeping behind a large bush.
She clearly ate something today, but I suspect she ate all free range greens.

So indoor she comes, but even indoors, away from her aggressive sisters, she won't take mashed peas, egg, or treats.
She's lost some weight since the impaction removal. It's been possibly 2-3 days since she did an egg, but her comb isn't red enough to lay today. We don't think she's egg bound.
We're waiting for a good poop to see if there's something wrong there.

It's only been a few hours since we noticed her not taking food from us, and I will only be able to make a vet appointment for Monday.
I am at a loss. What to do with a chicken that's refusing any food? That was competing ever yesterday and today just keeps sleeping? What could be wrong? I assume it would be related to the impaction.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

What does her crop feel like?

 

[porokelle]

What does her crop feel like?

Normal but small, sort of squish but they've all only had wet food the past week to make sure it didn't hurt her throat or stomach. Not like it did when it was impacted with grass and weeds.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Okay. So is she still able to graze on the long grasses and weeds that caused the impaction. Or are you keeping her confined?

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Check her crop first thing in the morning before giving her access to either food or water, to see if the crop is emptying and report back here. @Wyorp Rock can give you a link to an article on crop disorders so you can determine what you are dealing with and how to treat it.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

She's lost some weight since the impaction removal. It's been possibly 2-3 days since she did an egg, but her comb isn't red enough to lay today. We don't think she's egg bound.
We're waiting for a good poop to see if there's something wrong there.

Yesterday she barely took greens or treats (almost like her beak hurt to take it).

It would be a good idea to message the vet and voice your concerns since she's recovering from crop surgery.

You mention she acts like her beak hurt to take food. Does she have any lesions or canker inside the beak?

I'd check for an egg too if she's been in lay this whole time, feel inside the vent about 1-2" for an egg.
I'd be inclined to give her extra Calcium for a few days to see if that helps her pass an egg. Comb color is not always indicative of whether she's in need of laying an egg or not.

Do check her crop first thing in the morning before she's had anything to eat/drink. Once you check, provide her with water and her normal feed.



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

 

[porokelle]

Okay. So is she still able to graze on the long grasses and weeds that caused the impaction. Or are you keeping her confined?

Before she went back out last week we cut back all the grasses to as short as possible and took out anything that was suspicious. And feeling her crop, it's not a mass of long grass or whatnot like before.

She's pooped urates and a bit of normal material, but not much at all.

It's so odd; she's now keen on meal worms (only the worms, not the larvae) but won't touch anything else. We're putting in front of her normal worms, tuna, anything and everything she's ever liked before, and she's just so disinterested.

We can't see into her throat, but in her mouth, what little we could see, is okay. And smells normal, so probably not sour crop.

Her vent looks like she laid an egg, but we definitely didn't see one today.

We'll message the vet and see if they have any other ideas but I know they won't have the chicken expert in until Monday. Maybe it's an odd infection from the procedure, but it has been 10 days since.

 

[porokelle]

It would be a good idea to message the vet and voice your concerns since she's recovering from crop surgery.

You mention she acts like her beak hurt to take food. Does she have any lesions or canker inside the beak?

I'd check for an egg too if she's been in lay this whole time, feel inside the vent about 1-2" for an egg.
I'd be inclined to give her extra Calcium for a few days to see if that helps her pass an egg. Comb color is not always indicative of whether she's in need of laying an egg or not.

Do check her crop first thing in the morning before she's had anything to eat/drink. Once you check, provide her with water and her normal feed.



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

We've made an appointment with a vet who's at least had chickens if not the expert, at the clinic for today. She hasn't pooped probably for two days and has stopped eating and drinking anything.

Crop is mostly empty, but again she hasn't eaten anything since yesterday morning (maybe).

I checked for an egg in the vent but did not feel anything. She's not sitting as if egg bound. Her vent did look a bit like it does after an egg, so I'm assuming she's straining from being constipated.

We're going to ask the vet about molasses if they can't give her anything 'medically' to get things moving. Not sure how to get molasses in her if she doesn't drink as she's prone to aspiration.

And can try calcium pills in case there's an egg further up. I don't know what calcium does for constipation though so will wait on that.

 

[porokelle]

We're waiting to take her to the vet, but she's had a single drink this morning and I gave her some very cut up greens and her favorite, miners lettuce. She puts them in her mouth, really excitedly, then spits it out.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

How did the vet visit go?