Seemingly healthy chicken has a giant crop...

[David-in-PDX]

Damerow’s book is helpful, she does a great job of providing very concise ways to distinguish impacted crop, sour crop, and pendulous crop. Based on this, I believe that pendulous crop is my hen’s underlying condition. It is possible that there is some sour crop, but the smell seems to have gone away so that is less a concern.

She has still a large, firm mass in her crop. I think it will need to be removed surgically, but I am massaging it every hour and it is at least changing shape and perhaps getting smaller. I have a hard time imagining it going away on its own, though.

Her poop is more watery and irregular, but she is still bright, active, and laying. Here’s some nest box competition from yesterday:

Seems she’s using that giant crop to try to displace our broody Jersey Giant.

She sees a vet tomorrow, so I’ll be interested to see what comes from that.

 

[Riv-6]

@azygous

Have you given her coconut oil and tried to massage after giving it? With an impacted crop it might help break it up.

 

[David-in-PDX]

@azygous

Have you given her coconut oil and tried to massage after giving it? With an impacted crop it might help break it up.

I have not tried oil of any sort, but I probably should. I’ll see about that today. I have olive oil on hand, no coconut oil. Just need to look up how to get it into her.

 

[azygous]

Giving coconut oil is easy because you can render it solid and easy to handle by chilling it slightly. Measure out one teaspoon, and break it up into pea size pieces and then slip each piece into her beak. It's much safer than squirting liquid oil into the beak and hoping it doesn't get into the airway.

Use the oil along with massage to break up an impaction of solids. Use a stool softener if this doesn't work. Let it work for half an hour with a teaspoon of oil and then do more massage concentrating on kneading the center of the mass with your finger tips.

This could take all day to accomplish with more oil and massage every hour. If by the end of the day the mass is still intact, then I can walk you through the crop surgery.

 

[David-in-PDX]

Thanks for the advice. I got some coconut oil and have done one massage session this morning. Will continue throughout the day.

What would you recommend as a laxative?

If surgery is needed I’ll probably get the vet to do it, assuming I can afford it.

The hard mass is definitely spreading out and coming loose. It’s still just so much material! I’m curious to see how it all goes and if she can move this stuff through her system

 

[coach723]

If you need a laxative use Ducosate Sodium (non-stimulant stool softener), like Colace. Not a stimulant laxative. I would continue with the massages and try to break up the mass. If the mass is large a stool softener won't help it pass, making it smaller may. If there is too much fiberous stuff then surgery may be the only way to remove it. If the crop is stretched out (you mentioned a fold in the bottom) then a crop bra may be needed to help it empty properly. It may be pendulous if it's been full for a while.

 

[azygous]

Don't give up on the oil, stool softener (NOT a laxative) and massage. This will occupy you for the rest of today. By evening, the crop should be mostly clear. Allow food and water, soft boiled egg or yogurt, up until bedtime, then remove.

To be certain the impaction has been licked, check the crop in the morning before food and water are again allowed the chicken. That will tell you how successful the treatment was.

 

[David-in-PDX]

Thanks for the advice, all!

My plan is to continue the massage and coconut today into tomorrow before the vet visit. I have the feeling that the matter in her crop needs to be surgically removed. I'll update after the vet visit.

 

[David-in-PDX]

Saw the vet yesterday. They agreed that she needed surgery, and we went ahead and did it yesterday.

The vet pulled 3-4 cups of grass out of her crop. Didn’t see any other material, just lots of grass. This hen is our grass gobbler, so no surprise here.

She’s home now, I cleaned any sign of long grass out of their run, and will be working to set up a second run so that the girls can get the greens they need. We will also be planting crimson clover and other greens for them, and I’ll import healthy greens daily until the second run and chicken garden are set up.

The hen still seems to eat and drink in excess. It is almost as though she doesn’t seem to be able to sense whether or not her crop is full, which makes sense after being filled with four cups of grass! We will keep an eye on her for the next few days and monitor her crop. I noticed that it did not fully empty (mostly of water) last night, so I’m adjusting her crop bra to try to get a better fit.

The vet pretty firmly recommended pain relief in the form of Meloxicam. Also recommended discarding her eggs for 48 days after the end of the medicine. It all seems a little over the top to me, but she strongly encouraged the pain killers, so I’ll trust her advice.

Thanks all for your help here! I appreciate your experience and advice. Any tips on recovery or things for me to watch for are welcome, but I think we are mostly in the clear.

 

[azygous]

Glad your hen has been treated and is now on the mend. Very happy that you were lucky to have a good vet to treat her. That's a non-existent luxury for many of us.

Two things to add to your hen's diet that will help her recover are suitable grit and acidophillus tablets to restore and encourage good bacteria in her digestive system. These can help with any lingering digestive issues.

If the vet recommended a soft diet until her surgical wounds heal, follow that time table before introducing the grit.