Post Crop Impaction Surgery Treatment

[ten chicks]

This link is for a video showing a crop surgery performed by a vet,read all threads.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/858803-impacted-crop-surgery-with-video

 

[KennyRae]

Thank you for showing me this video, it was very helpful!

 

[ErinG]

I'm sorry I didn't respond quicker! Did you attempt surgery? How is she doing?
We did not use anesthetic, we put a sock on her head, and she laid still through the whole thing! We did have someone holding her. We used superglue on her crop and surgical sutures from a nurse friend to stitch up the skin. She did not have sour crop, so I didn't treat for that. We just plucked everything out - mostly straw - until it was empty. There shouldn't be any major vessels that superficial...
She did go back to normal - although she still makes a gurgling noise when she drinks? The impaction did not occur again, but I made some changes. I pulled all the straw (I actually reintroduced straw this winter when it got really cold, 3 years later. They were eating it, so I pulled it again and won't use it in my coop. I use pine shavings. I also got them a bigger feeder after the impaction, it happened because she was at the bottom of the pecking order and was not getting enough food to eat and turned to the straw)
I hope this helps and that she is doing better. I believe doing it earlier than later gives you a better chance at success, when they still have their strength. Good luck!

 

[KennyRae]

Thank you for your help and advice! We actually ended up using a long tube and about 15 ml of mineral oil 2-3 times a day and massaging for about a week and she was finally impact free today!!! But the impaction and sour crop lasted about 2 weeks because the first week we were trying to use a syringe to get oil down her. We also tried just about everything we heard/read to get the impaction moving throughout that first week. Now we're just in the process of weaning her back on her pellets so we can let her back out with the other girls! Thankfully she made it through and is still pretty strong after all that! Thanks again!

 

[ChicksandWeeds]

what tube did you use?

Thank you for your help and advice! We actually ended up using a long tube and about 15 ml of mineral oil 2-3 times a day and massaging for about a week and she was finally impact free today!!! But the impaction and sour crop lasted about 2 weeks because the first week we were trying to use a syringe to get oil down her. We also tried just about everything we heard/read to get the impaction moving throughout that first week. Now we're just in the process of weaning her back on her pellets so we can let her back out with the other girls! Thankfully she made it through and is still pretty strong after all that! Thanks again!

 

[KennyRae]

It was just a skinny, flexible, rubber tube that our vet gave us so that we could get the mineral oil down her a lot quicker and easier.

 

[CynD]

I just preformed the impaction surgery 3 days ago and recovery is going well, but I have some questions.

I am giving soft foods but I can not find answers to these questions anywhere.

Should I be offering GRIT along with the soft food diet?
How long should I wait until giving mash?
How much food at a time? (I don't want to fill crop too full at this point)

Also taking straw and hay from run and what are best options to help not cause this again.
Sand? Pine Shavings?

 

[jcooper3]

I use gravel substrate in my run, and I am very happy with it. There is a bottom layer of larger gravel (jagged pieces about 1/2 long). This layer is about 3 inches deep. On top of that is a layer of pea gravel, about 2 inches deep. Using gravel means that their feet stay super clean. Their poop lands on the gravel and dessicates very quickly, so my run doesn't smell at all. I actually don't need to clean the poop up at all...there is literally zero maintenance (occasionally I cover a pile of coecal poop with a scoop of gravel). This is probably because I only have 6 pullets in a 10 ft X 30 ft run. I'm not sure how easy maintenance would be in a smaller run, but gravel woid HAVE to be cleaner than dirt.

Of course, I live in the Central Valley of California, which is a Mediterranean environment. Rainy winters and hot, dry summers. It doesn't get cold enough here to worry about adding warm substrate like hay or shavings. In fact, the reverse is of more concern...the gravel could get very hot on their feet in the summer. I have provided lots of dense shade for them, which they take advantage of. Also, I have made them a dust bathing bin, with 50/50 sand/peat moss, so when they feel like scratching they scratch and bathe in there, leaving the gravel layers undisturbed for the most part.

 

[CynD]

Thank you. I read about using washed construction sand from "The Chicken Chick" blog. Bought some today and now cleaning out all the straw and hay and will get it in before putting my Twilight back in with the flock. I guess most crop impactions are full of hay and straw which my girl was.

 

[Donna R Raybon]

Don't forget to give her chick sized granite grit before you put her back on solid food! So glad you got it taken care of and she is on the mend.