Pendulous crop, but otherwise seems healthy.

[DerbyChook]

That is very helpful, thank you! I made one on Sunday, but didn't do the two part neck tie, so it didn't fit quite right. I took it off this morning because she seemed to have it part way off anyway and I was afraid she would get tangled in it. But her crop looked bit better, the other bantams accepted her back with the bra and were not picking at her, and she laid and egg yesterday. So I guess it is going pretty well I will make her a new one this evening when I have a bit of time.

You should bookmark that tutorial or add it to your "About" page in case someone else needs it in the future. That was the best one I have seen. And your kids are adorable!

 

[dixiekittiez]

Thank you; I hope it helps your girlie. You can always tweak things a bit. I pinch the padded part sometimes to the straps to give more support. I think that Henny Penny will always need a bra of some kind. I periodically give her a break from it but her crop remains stretched out. I did try to limit her grass exposure but she was miserable locked up. I give her lots of grit sprinkled in her feed to make sure she gets it. I also keep her away from straw; but she is free to run around during the day outside. She really does not seem to eat much grass. She does occasionally try to run the cat off of his food and I have to step in and protect him from the Big Bad Miss Penny (he is a wimp). Generally, though, they are the best of friends. Did you try to give lots of grit to your girls to help break up the pellets they were given? I also give greek yogurt regularly just to prevent any sour crop from occurring (since I know her crop doesn't work right). Good luck, and I really hope it all works out for you! Also, there are a few really good videos on youtube about making your chicken vomit. I occasionally have to empty Penny's crop if it is too full. Make sure to have paper towels handy to wipe her beak so she doesn't aspirate; if she doesn't vomit, though, let it go. It's better to have a fuller crop than an aspirated chicken.

 

[DerbyChook]

I did buy a bag of granite grit and started adding it to her pellets. I also started giving yogurt because it seemed like it would help keep the bacteria in her crop balanced plus the extra protein would be good for her. When I give treats, I have been making sure she gets more than her share for the extra nutrients. She does lay, but I notice that the yolk color is paler than the other chickens, so I take that to mean that she is not absorbing as many nutrients as the other girls and needs a bit extra. I should probably add vitamins a few times a week as well. I will check out the youtube videos.

She seems feisty and happy, other than hating her new bra. But she really does need it. She was wearing the feathers off the bottom of the crop, I guess from it dragging on the ground, poor little thing I might give the sewn version a try since the vet tape version seems to be helping. Thanks for your help!

 

[Sassafras]

Dixiekittiez,

Can you tell me how long the body and neck straps are? If you can provide the dimensions that would be great.

Thank you

 

[dixiekittiez]

Miss Penny is a banty, so her straps are not very long. You want the bra to be rather snug. After fastening the body straps I can fit a finger underneath it. Same goes for the neck straps. As I end up tying them the actual length varies. Again, I can usually fit a finger underneath-but you want to make it snug enough to hold up a possibly heavy crop. I then just squish the extra vetwrap to itself to further snug it up. I pretty much want the main piece of vetwrap to be a bit longer than the girth of her chest. It would have to be longer for a standard sized chicken. Maybe even having to put 2 pieces of vetwrap together (one on top of the other to add width to the whole thing). Hope this helps you. Feel free to contact me if you need more help

 

[Sassafras]

Thanks Dixiekittiez. Last Sunday I made one by making a criss cross with the vetwrap by just wrapping it in an X across her chest and then crossing it on her back after going behind her wings. It seems to be doing ok but I am going to take it off today and see how it goes. Her crop seems quite a bit smaller since I have had her caged and on a light diet of soft food for a few days. Now she is back to eating pellets. Keeping my fingers crossed. If it still seems saggy tomorrow I will try making my own in your design Thanks for your help.

 

[honeychile]

Here's what I love about this place -- often the archives are just what you need! Almost five years after the original post, I find myself with a young Sicilian Buttercup pullet (about 3 months old) who has developed a pendulous crop. I kept an eye on it for a couple of days just to be sure that it wasn't due to a single gorge-fest, but no. It doesn't seem to be affecting her at all yet. But I am concerned and don't want it growing larger or leading to something untoward. So I went on a google quest to find an answer. Not a thing has changed in the five years since this was originally posted. I did find a retail chicken bra, but holy mackerel -- $25?!? Noooo. So using this very nice, complete thread, I made one similar to the one posted. My daughter held my little Buttercup while I measured her. Then I went inside to put one together while she enjoyed a bit more petting. Then on it went. She fussed a little until she got it settled down, but I think it's going to work out fine. I'll post later to let you know how it's going. I'd love to be able to remove it eventually.

 

[honeychile]

I'd love to hear an update on the original story, if that person is still online?

 

[Cryss]

Great! I ordered one from crazy k farms last February and it worked perfectly, my cockerel doesn't get sour crop as long as he wears it. Now it's pretty well beat up so yesterday I ordered 2 more. Problem is it takes a long time cuz they make them to order. I thought about using vet wrap in a cross cross fashion. Now I wish the poster here that did that, @sassafrass , would have returned with an update on that design. Gonna buy some wrap tomorrow.

 

[honeychile]

Thanks for your response and I'm glad to hear it's working for your cockerel. That encourages me with my own situation. As my daughter pointed out to me, working with VetWrap is a little like dealing with clingwrap for food -- a little tricky! I had to get her to hold the chicken while I put the device on, to keep it from sticking to itself and becoming unusable. She has more experience than I do using VetWrap with animals, and she also told me to check on the thing periodically as that stuff tends to loosen up over time. I like to sew, and if this turns out to be something that is needed for an extended time, I'll probably try my hand at making something using elastic or velcro to secure it. If I do, I'll be sure to post a pattern here.