I noticed today that one of my 4 month old pullets has an enlarged pendulum crop. I immediately scooped her up and felt it; it is literally full of sand. My first thought was she was so hungry she ate sand?! But then I thought maybe coccidiosis and she is trying to "fill the void". She was making neck jerk movements like she had something stuck but couldn't see anything or feel anything there. She definitely has dropped weight and was uninterested in the food I put out. Again maybe she was "too full" from the sand. I couldn't feel any water but water and sand... Any ideas? She's one of my french black copper maran babies. I'd hate to lose her.
Pendulum Crop Full of Sand
- Thread starter mebravo
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Some people have great success with something I've not tried yet but will recommend you try, because if you don't you will likely lose her, and it's a sound and proven technique which is on my to-do list if ever I have the same problem.
They give olive oil or similar and massage it through the contents of the crop. Then they turn the bird upside down and massage the contents of the crop out, stopping often enough to let her breathe. That's about all I know but I don't know of anything else you can do, since pushing it further through her body will not be too likely to help.
Most people put the bird on their lap to do this and I would guesstimate the amount of olive oil given to be around two tablespoons. I could be wrong but I do give mine around that amount, sometimes more, if I suspect a crop binding or similar, or just to flush them of something undesirable (bacteria, toxins, etc) and it's not harmed them, so don't worry about that.
Best wishes. If she's a known sand eater (and now she officially is) you'll need to somehow prevent her access to sand. Often when they eat dirt or sand they are seeking either microorganisms that will help their digestive systems, or minerals. Either way the root of the behaviour is dietary need.
They give olive oil or similar and massage it through the contents of the crop. Then they turn the bird upside down and massage the contents of the crop out, stopping often enough to let her breathe. That's about all I know but I don't know of anything else you can do, since pushing it further through her body will not be too likely to help.
Most people put the bird on their lap to do this and I would guesstimate the amount of olive oil given to be around two tablespoons. I could be wrong but I do give mine around that amount, sometimes more, if I suspect a crop binding or similar, or just to flush them of something undesirable (bacteria, toxins, etc) and it's not harmed them, so don't worry about that.
Best wishes. If she's a known sand eater (and now she officially is) you'll need to somehow prevent her access to sand. Often when they eat dirt or sand they are seeking either microorganisms that will help their digestive systems, or minerals. Either way the root of the behaviour is dietary need.
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Cool, hope she passes it all without issue. Thanks for the update. Hope she recovers fully.
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