Nine month old Bielefelder with distended crop that won't empty

[SmiYa0126]

Hello! I've also seen people do molasses flush, for my hen Ginger she was in our basement, I had an area where I covered the floor with thick cardboard. I could see the straw coming out every day because her poo was very watery.

 

[azygous]

That's what I call a revolting development, and I'm sorry you have yourself another impacted crop to deal with. Long stem grasses are the worst to deal with because the material is so tough to move through a digestive system. Like the wad of grass you got out of the other crop, it's a safe bet that this crop contains similar material. Hay is nutritious, by the way, but you need to be sure it's chopped up into small pieces for chickens.

What I suggest is to try all of the standard treatments for impacted crop, go at it hard and consistently over the next two days, but consider the possibility you may fail and therefore need to perform crop surgery to clear the obstruction.

I would first try coconut oil and massage, introducing a teaspoon or two of oil every hour for the next few hours. Massage each time. Provide plain water in between. Later this afternoon, try a stool softener, wait an hour and do more massage. If that fails, at bedtime, send her off with one more dose of a stool softener to try to work over night.

In the morning, see what the crop has done while you slept. If there is any improvement, go ahead and try the molasses flush - one teaspoon molasses in one-fourth cup warm water. She needs to consume it all, either on her own or by tubing it into her. If you haven't ever tubed a chicken, it's easy once you collect the tubing and syringe. The way the molasses flush works is by gently stimulating the intestines to move material through. If the crop is still impacted with grass, however, the flush won't accomplish too much.

It's at this point with the crop still stubbornly full of grass stems that you will need to gear yourself up for surgery as the only solution left. I will walk you through it. If you want to try tubing, I can walk you through that, as well.

 

[pickle47]

OK thank you so much! I've started her on this program, I have her in a big dog crate in the basement with just water and just gave her coconut oil and another massage. The good news is that her poop is solid and looks more or less normal - not just watery like my Bielefelder - so I think she is less far along/less full up with hay. She also had a good appetite earlier today and is not lethargic so I am hopeful the clump is more amenable to being broken up and moving along. I will stop by my local vet to see if I can get feeding tube from them. I will post with an update in the morning.

 

[pickle47]

Well sadly the crop has not diminished in size and feels about the same, in spite of aggressive coconut oil, massage, two rounds of docusate sodium. I think it's hay, it feels like my Bielefelder's crop (only slightly less large - a large plum/small nectarine). I got a feeding tube and 60 mL syringe from the vet, but it sounds like a molasses flush probably won't help much at this point.

I understand that surgery is probably the only way to clear out the hay. My question is, does she need it now? She is still a healthy-seeming chicken with an appetite - the symptoms I saw were very frequent head tossing/gagging motion (unlike the Bielefelder, who was sitting hunched with tail pointing down). And her poops are more watery/grassy than normal. Is there any reason to put her back in the run and hope it somehow improves on its own, or is that just wishful thinking?

Also, my reservations about surgery are: 1) lack of Novocaine, 2) risk of infection post-surgery, 3) likelihood of recurrence or pendulous crop if the crop muscles have been stretched? With the Bielefelder I was weighing these and thought maybe killing her for my friend to eat was the kinder approach. But if at-home surgery has a good chance of giving her a complete recovery, maybe that's actually the kinder approach? I do have all the supplies (scalpel, dissolving sutures, betadine, sterile gauzes) but no local anesthetic, which concerns me. I have never done something like this but I have been watching Youtube videos. I have a friend willing to assist in holding the chicken, though she may not be available for a few days, I'm not sure how time-sensitive it is.

Thank you again for your guidance with this! I very much appreciate it.

 

[pickle47]

I should add - while the crop seems about the same size, she has stopped doing the gagging/head tossing, she laid an egg in her crate, and seems lively and has a lot to say. I put her back in the run for social time because she was so sad in the garage and she is pecking around with energy. Maybe she can hold on until my father, who is a retired surgeon and willing to do the surgery, comes to visit in a month...

 

[azygous]

If your father is a surgeon, then you would understand that surgery performed before the patient has declined into starvation and subsequent weakness is almost always a better option than waiting when you know that the patient requires the surgery as the only option between recovery and death.

