RIR with bulging/impacted crop

[owner of RIR]

I have a nine week old RIR who has a bulging/impacted crop. I noticed it three days ago and after reviewing multiple websites and videos I did what they said. I have secluded her, given her olive oil via syringe, given her water with ACV via syringe. She has not eaten in almost two days. She is very alert and not happy to be secluded. She wants to eat and be active in the yard.
Her crop has not gone down, however I am not sure it is impacted. It may be sour. It is the size of an extra large egg/small ball. It is not hard like a baseball. It feels like a balloon is filled with something, not really soft, but pliable. There is no foul smell coming from her mouth. She burbs and gargles often though.
Any suggestions? Can she eat anything. Poor girl seems so hungry. Can I let her be with the other hens. I am not sure what to do about the crop. She is also pooping sometimes. I am new at raising chickens and want to help her in any way that I can. Thanks for any advise.

 

[owner of RIR]

Hi there and
What does her poop look like?

Have you read this:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...d-sour-crops-prevention-and-treatments.67194/

Yesterday it was a little solid, today more runny. I had not seen the article your provided. I will try some of the suggested things. Thanks

 

[Kiki]

Hi there and
What does her poop look like?

Have you read this:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...d-sour-crops-prevention-and-treatments.67194/

 

[Sheddiver]

I have a nine week old RIR who has a bulging/impacted crop. I noticed it three days ago and after reviewing multiple websites and videos I did what they said. I have secluded her, given her olive oil via syringe, given her water with ACV via syringe. She has not eaten in almost two days. She is very alert and not happy to be secluded. She wants to eat and be active in the yard.
Her crop has not gone down, however I am not sure it is impacted. It may be sour. It is the size of an extra large egg/small ball. It is not hard like a baseball. It feels like a balloon is filled with something, not really soft, but pliable. There is no foul smell coming from her mouth. She burbs and gargles often though.
Any suggestions? Can she eat anything. Poor girl seems so hungry. Can I let her be with the other hens. I am not sure what to do about the crop. She is also pooping sometimes. I am new at raising chickens and want to help her in any way that I can. Thanks for any advise.[/QUOT

 

[rebrascora]

Hi

Give her very sloppy feed by soaking her regular feed in water and then adding more water/oil to make it almost liquid. Massage her crop quite firmly 3-4 times a day from the bottom upwards. If she is impacted there will be a plug of soggy fibrous material that is blocking food from going into her digestive tract and effectively starving her. It needs to be broken up or removed or she will die. What type of bedding does she have access to? Straw and hay are the commonest causes of impaction but long grass can also cause it. Some people have had success with laxative products like Dulcolax or as a last ditch resort, there is crop surgery to remove the material from her crop by making an incision through the skin in the chest/neck.... not for the faint hearted.

Hopefully some regular massage will break it up.

Good luck

Barbara

 

[Sheddiver]

Being new this chick thing I'm not sure if I can really help you. But I just ran into the same situation with a 2 week old chick. She was also tired but couldn't sleep. It looked like she was having trouble breathing. Her crop was also biggerthan her chick mates. And it felt doft and squishy. I gently massaged her crop a few times. When I first picked her up she didn't make a sound. After about the 5th time of massaging her crop I finally heard a weak cheep. I massaged her crop one more time. The next morning crop was back to normal. It's been 5 days and she's doing well. Crossing my fingers for you.

 

[owner of RIR]

Hi

Give her very sloppy feed by soaking her regular feed in water and then adding more water/oil to make it almost liquid. Massage her crop quite firmly 3-4 times a day from the bottom upwards. If she is impacted there will be a plug of soggy fibrous material that is blocking food from going into her digestive tract and effectively starving her. It needs to be broken up or removed or she will die. What type of bedding does she have access to? Straw and hay are the commonest causes of impaction but long grass can also cause it. Some people have had success with laxative products like Dulcolax or as a last ditch resort, there is crop surgery to remove the material from her crop by making an incision through the skin in the chest/neck.... not for the faint hearted.

Hopefully some regular massage will break it up.

Good luck

Barbara

There is shavings inside the coop for bedding. She mainly free ranges and then roosts at night.

 

[owner of RIR]

I have a nine week old RIR who has a bulging/impacted crop. I noticed it three days ago and after reviewing multiple websites and videos I did what they said. I have secluded her, given her olive oil via syringe, given her water with ACV via syringe. She has not eaten in almost two days. She is very alert and not happy to be secluded. She wants to eat and be active in the yard.
Her crop has not gone down, however I am not sure it is impacted. It may be sour. It is the size of an extra large egg/small ball. It is not hard like a baseball. It feels like a balloon is filled with something, not really soft, but pliable. There is no foul smell coming from her mouth. She burbs and gargles often though.
Any suggestions? Can she eat anything. Poor girl seems so hungry. Can I let her be with the other hens. I am not sure what to do about the crop. She is also pooping sometimes. I am new at raising chickens and want to help her in any way that I can. Thanks for any advise.

She seems to want to spit up what is in there. Sometimes when I am message it, she will spit up some of it. Any advice for this?

 

[rebrascora]

You can try vomiting her if she is trying to get rid of it herself. It is dangerous though because they can accidentally suck vomit into their airway and choke. There are videos on You Tube which will show you how to do it better than I could describe, but watch several so that you don't copy a bad technique. Give her plenty of opportunities to breath and recover in between attempts. She is at serious risk of death if you are not able to shift it, so you need to balance the risk of vomiting her against that or perhaps try the dulcolax (I think that is the brand name I have read people use) first.

It could be that she has been eating shavings and they are the cause, which at least should come up or go down, easier than straw or hay or sometimes feathers even, which are all long and thin and ravel up into a ball.
Good luck!