Please Help - Impacted Crop

[Teamdevine]

One of our 3 month old Ameraucanas has an impacted Crop. We are new to chickens and we slow to diagnose the increased swelling (almost a week). At the time she showed no ill effects otherwise. Since then we began treatment. We separated her and withheld food starting Saturday morning. We first thought is was a Sour Crop so we vomited her and gave her 1cc Gyne-Lotramin (Saturday evening) and roosted her w/o food. Sunday morning we found a hard impaction lump (golf ball size?) and began massaging it on the hour. It breaks up well, but is always reformed the next hour. We gave her 2 rounds of the "1cc Gerber's Veggie Baby food / 2 Dulcolax Gel caps" mix, as well the Epsom Salt Drench in her waterer. We could not tube her fluids because we couldn't get one. We are trying to find one this morning. She has been passing mostly liquid with a little fecal matter.

Our concern is this will be her third day without food. Her spirits are still pretty good. While she seemed to progress well yesterday, we hoped it would be down siginifcantly this morning and it is not. We are worried we simply caught it too late. We will try to tube her water today, and we have the Epsom Salt Drench in her box. We gave her the Gerber's / Dulcolax first thing this am. We are wondering if we should offer any straight baby food, or continue with the gyne-lotramin as I'm sure her Crop is pretty toxic.

Any ideas? Thanks!

 

[GitaBooks]

Keep up the work of keeping her hydrated, massaging her, giving her some oil, and offering her electrolytes. If it doesn't get better then surgery may be necessary.

I hope she gets better soon. Best of luck!

 

[Teamdevine]

Thanks sooo much. She seems to be responding to the tube feeding (watering), and we're keeping electrolytes available. When you tube feed (water), how much should you give at one time and how often? I read one thread say only 10cc's at a time, but when I watch a tube feeding video (i.e. food vs. water) they are giving much more. I ask because this liquid really seems to be helping to break up the impaction....

Thanks again for the wisdom!!

 

[GitaBooks]

I've never tube-fed. Sorry, I'm not sure.

 

[Teamdevine]

That's ok. Thanks again for reaching out!

 

[casportpony]

Thanks sooo much. She seems to be responding to the tube feeding (watering), and we're keeping electrolytes available. When you tube feed (water), how much should you give at one time and how often? I read one thread say only 10cc's at a time, but when I watch a tube feeding video (i.e. food vs. water) they are giving much more. I ask because this liquid really seems to be helping to break up the impaction....

Thanks again for the wisdom!!

I shoot for 15 ml per pound, but if the impaction is large that much might be too much. At 12 weeks she should weigh about 2 pounds, so try more and see how it works. Okay to do several times per day.

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

Don't worry about the lack of food too much, just get as much water into her as possible.

-Kathy