Molting and impacted crop connected?

[Clucktown]

Thanks - she seems fine so far. Hoping this will pass, as she is my son's favorite.

 

[sfurbish]

Just a quick update on my problem Sussex hen - the baseball sized hard lump is gone. I gave up and decided to let nature take it's course and just left her with her flock. I gave no further special attention, but noticed that the lump seemed smaller each day. As of yesterday she seems to have a normal functioning crop and is acting like her old self. I don't know for sure what it was or why it resolved, but this is her on Friday afternoon foraging outside her run.

 

[Clucktown]

Great news! My brahma buff's crop was nearly empty one morning after I found a way to entice her to drink a large amount of water, which we now do mornings and evenings. It is better, but still not emptying completely at night. I began to wonder if she is just not consuming enough water during the day. Thanks for the update and hope for a similar outcome!

 

[LJoWilly]

Revisiting this thread as the same hen, Remington, is molting and her crop is not emptying. She goes to the vet Saturday, and will stay till they do surgery on Monday. Almost exactly this time last year she had to have surgery to remove sludge-like material that the vet said she would have never passed. I'm going to ask the vet if molting and her crop issues are hand in hand.

 

[casportpony]

Just a quick update on my problem Sussex hen - the baseball sized hard lump is gone. I gave up and decided to let nature take it's course and just left her with her flock. I gave no further special attention, but noticed that the lump seemed smaller each day. As of yesterday she seems to have a normal functioning crop and is acting like her old self. I don't know for sure what it was or why it resolved, but this is her on Friday afternoon foraging outside her run.View attachment 1161655

Great news, thanks for the update!

Great news! Mybrahma buff's crop was nearly empty one morning after I found a way to entice her to drink a large amount of water, which we now do mornings and evenings. It is better, but still not emptying completely at night. I began to wonder if she is just not consuming enough water during the day. Thanks for the update and hope for a similar outcome!

I do believe that water is the best thing for this type of crop.

Revisiting this thread as the same hen, Remington, is molting and her crop is not emptying. She goes to the vet Saturday, and will stay till they do surgery on Monday. Almost exactly this time last year she had to have surgery to remove sludge-like material that the vet said she would have never passed. I'm going to ask the vet if molting and her crop issues are hand in hand.

Good luck!

 

[MotherOfChickens]

I realize this is an old post, but thought I'd share my experience. I had a Sussex that was molting. She also developed an impacted crop the size of a softball and just as hard which turned sour and pendulous. I tried everything short of surgery. After about 2 weeks, I had to give it a break and was considering culling. After 2 weeks of not doing anything more (due to my sister passing away) her's resolved. She is putting weight back on and healthy. But a few days ago, my other Sussex that is starting to molt now has an impacted crop, though not nearly as large, maybe pingpong ball size. I am treating her with stool softener and hoping her's resolves on it's own too. But I found it interesting that both girls were molting when this happened.

 

[LJoWilly]

I realize this is an old post, but thought I'd share my experience. I had a Sussex that was molting. She also developed an impacted crop the size of a softball and just as hard which turned sour and pendulous. I tried everything short of surgery. After about 2 weeks, I had to give it a break and was considering culling. After 2 weeks of not doing anything more (due to my sister passing away) her's resolved. She is putting weight back on and healthy. But a few days ago, my other Sussex that is starting to molt now has an impacted crop, though not nearly as large, maybe pingpong ball size. I am treating her with stool softener and hoping her's resolves on it's own too. But I found it interesting that both girls were molting when this happened.

I wonder if it's a breed "thing" as mine is also a SS.
Remington had crop surgery, and was fine until her crop filled back up within 24 hrs. Vet gave her antibiotics, which we finished yesterday. She's acting like a normal chicken except her crop has been about the size of a tennis ball since 2 days post surgery. I'm gonna see how this plays out, and her vet and I will go from there. She still eats, drinks, passes some stools, some loose. If she starts to come off her food, or starts acting off then back to the vet we will go.
Good luck and please keep us updated!

 

[MotherOfChickens]

I wonder if it's a breed "thing" as mine is also a SS.
Remington had crop surgery, and was fine until her crop filled back up within 24 hrs. Vet gave her antibiotics, which we finished yesterday. She's acting like a normal chicken except her crop has been about the size of a tennis ball since 2 days post surgery. I'm gonna see how this plays out, and her vet and I will go from there. She still eats, drinks, passes some stools, some loose. If she starts to come off her food, or starts acting off then back to the vet we will go.
Good luck and please keep us updated!

I've no idea. But I checked both my SS ladies this morning before I let them out to eat and their crops were empty! I massaged that gave them stool softeners and that seemed to have done the trick

 

[LJoWilly]

I've no idea. But I checked both my SS ladies this morning before I let them out to eat and their crops were empty! I massaged that gave them stool softeners and that seemed to have done the trick

That's fantastic!!

 

[micstrachan]

Interesting thread. I, too, searched it out. Recently, my SS was having a hard molt and nearly starved herself to death, along with a slow crop. After some TLC, she seems to be on the mend. However, just today, I noticed my BR, who has been molting for awhile and just started another wave of dropping feathers, seems like she doesn’t feel well and her crop is slowing down, too. I do wonder if molt can bring on crop issues. Last year a hen had crop issues during molt, but she was eating feathers.

The hen who does not feel well today is my special hen who was in my very first batch of chicks and was mine to hold each night (we had for chicks and four humans, so we each had one to hold every night when we were hand raising them.) If her crop is not empty in the morning, she’ll be caged with water only. Timing is terrible, because daylight savings just ended and I won’t get home from work until after they’ve gone to roost.