Is This Impacted Crop? *UPDATE* She's Gone.....

[Lunachick]

Well, she's still with us this morning. She still has stuff in her crop. she won't take the olive oil by syringe, we both tried it and she managed to wrangle her head so much we couldn't get it in, and I was worried about getting in the wrong pipe, or breaking her neck trying to get it in there. she did eat a little yogurt, and I put some olive oil soaked bread in a dish for her, hopefully she'll get some down her gullet on her own.

How long can a hen go on like this?

I also put some vitamins in her water, she drinking more than eating. That was a good suggestion with the yolk, I have that in dish for her too, but she ignores that. She isn't worse today, so I guess that's a good sign?

On top of all this I almost lost Pearl (sex link) to a hawk yesterday. I was making a box for Gertie (sick hen) on my back porch, when I heard a flutter of wings and looked out to see a hawk swooping down with it's claws open going for Pearl, who was sitting on a flowerpot. I burst thru the door and ran out so fast I scared the hawk, and it went into the tree. When I looked up at it (I had Pearl in my arms) it swiveled it's head around and looked right down at me, we did the stare for 30 seconds until I turned around to see where the other girls were (they ran under a rhody) when I looked back up - it was gone and I didn't hear a thing.

How is Ivy today Speckled? It gives me hope to know if your bird is on the mend.

 

[speckledhen]

Thanks for asking. Ivy's crop isn't huge, but she is refusing to eat anything at all, like your hen. I may have to let her go back to the flock just to eat and drink. It's very hard to get oil syringed into their mouths, but we've managed it. I hold her against my chest and Tom tries to force her beak open. These crop issues are awful, aren't they?

 

[Lunachick]

Boy you said it Specks, crop issues, argh. how is Ivy now? Gertie is still on my porch resting and not eating anything, like yours. But she still poos and there is chunks of green in there, is that a sign that some of the crop stuff is slowly getting ingested? Cause I know she's not eating anything. poor birds, imagine chronic indigestion and that awful full feeling and no satisfaction of getting all that junk OUT.

My sister came over today and helped me with Gertie's oil treatment, and it was more of a success, she was more calm with animals than hubby (!) No surprise there.

Now her crop feels a little more squishy and I keep massaging every 2 hours or so and smoosh it around and push it gently towards the bottom to try to get it going....I'm going on my gut instinct on this right now and I do appreciate all advice I'm getting from you. Hopefully things will be better tomorrow morning...

 

[speckledhen]

I'm no vet, but I do what I can. We all just need to try to help each other get through this stuff, right? Ivy is feeling a bit better today. We put her back with the flock. She was scratching around in the orchard and that's something she wasn't doing at all when we brought her inside a few days ago. Dutch was chasing her and she was yelling and she ran to her daddy (my dH) for protection. All he had to do was point a stern finger at Dutch and the poor rooster sort of just strolled away. Tonight at roost time, Ivy was on one of the bottom rungs, pecking at others trying to go past her, so she must be feeling better. Her crop was not all the way down, but it was much, much better. Hopefully, she'll be okay now.
You're doing the right things for your hen, from what I've read and experienced lately. She needs to eat soft things plus the oil once a day and the massage. Maybe in a day or two, she'll be back to her normal self, just a bit thinner.

 

[redwa]

Do either of you feed your chickens cat food? I had numerous crop problems when I was feeding my hens extra protein through the winter - organic cat food. A chicken vet out here told me that cat food is one of the worst things for chickens because their system can't digest it fully which results in problems with the crop. Ever since I stopped, we have had no crop problems again. I mention it because I have seen a number of references on this forum about giving chickens cat food. It is a definite no no. I would isolate the hen and give her very easily digested food (mash) with lots of probiotics. Only give it in small quantities until it is passed normally. Lots of fresh water with a little ACV to create a more alkaline gut.

 

[Lunachick]

No, no cat food - only for my cats.

I pureed some grapes and mixed it with good cultured yogurt for her this morning and she nibbled on some of that. I always put ACV in their water. So far everything seems the same today, she did walk around a bit more, but her comb looks wimpy and pale. Probably from lack of nutrition.

I have to go to work today, and I'm not sure if I should keep her on the porch or put her back with the others, she sees them and looks a little anxious to be with them but I'm afraid they will harass her, and she'd be more miserable.

 

[speckledhen]

No, I haven't fed my girls any dry cat food in a year. And I never did it on a regular basis, just the first molt they had. Came to believe it was not what they should have so it's good that you mentioned what your vet said, redwa. And mine have had ACV and AviaCharge in their water on and off (not every fillup). I'm pretty sure what caused my sour crop issues with these two hens now, though.

 

[Lunachick]

What do you think caused your sour/impacted crop problems Specks? Well, not you but your birds

The only clue I have about my Gertie is that she was stealing food treats from the beaks of the other birds when I was handing out string cheese, well the other birds got real mad at her and chased her off, and then kept poking at her and constantly chasing her, and I believe they banded together and kept her away from her feed. When she finally got brave and started to eat the feed, by then she may have had to gobble it up fast.

This is the only thing I can think of.

(I'm at work and I sneak on here from time to time)

 

[needmorechickens!]

Yes, I would be interested to know what caused the sour crop as well....mine had it this year and she has recovered, but I don't know what caused it.
~Rebecca

 

[speckledhen]

I had a revelation when I saw my compost heap. I have a huge mtn of used shavings, inside a welded wire fence a little ways behind the coops. The pile has gotten so wide, it's up against the fence at the bottom. The birds never get in the compost pile because it has a makeshift gate that is closed all the time, although they may eat grass or whatever sprouts from the scratch that makes its way in. Well, I found, just inside the fence at the bottom of the compost pile, a "moat" about a foot wide, eaten into the shavings pile. That's about 10' wide by 1' wide, all gone. They had to make quite an effort to force their necks that far in and eat all those. Naturally, in those shavings is a ton of wasted feed from the coop floors. And you know, out in the weather, especially at the bottom of the pile, there are pockets of moldy feed. I believe Velvet and Ivy, when their respective groups freeranged, got a snootful each of moldy, old feed from that pile.
We immediately surrounded the fence with plastic 1" opening garden fencing, so they cannot reach in there anymore.
I'm positive that is what caused the sour crop with those two hens, since they live in separate coops and eat different feeds. I'm very careful with my birds and with keeping the coops clean, no dampness, etc, and we've always had this compost pile, but this is the first time there has been any problem of this type, that I'm aware of anyway. It's one of those things you just dont think of, a detail that escapes notice.