Incomplete impacted crop treatment - please help!

[Sammster]

It may be time for you to learn tube feeding and to try copper sulfate for this stubborn crop. Can you ask around the vets in your area for a small animal feed tubing kit? I got one for $3 from my vet. You can make your own with oxygen or aquarium tubing, but the trick is to find a syringe to fit it that also has at least a 10ml capacity.

The copper sulfate can be ordered online here. https://jedds.com/products/acidified-copper-sulfate-animal-science?_pos=1&_sid=d34a4c781&_ss=r

The way I suggest we go from here is to give a probiotic each day, and tube half a cup of copper sulfate solution into your hen twice a day for the next week, and give her the solution to drink as her only water source during this period.

I called my exotic bird store, hoping the manager could sell me a kit and teach me how to tube feed. He's on vacation. Haven't gotten through to the vet's office. They must be on lunch.
Then it dawned on me. My grandson used to have a GI tube in his belly. I still have these! But I'm not sure they're big enough.

Edit: no luck getting tube feeding kits from local vets. I do have the medication ordered. This syringe looks like it might work with a slightly larger tube

Edit again: my neighbor is a surgical nurse. She will get me some I.V. tubing and syringe that might hold up to 70 mls, tomorrow. Meds will take a few days to recieve, anyway. In the meantime... just probiotic?

 

[Sammster]

What kind of probiotics did you get?

I also have Pro-Bios

 

[azygous]

Any sort of probiotics will do. The objective is to populate her intestines with these microbes to promote a healthy digestive tract.

Tube feeding is disgustingly easy. The first time may make you nervous, but once you've done it and discovered you won't kill your chicken, it will become your favorite method of getting food, fluids and meds into a sick chicken.

I have two chickens at present that I'm tube feeding. Each has a different issue, but tubing makes their treatment so much easier and faster.

What you will do is wrap the chicken in a towel to confine the wings and feet. Pry open the beak and slip the tubing, cut to about nine inches long, into the right side of the beak, going just under the edge of the tongue and directly into the crop.

You will know you got it in correctly if it slides down smoothly and the chicken doesn't cough or gag. If the latter happens, back out and start over. This shows an oral syringe being inserted into the crop, but a tube goes in this exact way.

 

[Sammster]

Tube feeding is disgustingly easy. The first time may make you nervous, but once you've done it and discovered you won't kill your chicken, it will become your favorite method of getting food, fluids and meds into a sick chicken.

ok, so do I use two, 60 ml syringes full of the solution? Or just one, 60 ml syringe?

And, is this little tube (shown above) too narrow? It's 11", and would be just about the right length, after I remove the end piece. Or, would an I.V. tube (from my nurse-neighbor) be better? It seems like it would be quicker. I have no idea what these circumfrerence sizes are. I can show you both, side-by-side, after I get the I.V. tube. And... maybe I could see yours?

Here's my real issue: My girls are equally head-strong, and physically strong. The moment I try to open the beak, either by wattle or by beak, itself - they start craning their necks and bucking - even wrapped in a towel. I'm afraid I might hurt her. But, I'm willing to try this. Do you lubricate the tube before inserting it?

 

[Lillith37]

If you want to try the fennel tea, just boil a tablespoon of fennel seeds in water for ten minutes. Wait til it cools and then give it to the hen at night. I usually give my hen a few ml at a time. You can give it to them as per the tube/syringe method.

Don’t be too alarmed at how big their crops are when they roost. They are supposed to be full and big then. Focus more on how they feel in the morning.

 

[Sammster]

If you want to try the fennel tea, just boil a tablespoon of fennel seeds in water for ten minutes. Wait til it cools and then give it to the hen at night. I usually give my hen a few ml at a time. You can give it to them as per the tube/syringe method.

Don’t be too alarmed at how big their crops are when they roost. They are supposed to be full and big then. Focus more on how they feel in the morning.

I will prepare some fennel tea for tonight, and offer it via syringe. I'd like to help ease the pressure she must be feeling, until the copper sulfate arrives. This morning, her crop was very hard, again. I massaged it, but I'm not sure it really helped, without adding the oil and stool softener. Poor Laney. Tomorrow morning, if she is hard again, I will have to offer coconut oil. I can't imagine she's getting much nutrition with that hard crop.

So, you said boil a tablespoon in water. How much water? I don't want to make it too strong or too weak.

And on top of that - another girl, Gertie dropped lash material in the dropping box, over night.

 

[Lillith37]

About two cups? Because it will boil down. What I do is boil enough to make a cup for myself and then just set some aside for Lorraine in case she needs it. It’s more art than science haha so long as the water is green and fennel-flavoured I’m sure it will be fine. I really hope it helps some.

Rhode Island Red, Isa Brown, Leghorn chickens etc have been bred for heavy egg production and they suffer because of it. You’re doing so much for your birds and really paying attention to them and that’s what counts and I’m sure they love you to pieces. You’re doing the best you can and you’re doing a good job. I know it can be disheartening but persistence pays off with chickens I’ve found.

 

[Sammster]

About two cups? Because it will boil down. What I do is boil enough to make a cup for myself and then just set some aside for Lorraine in case she needs it. It’s more art than science haha so long as the water is green and fennel-flavoured I’m sure it will be fine. I really hope it helps some.

Rhode Island Red, Isa Brown, Leghorn chickens etc have been bred for heavy egg production and they suffer because of it. You’re doing so much for your birds and really paying attention to them and that’s what counts and I’m sure they love you to pieces. You’re doing the best you can and you’re doing a good job. I know it can be disheartening but persistence pays off with chickens I’ve found.

Thank you. That really helps ♡

 

[Sammster]

I syringed some fennel tea, tonight. Laney was furious! She even kind of snapped at me - and she's my little sweetheart. My girls behave nothing like the videos in the "step-by-step" thread. I'm going to go watch them, again. Laney has small wattles, too. I can't really use them to help open her beak. And she can clamp tight as a clam.

I haven't had any luck getting a size 18 feeding, tube, yet. My area vets said no. The pharmacist said she didn't have anything. The tropical bird and fish store said they don't do that, anymore - and that the aquarium tubing would be too rigid. I'll try calling a medical supply place, tomorrow. Why can't you buy this stuff on line? My nurse-neighbor brought home a tube that is too small. She's going to try again on Thursday. She doesn't work tomorrow. The medicine isn't here, yet, anyway.

But - Laney pooped while I was giving her tea. It was a clump of semi-digested grass. Not very big, but good to see! So, I felt her crop again. It was big, but no longer hard! I didn't massage, to see if it was soft all the way through, because I didn't want to make her sick. I'll check in the morning. Maybe bulking up her crop with the rice mixture and adding probiotics helped. ::fingers crossed::

It really would be ideal if she could clear on her own.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

@Overo Mare has a video of how to tube feed (link below)
I think folks by lamb/kid tube feeding kits from Amazon, this comes with syringe and tube - you may want to look into that.

With her pooping out a grass, she's passing material, hopefully she will expel more.
Fennel tea just may be the ticket!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/need-to-tube-severely-molting-hen.1437023/post-23839502