Pendulous crop?

[TwoCrows]

If she is impacted, are the greens still OK? She does enjoy them! (though I left the kale in my work fridge and will need to go out for more ) Since I don't know whether it's blockage or yeast (or both?) I don't want to make either scenario worse. If it were yeast, wouldn't she have responded a bit by now even though the copper treatment wasn't perfect?

She's ignoring the wet feed (which is mixed layer and grower), so I'll remove it. The other girls might like it, though they ignored it yesterday.

Finally, Ruby hasn't laid in months. HOWEVER... I think she may have had a mini molt earlier and is in the full molt now. Since this is only my third year of keeping chickens, I'm still learning the molt patterns (or lack thereof!) I think I am mentioning the laying because deep down I am aware the crop may be a symptom of something else... hoping I can help her clear it...

Birds have to eat. Impacted or not. Greens may move slow, but they won't feed yeasts.

It takes a minimum of 5 full days on the Copper to work. Copper Sulfate can sometimes take 7 full days to kill off yeast. I've seen it take 10 days. So a few days is not enough to judge.

And yes, many times other internal issues are going on like internal laying, reproductive cancer or Liver disease
All these are extremely common in hens, swellings from any of these can close off or slow the emptying of the waste and crop. And of course any disease will lower immune function causing yeast infections all throughout the body.

 

[micstrachan]

Well, maybe I should not have stopped the copper, but Ruby seemed dehydrated. If I were to put her back on it, would I need to start the full course over? I realize this is not an ideal scenario... (I sense you rolling your eyes at me and don't blame you!)

As far as liver disease... do you mean fatty liver? Ruby has always been on the lean side and usually ignores treats. Her favorite way to eat is free ranging (and eating feathers in the run, at least during molt ). She eats well out in the yard, and does not tend to eat feathers out there, I think. Are there other liver issues I should be aware of?

I'm running out for kale right now... I'll chop it up nice and small.

 

[TwoCrows]

She probably isn't drinking the Copper. If you can get a couple of tablespoons of the liquid down her beak a day, it will help. These yeast infections are a bear to treat. I have definitely had my share of funky crops in my day.

If you feel it could also be an impaction (yeasts grow in any slow crop condition) you might give the plain dolculax a try. (Docusate Sodium 100mgs only, no laxatives) This is a stool softener and is used in Crop Bound pills. Squeeze the contents of 1 pill onto something you know she will eat. Do this twice daily for a few days. If she doesnt start passing the impaction by then, either she isnt impacted or its not going to move. But keep up all anti yeast procedures, slow crops are yeasty.

 

[micstrachan]

Ok, thank you. She is hanging out in the little red (grow out) coop instead of the wired area below. I think this is because she is afraid of Roxy and feels she can't get away from her down there (despite the wire between them). She seems to have eaten all of the raw egg, so I believe she is hungry. I put kale through the Cuisinart for her and chopped up plain chicken breast nice and small. I hope she eats some. I put them up above in the little red coop so she can eat in peace.

So if I syringe the copper and use a 1mL syringe, that would be 15 syringe-fulls per tablespoon! Is there an easier way?

Does the Dulcolax come in some sort of liquid pills? Is that what you mean by squeeze it out? I think she would eat it over scrambled egg (though she already ate a raw egg today.)

Thanks so much for all your support @TwoCrows! You, too, @Wyorp Rock! I'm getting different advice from the two of you, but both are helpful, as only I can evaluate my bird in person (unless I take her to a vet at some point.)

I'm going to weigh her, too.

 

[micstrachan]

Um, yeah. Poor Ruby is starving...

She never molted last year, so I don't know how much weight loss is normal for her during molt. I think I'll weigh some more of them...

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Ok, thank you. She is hanging out in the little red (grow out) coop instead of the wired area below. I think this is because she is afraid of Roxy and feels she can't get away from her down there (despite the wire between them). She seems to have eaten all of the raw egg, so I believe she is hungry. I put kale through the Cuisinart for her and chopped up plain chicken breast nice and small. I hope she eats some. I put them up above in the little red coop so she can eat in peace.

So if I syringe the copper and use a 1mL syringe, that would be 15 syringe-fulls per tablespoon! Is there an easier way?

Does the Dulcolax come in some sort of liquid pills? Is that what you mean by squeeze it out? I think she would eat it over scrambled egg (though she already ate a raw egg today.)

Thanks so much for all your support @TwoCrows! You, too, @Wyorp Rock! I'm getting different advice from the two of you, but both are helpful, as only I can evaluate my bird in person (unless I take her to a vet at some point.)

I'm going to weigh her, too.

LOL Ask a 2 more people and you will get 4 different opinions
Go with what Leyla says, she has dealt with more crop issues than I have.

You can try a bigger syringe, but if you are going to try to get it directly in the crop, then the 1ml is smallest and easiest to use (at least for me).
The Dulcolax (stimulant free) comes in like a gel cap. You can squeeze it out if you wish. I usually just put it in the beak and the birds swallows it
As you're finding out - all of us do things differently, soooo....it's really up to you to find what "works" best for your situation.

 

[micstrachan]

Well, she won't eat anything I'm giving her except for the egg. I can hardly bear not letting her range, as I know she would eat out there...

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Well, she won't eat anything I'm giving her except for the egg. I can hardly bear not letting her range, as I know she would eat out there...

I know you are struggling with this, but if she has an impacted or slow crop, she really does not need to be ranging or eating anything but soft foods, imho.
Adding grass, grains and anything else that may be harder to process just compounds the issue.
She is not going to die if she only has her normal food to eat for a few days. Scramble her an egg for a treat and call it good.

 

[micstrachan]

Ok... she just seems sad and I don't want her to lose her will to live.

Her crop is nice and soft right now since she's had lots of water. I don't feel a "nugget" down in the center, but I suppose I'll find out tomorrow morning after all the liquid goes through her.

 

[TwoCrows]

I use the 1ml syringes because you can control exactly how much water you get into them. About .3 or .4 ml under the tongue is about as much as they can take without aspirating.

And because you say the crop is nice and soft now, hard when everything drains over night? Impactions don't usually act this way. Sounds like a doughy crop to me.

Birds can live on eggs exclusively for quite a long time. An egg contains all the building blocks of life, definitely enough to live on for a sick bird. I kept a quail hen alive on eggs and peaches for 8 straight months while recuperating from Western Equine Encephalitis from a mosquito bite. Its all she would eat for 8 months, refused everything else and she did survive! No worse for the wear either!