Older Hen with Slow Crop: Slow Crop Treatment with Updates

[elissarules]

Bernie’s crop was flat again today. It’s getting hard figuring out where it is! Which is good. I’m glad it’s not obvious anymore.

Anyway she is LOVING the dry food.

I’ll let you guys know if anything goes amiss, but otherwise Ill update you in few days if her crop is still flat. Hopefully she’ll be eating some mealworms by the end of the week. Even better, she’ll be out of the cage!! (Idk if that’s realistic or not, but yknow). Thanks guys!

 

[rebrascora]

 

[elissarules]

Hey y’all! So I think Bernie’s crop had some stuff in it when I checked this morning. I gave her some meal worms on wednesday and it seemed fine, so I have her some scratch grains (i think? i attached a photo) with her regular food on thursday. it felt a little squishy and like there was maybe some water and the grain in there. I don’t entirely understand? Did I do something wrong or what? This morning I gave her water and regular feed again because she seemed to be able to digest that.

 

[Kiki]

Are you offering her grit?

 

[elissarules]

Are you offering her grit?

No. Should I be?

 

[Kiki]

No. Should I be?

YEs.
If you feed anything besides a complete chicken feed you should have grit available.

 

[rebrascora]

Anything that does not go to a mush in water needs to be ground up in the gizzard using grit because the hen has no teeth to chew... so grains and vegetation and insects etc. Grit will not help a crop impaction because the crop is not strong enough to perform that grinding action, but a crop impaction can result from a gizzard impaction which will occur if grit has not been provided..... so yes grit is important.

Scratch really isn't the best thing to feed them though much as they love it and needs to be rationed quite strictly if you do feed it. I would lay off it for her for now but stick with a small number of meal worms each day, maybe just 5 or 6 and give her access to a little bowl of grit to take as she needs it. It could be that there is still a small amount of vegetation acting like a sieve in her crop and preventing the larger particles from making their way through her system though.

 

[elissarules]

Anything that does not go to a mush in water needs to be ground up in the gizzard using grit because the hen has no teeth to chew... so grains and vegetation and insects etc. Grit will not help a crop impaction because the crop is not strong enough to perform that grinding action, but a crop impaction can result from a gizzard impaction which will occur if grit has not been provided..... so yes grit is important.

Scratch really isn't the best thing to feed them though much as they love it and needs to be rationed quite strictly if you do feed it. I would lay off it for her for now but stick with a small number of meal worms each day, maybe just 5 or 6 and give her access to a little bowl of grit to take as she needs it. It could be that there is still a small amount of vegetation acting like a sieve in her crop and preventing the larger particles from making their way through her system though.

Okay, sounds good. Is there anything I can do about the small amount of vegetation? Or would surgery be the only option for that?

 

[Relleoms]

Okay, sounds good. Is there anything I can do about the small amount of vegetation? Or would surgery be the only option for that?

If you can massage her to try to break it up, that would be awesome! Surgery would be the very last option! If you’re home today, try to massage as often as you are able!!! You’re doing great

 

[elissarules]

If you can massage her to try to break it up, that would be awesome! Surgery would be the very last option! If you’re home today, try to massage as often as you are able!!! You’re doing great

Sounds good!!! Okay! I’m going to go pick up some more grit (the other birds knocked over the bag I bought for her last month :/) and then I’ll massage her. I’m also gonna fix her crop bra’s straps - they’re a little too loose now. Thank you for your help and encouragement! <3