Lethargic, malnourished, hunched in corner.

[looking4rocks]

OK I isolated her with no food or water in the coop for 2 hours. Her crop is still full, pliable, but about the same size. Not sure how to proceed... Should i still give her the medicine? It's about time she gets it in the morning.

 

[azygous]

Yes, carry on with the remainder of the yeast med. Let's see what it does after tomorrow.

 

[looking4rocks]

Alright, today she seemed the most chipper she has in days. However, even with wearing the bra her crop was full all day. I gave her the med AM and PM, and I closed everyone in the coop with no food/water until I get up for work at 5:30am. I'll report back in the morning! I will not have as much time tomorrow or Wednesday to do more than the AM/Pm tube feed of the med because I work 12hr shifts both days.

 

[looking4rocks]

All night, no food or water and it's still golf ball sized. The bra keeps it compressed up against her, but I can squish it around. She's still looking pretty good, ran out of the coop when I opened it. I can give her the med this morning but anything more would probably have to wait until 8pm tonight.

Thanks for all your help, everyone, BTW!

 

[azygous]

I've been working with another BYCer via private messaging for an identical crop issue. It is also at a golf ball size stale mate, and I'm suspecting a matted obstruction, if not a foreign object, somewhere in the digestive track preventing a free flow of digestive contents from crop to gizzard. Both of your hens are improving, and hers is seeming pretty perky in spite of the stubborn crop.

However, a crop that can't empty completely is a magnet for continuing yeast issues, and it's best to try to clear the track if that's what's preventing complete resolution of the crop issue. So we're getting ready to do a molasses flush to try to blast away the obstruction.

I cannot find the thread, but I recommended this method in another case a couple months ago here on BYC for the exact same issue. I warned the OP that the flush was going to create a huge mess when the dam broke. It was, and then some, but it worked. The track opened and the hen was back to normal in 24 hours with a normally functioning crop.

The recipe for the flush is one teaspoon of molasses mixed into a fourth cup of warm water and syringed into the crop. We're going to do this tomorrow after the necessary preps are made to contain the "fallout". You might want to give some thought into trying this. It's safe, but very messy.

 

[looking4rocks]

I'm ready for that! I work in a children's hospital and we have done "milk &molasses" enemas, with similar results!

Are the results immediate? Maybe I should not attempt this at roosting time and more of a early morning thing? And maybe not until I have the day off to monitor her...I will probably wait until Thursday. Should I continue the course of anti-yeast?

 

[azygous]

You are wise to pre-plan the flush "exit strategy". I would expect the flush to work fairly expeditiously, so being on hand to deal with the aftermath would be my preference. It's definitely not something you want to be surprised with first thing in the morning.

Continuing the yeast treatment until you can do the flush will help keep the yeast under control until then.

 

[aart]

You are wise to pre-plan the flush "exit strategy". I would expect the flush to work fairly expeditiously, so being on hand to deal with the aftermath would be my preference. It's definitely not something you want to be surprised with first thing in the morning.

Meaning a huge poop?
Was wondering if she had pooped at all thru this ordeal.

 

[twendt]

Poor girl has an Impacted crop, look up treatments for Impacted crop, either here or online. Matted grass is usually the culprit. Poor thing can't get any nutrition. Let us know how it goes. One video I saw put water in the crop via syringe and massaged, then turned the hen upside down!! Chickens don't have gag reflex, so be careful, there may be better methods out there.

 

[aart]

Poor girl has an Impacted crop, look up treatments for Impacted crop, either here or online. Matted grass is usually the culprit. Poor thing can't get any nutrition. Let us know how it goes. One video I saw put water in the crop via syringe and massaged, then turned the hen upside down!! Chickens don't have gag reflex, so be careful, there may be better methods out there.

Did you read the whole thread before replying?
An experienced member is walking the OP thru the treatment, it's quite interesting.