Questions about treating a likely pendulous crop, maybe?

[serenden]

Lily is our independent, aloof, 27 week old laying hen. I have been checking Lily's crop early in the mornings, and for the last 3 days she's had about a golf ball sized crop in the morning, all squishy. It's squishy during the day, too. It also seems to hang down somewhat - I can place my thumb underneath and it tends to hang over my thumb. No sour smell when I sniff closely at her head.

She is laying an egg almost every day, eating, and pooping normally.

Wondering if there was a small impaction in there under the liquid, I withheld food for one day, and gave her solid coconut oil, then massaged her crop several times that day. It did go down, and I did think I could feel a mass of something in there once the liquid became less. It felt like fibrous material. It could be straw, which we've since removed from the chicken run.

Then yesterday I accidentally forgot to close the coop door at night, so when I went out to let them out, they were already in the run eating :/ (We're in California, mild temps).

This morning I was able to check, and again - golf ball sized, squishy, and I can place my thumb under the crop and it's covered, so I think it's pendulous.

My questions are:
1. If it's squishy but not sour smelling at all, what does this mean? Is it the beginning of sour crop, or is it water that is moving slowly because of a possible impaction? Or just stuck because it's pendulous?

2. Since it's not solid, shall I let her eat regularly?

3. If pendulous crop, can I go ahead and give her a crop bra, and see if the liquid gets digested on its own, or should I treat with myconozole just in case? Or wait a day or two and see if it goes away with the crop bra...

4. What do I feed her during the myconozole if I give that to her? Regular food to see if it's working, or stick with soft foods (egg and yogurt, applesauce, etc)? If I need to only give soft foods, how much should she eat everyday to maintain calories / not starve?

Thanks for any advice on any of these. I also have a hen with a clearly impacted crop, as well as a new puppy coming home in a few days, and an 8 year old human kid.... it's a lot to wrap my brain around at once! I so appreciate this forum

 

[Eggcessive]

Do you have plenty of granite poultry grit in a separate container that they can take as needed? Have you wormed your chickens recently? Valbazen 1/2 tsp given orally, and repeated 10 days later is a good choice. Do you have a picture of your hen showing her crop? I would separate her inside a wire dog crate with water, and a little watery chicken feed and plain yogurt for today. Massage her crop downward several times to break up the solid mass. @azygous is very helpful with crop disorders. Here is an article that she has written:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

 

[Eggcessive]

Here is another thread that can be helpful with impacted crop disorders:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...ntion-and-treatments-of-crop-disorders.67194/

 

[serenden]

Do you have plenty of granite poultry grit in a separate container that they can take as needed? Have you wormed your chickens recently? Valbazen 1/2 tsp given orally, and repeated 10 days later is a good choice. Do you have a picture of your hen showing her crop? I would separate her inside a wire dog crate with water, and a little watery chicken feed and plain yogurt for today. Massage her crop downward several times to break up the solid mass. @azygous is very helpful with crop disorders. Here is an article that she has written:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

Thank you! I am referring to that link, I had meant to post it for reference.

They do have grit, although they don't seem interested in it. Their run is dirt with redwood bark (the hairy kind). Maybe they're getting grit digging around in the dirt.

I'll get a photo of her with her crop, although it's smaller today because she hasn't eaten yet. But still golf ball sized and squishy. Have never wormed them, haven't seen any signs that I needed to. But will consider. I'll follow your advice on the food for today. I can keep her in the coop/enclosed run, and let the rest out into the larger run area.

 

[azygous]

It's probably not sour crop at this point, but I suggest you work on her crop today with oil and massage to break up the little solid ball. After introducing one teaspoon of coconut oil, chilling it to make it easier to shove into her beak, use the tips of your fingers to target the lump.

Massage with your finger tips until you feel the lump break apart. Give another teaspoon of oil and work it some more. This project may take all morning. That's okay. Impactions can take even all day to break up. If you don't seem to be getting anywhere, give one Dulcolax stool softener, let it work for an hour and give more oil and so more massage.

I am not an advocate of withholding food from any chicken except for a completely full and impacted crop, and in that case, the chicken won't feel like eating anyway. Offer her her normal ration and let her decide if and how much she will eat. Water and grit are very important.

 

[serenden]

It's probably not sour crop at this point, but I suggest you work on her crop today with oil and massage to break up the little solid ball. After introducing one teaspoon of coconut oil, chilling it to make it easier to shove into her beak, use the tips of your fingers to target the lump.

Massage with your finger tips until you feel the lump break apart. Give another teaspoon of oil and work it some more. This project may take all morning. That's okay. Impactions can take even all day to break up. If you don't seem to be getting anywhere, give one Dulcolax stool softener, let it work for an hour and give more oil and so more massage.

I am not an advocate of withholding food from any chicken except for a completely full and impacted crop, and in that case, the chicken won't feel like eating anyway. Offer her her normal ration and let her decide if and how much she will eat. Water and grit are very important.

Thank you so much.

I can't feel a lump right now, because the squishy-ness is covering it, if it's still there. I will give the oil and massage though, maybe I'll be able to discern what's in there.

And thank you for letting me know about the food. I'll let her eat.

 

[Cryss]

Withholding feed will only make the chicken weak. I had a rooster with pendulous crop. He had sour crop because of it. I successfully got rid of that using the link given by @Eggcessive and written by @azygous. It came back within a week so I repeated the treatment, but this time I used chicken bras to lift the crop into proper position. It never came back. He remained crop healthy the rest of his life.

 

[serenden]

Withholding feed will only make the chicken weak. I had a rooster with pendulous crop. He had sour crop because of it. I successfully got rid of that using the link given by @Eggcessive and written by @azygous. It came back within a week so I repeated the treatment, but this time I used chicken bras to lift the crop into proper position. It never came back. He remained crop healthy the rest of his life.

And did he need to wear the crop bra for the rest of his life, is that right?

 

[Cryss]

And did he need to wear the crop bra for the rest of his life, is that right?

Well to be honest he was young when this all started so because I wasn’t sure if it would get better over time I kept it on him for a couple of years. After a couple of years I did take it off of him and he lives for another year and a half. Then he never had it come back. But he did pass away in his sleep I believe from a heart condition. So I can’t really say whether it should have been on him for life or not perhaps it could have come off earlier perhaps it was good that he kept it on as long as he did. I can’t tell you that I can only tell you what I experienced.

 

[Eggcessive]

Although I have never used a crop bra, I have read from experienced BYC members that the bra needs to be positioned just right to work. It would need to be permanent if your chicken has a pendulous crop.