Severely swollen crop - EDITED to add OMG and pics!!

[rooster-red]

Sorry for your loss.

 

[Wynette]

I'm so sorry you lost her.

 

[SpottedCrow]

I'm sorry for your loss.

 

[California Ducken]

I am sorry you lost her. I am reposting this so another chickener can use this info. to help her baby. I don't know how to bookmark and send this link.
Thank You!

 

[elenarain]

I am so sorry to hear about you hen, but I have to tell you that your post may save another one!

I posted yesterday about our hen, not knowing what was wrong with her. Went out today and her chest looks like a balloon. Since last night, she has scratched most of the feathers off her chest down to the skin..our poor girl.

We have followed the oil regime on fowl facts, with massage. Should we wait to see if the oil helps or do we need to go straight to the baking soda and then surgery?
Thanks so much for your help and so sorry about your girl!

Ellen

 

[JimL]

I had a hen that died of a pendulous crop. I took her to the vet (a bird specialist), he didn't seem too impressed. He said she has some kind of blockage. Then sold me $150. injectable anti-biotic to be used twice a day for two weeks. She lasted one week. Firstly, I feel stupid for spending that kind of money. I should have done more research on this before seeing the Vet. And third, that Doctor is a jerk.
Now I have another hen with the same problem. I have learned alot since the first one died. I will try to treat her myself but am resigned to the fact the she might not survive.

 

[ultasol]

A note of hope- I have a hen that is at least three years old and she has had a pendulous crop for over a year. Hers is just stretched out- like a belly after multiple pregnancies. She still lays an occasional egg- not bad for a three year old.

 

[TwoCrows]

Quote:
I just went thru a 7 week treatment for sour crop on an 8 month old Australorp pullet. It is difficult to treat especially if you do not know what the cause is. But basically a sour crop is when the good bacteria's get out of wack from either some sort of infection, a yeast or fungal infection of the crop.

I went the route of the vet and had her crop flushed and she was on several medications. She did not have any infection but a yeast/fungal infection in the crop. I found that the most useful medication of all was plain raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar. Yeasts, fungus and even some bacterias can not live in such an acid environment in the birds body. It turned out that she was allergic to her feed and recuperated extremely fast after I started her on a new feed. She did recover completely.

But with AVC in the water, (3 tablespoons per one gallon of water), keeping the bird "vomited" to keep the soured poison out of the crop, and a diet of soft foods for a few weeks can do wonders for a soured crop. Also keep the bird warm at night under a lamp. The crop will slow further if she is cold. If it is an infection, Baytril will take care of the infection and using AVC will stop the soured crop til the bird heals. Good luck!

Edit to add: A pendulous crop does not empty properly and you can use one of these to support the crop so that it will not sour in the future from not complete emptying out.

http://www.hensaver.com/Crop-Bra.html

 

[JimL]

The second bird that had a swollen crop ( balloon-like, not impacted) is doing fine now. I did as you suggested. Regurgitating her and feeding soft food for several days she is back to normal. I think that catching the problem early helped.