But the bottom line is you know your chicken better than we strangers, and are in a better position to make these judgement calls.

As for the sedative/ pain killer, we do not use those for chicken surgery as they are toxic to poultry. It's not necessary anyway. While chickens definitely do feel pain, they respond stoically to it. You will need an assistant to hold the chicken steady, but not because a chicken experiencing pain will react with flopping and panic as a human would. On the contrary, you can expect your patient to lie quietly on her back, reacting not at all to the procedure.

Here is my protocol for crop surgery.

Supplies to assemble:

A helper
Vetericyn wound spray
Betadine or alcohol
Saline wound flush
Sharp, sterilized cutting tool such as a one-sided razor blade or Xacto knife.
Sterile gauze
Tube of super glue
Latex gloves
Bath towel
Scissors to cut away feathers from incision site

Surgery:
-Wrap hen securely in a bath towel confining wings and feet, but leaving the crop exposed. No anesthesia is required. No pain meds.
-Have your helper hold the hen on her back on a hard surface or table.
-Locate the spot where the lump is most concentrated.
-Trim her feathers away so just skin is exposed.
-Prep the site with Betadine or alcohol to remove external bacteria.

Make a one inch incision in the skin. Do not cut any deeper than the outer layer. This will expose the crop sack.

Next, cut a one-inch opening into the crop sack, slightly offset to the outer cut. This is very important. You should be able to see the obstruction, grass or maybe something else that shouldn't be in there.

Putting slight pressure on the crop, push the obstruction toward the opening and pull it out. Continue until you can't get anything else out of it.

Irrigate the inside of the crop with a generous amount of saline until the saline comes out clean.

Dry the incisions by patting with sterile gauze. First apply super glue to the edges of the inner incision. Hold the tissue together until it bonds, about one minute. If it doesn't hold, apply more glue and continue to hold it until it bonds.

Glue the outer incision as you just did the inner one. Spray the incision liberally with Vetericyn. This promotes the tissue to grow together and heal. Do this twice a day for the next two days.

Feed only soft food such as yogurt, soft boiled egg, apple sauce, or gruel made from mixing water into her feed until it's soupy for the week following surgery. Give her a dose of Nutri-drench each day for five days.

 

[pickle47]

Okay this is very helpful thank you. Point taken about wanting to do the surgery when the chicken is strong still.

I have a few questions - one, is it better to keep the chicken off food for the 12 or 24 hours ahead of the surgery, or does this not matter?
Two, is there a concern about the chicken picking at the wound on its bare breast spot during its recovery - do they need a "cone of shame" as is put on dogs and cats (or maybe a crop bra to cover it)?
And three, I am curious about what recovery rates you have experienced - is it common for chickens to go on and live healthy lives after the procedure, or is it hit or miss? (Realizing the answer to this last question is dependent on good sterile technique, etc. during the procedure).

Thank you!!

 

[azygous]

The surgery, while appearing at first glance to be serious, is relatively low risk. The crop sac is tough and you're only dealing with that and the outer skin. No major blood vessels are involved, and risk of infection is very low, as well. Due to the nature of the surgical site, any infection would not immediately risk going systemic.

All of the patients I've been involved with have survived the surgery with good outcomes. There was only one instance of infection of the incision, and that was treated successfully with an antibiotic. Taking reasonable disinfecting measures before and following the surgery is adequate most of the time in preventing post surgical infection.

Withholding food for a few hours prior to surgery would suffice. Post surgery, only soft food and liquids should be given for the next week until the incisions heal, which they do pretty quickly.

 

[Happy hen lover]

Thanks for this thread it taught me a lot. Azygous you are very helpful and thorough.

 

[pickle47]

I second what @Happy hen lover wrote - thank you so much Azygous! I am deeply grateful for all of your help (and all the others who have weighed in as I've dealt with these crop issues). I have a lot more confidence now about doing the surgery, I am rounding up the rest of the supplies and have printed out your instructions. In spite of the crop not going down in size (that I could tell) overnight, she spent a good day outside without gagging/tossing her head, and acting like her normal self and scratching for seeds, so maybe the treatments helped more than I realized. I will keep a close eye on her, and maybe repeat the treatments plus molasses flush if they recur, and be ready for surgery. Again I really appreciate all the help!