More impacted crop questions.

[desertgirl]

Well? Should I repeat the olive oil???!!!!

 

[Judy]

It certainly couldn't hurt.

I don't know what to think about the shavings. I use wood shavings and hay, and I see them eat both, but I don't think they eat a lot of them. We processed some birds this AM and they were mostly full of feed. People have gotten impacted crops from straw and grass as well, yet many chickens are exposed to at least one of these things. Maybe some chickens just eat more shavings than others do.

 

[desertgirl]

Hmmm. Maybe I'll keep them off the chips for another week or so, then try it again (with monitoring!!!).

I'll try the olive oil. Thanks!

 

[Renee]

Desertgirl,

Don't use straw either. That's way worse for them than the shavings. That's what started Nugget on her downhill slide-- the straw. As ddawn says, most chickens are bright enough to know when to stop eating the stuff, but others are just too clueless. I ended up with sand in my run and shreds of tee shirts for nesting material.

It sounds like your chick's problem will resolve itself now that you have removed the shavings. The olive oil won't hurt her. Have you looked at LynnP's page on crops?

 

[desertgirl]

Thank you-good advice.

The good news-she sees to be doing well. The bad news-she's evidently clueless!!!!

 

[tulie13]

Regarding separation - the main reason to separate a chicken with crop issues is so that you can monitor and control food intake. If you want THAT chicken to eat only olive oil soaked bread, you'd have to feed ALL your chickens only olive oil soaked bread! And then you'd have no idea how much or if she ate any, whether she was pooping or not, etc.

We've been dealing with crop issues in one chicken, and she's in a Rubbermaid bin in our living room. All the eating drinking and pooping in that bin are from her - no other birds involved.

Although, I put her food dish outside the bin while I was changing out the towel on the bottom (yes we are babying her) and one of the dogs ate her food...

 

[desertgirl]

I, too had them in my living room for the last two days/nights (laundry hamper ICU!).

I've only got the two, and I have been watching them like a hawk (making me a chicken hawk??!!), so I can attest to them both eating and pooping. Is there any harm in giving prophylactic olive oil for both of them? Might even be some slight nutritional value(omega 3s, fats etc)?

 

[eyupchook]

In the UK, Many of us give hens with impacted crops live maggots to eat (from a fishing supplies store). The theory being the maggot eats the gunk in the crop, the hen then eats the maggot and gains protein from it and all seems to be well.
A lot of people prefer this to the hands on method in case they injure their birds further.