Massive crop!! No foul smell! But it is MASSIVE!!

[TwoCrows]

Eeek 2 steps forward and 4 back!

Ok so tomorrow AM I:
1 tip her and try to get some fluid out- if she looks watery
2 then feed her soaked pellets in yoghurt
3 just give her plain water
4 bicarbonate of soda mixed with baby food x2

And no tipping after the am!!

Hahaha thanks for the encouragement!!

How much/often should I be feeding her? (Normally they have access to their pellets all day and just wonder along when they fancy a nibble)

I'm so sorry I feel like a bumbling fool!


Thanks!

LOL....you are no bumbing fool!! We all learn by trial and error.

Let her eat as she will...so free feed her all day long. If you choose to feed her at certain times, she may not eat enough or may over eat. She knows how much to eat. So just let her eat when ever she needs to.

You are doing great!!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm following along.
You are doing well!

 

[HennyPenny81]

Hello!

Hope you've all had a lovely day!

So today she hasn't had a great day...
This morning quite a full squidgy crop so I did the tipping first thing and the stuff that came out was very thick- not watery at all. Got quite a lot out but not all of it (No awful smell)

She's still her normal happy self and is still laying and 'going' as usual.

This afternoon it looks huge- I know it's the end of the day so will be different but it is large.

I thought it might help to add some pics?

This was her this evening

This is what came up this morning

And this was last week- looking normal!

They are normally free range but have a pen in case I need them enclosed.

Thanks again!

 

[TwoCrows]

Thanks for the pictures! Wow, that IS a massive crop!

Has she ever been wormed? Too many worms in the intestinal tract can cause the crop to slow down.

How about the color and consistency of her poop?? Describe it.

Could she be eating something she shouldn't be? (too much dense foliage, roots, sweet berries or something)

Did you say you fashioned a crop bra for her? You might definitely keep her in one until you get this straightened out.

And from looking at just how big she is, you might go back to vomiting in the afternoon, I think you are right...she is WAY too much in there!

Well, keep us posted on her condition. If she has something other than a simple case of slow crop going on, we need to get down to the bottom of that before we can fix her crop issue. Lots of times the crop issue is secondary to something else going on internally.

 

[HennyPenny81]

I feel awful for her!

Should I leave her for tonight as it's just before bed or make her sick it up?

Food wise no berries, grass is short but I did see her eat one of the younger birds feathers (she is my top bird) after she put her in her place last week.

She was wormed 3 weeks ago on flu never

Yes I did, I took it off as it was 35 degrees so they were panting without the help of a little jumper...
But I'll pop it back on tomorrow.

Right I'll get some pics of her poo but I think it was quite liquid.

I agree, I am worried there's an underlying problem.

Should I worm them all again in case I didn't break the life cycle of the worms? (If she even had them last time)

 

[TwoCrows]

I feel awful for her!

Should I leave her for tonight as it's just before bed or make her sick it up?

Food wise no berries, grass is short but I did see her eat one of the younger birds feathers (she is my top bird) after she put her in her place last week.

She was wormed 3 weeks ago on flu never

Yes I did, I took it off as it was 35 degrees so they were panting without the help of a little jumper...
But I'll pop it back on tomorrow.

Right I'll get some pics of her poo but I think it was quite liquid.

I agree, I am worried there's an underlying problem.

Should I worm them all again in case I didn't break the life cycle of the worms? (If she even had them last time)

You might vomit some of that out of there a couple hours before roosting time. That way she has time to refuel a bit and get some water into her.

It never hurts to reworm a couple of weeks later to get all the unhatched eggs, but I doubt if she was wormed 3 weeks ago she would have any large worm impactions in her intestines to be slowing her down this much.

She is nearing the age for internal laying or reproductive cancer. But usually they do stop laying when they get too awful sick. For now, I would continue with the baking soda to keep the yeast from getting out of control. Keep up with the vomitings and see where it goes. A simple case of slow or sour crop should heal over time if you get the yeast under control. If you have worked plenty long to get it under control and she still has a massive crop, something else may be going on internally. She could always just have a grass impaction further down in the gizzard or somewhere in the intestines. You might see grass bits in the poop.

What color is the poop? Is there any grass or anything in it? Is it always liquid?

 

[HennyPenny81]

So here are three poops from today

This one is the watery one- the water has evaporated off

And two others

Just checked on her again and she's eating and drinking some more.

I would say she has lost condition and did seem a little quieter and was sat down with my oldest hen, who is 10 (who she's not normally keen on) but still ran over when I went in. I think she must feel quite heavy though.

No it's not always liquid, it varies throughout the day.

Her egg today was a little smaller but still had a good shell- nice and strong.

I gave her a bit of boiled egg today- is that ok?

 

[TwoCrows]

So here are three poops from today

This one is the watery one- the water has evaporated off

And two others




Just checked on her again and she's eating and drinking some more.

I would say she has lost condition and did seem a little quieter and was sat down with my oldest hen, who is 10 (who she's not normally keen on) but still ran over when I went in. I think she must feel quite heavy though.

No it's not always liquid, it varies throughout the day.

Her egg today was a little smaller but still had a good shell- nice and strong.

I gave her a bit of boiled egg today- is that ok?

Actually her poop looks pretty good to me, considering. If she had some sort of cancer or internal laying, many times the poop is a forest green color, greasy and yellowed urates. At least this is what I have seen in my flock

So maybe this is just a simple case of sour crop? Do you have any access to Acidified Copper Sulfate? This stuff works well on Candisis in the crop and intestines. She may just have an overgrowth of yeasts. Usually the baking soda kills pretty much everything, being as high a PH as it is. I would keep working with the baking soda, keep up with the vomitings, use a bra when it isn't too awful warm and see how she is in a weeks time. If there has been no improvement, you might give the Acidified Copper Sulfate a try. Eggs are great for birds with this sort of thing. They are easy to digest and high in protein which won't get the yeasts all in the reproductive mode.

Other than a simple case of slow crop, other organs can swell and block the intestinal openings. But judging from the poop, it doesn't appear to be all that serious? At least yet anyway. I would keep up what you are doing for a few days and see how it goes. Hopefully she improves soon. If she is overloaded with yeast, sometimes yeast infections are hard to work out of them quick.

Keep us posted!

 

[spiderlady]

You have it backwards about the yeast im afraid. They do not thrive in a very acidic environment. They like it more neutral. Good bacteria that fight off yeast however DO need the lower ph (higher acidity) to survive. By giving the hen baking soda you are reducing the acidity in her crop, which would disrupt the normal balance of gut flora, encourage the growth of yeast, and slow digestion (need acid to digest!). At least thats what Ive always heard. Your original plan of ACV would be better I think. Good luck!