Sick Rooster-Impacted crop?

[Sword]

There's something wrong with one of my pet roosters. He's lethargic, hunched over, won't lift his tail and has a hard lump on his chest. No vet around here will see him, although my favorite vet offered to sell me a bird safe antibiotic. Would the antibiotic help? Does anyone know whats wrong with him?

 

[StupidBird]

Search 'impacted' or 'sour' crop here on byc. Good luck

 

[Sword]

I looked them both up and I think it's an impacted crop. I gave him some olive oil and massaged the lump, and he's improved a bit but is still very subdued and sick looking. Is there anything else I can do for him, or should I just keep doing the olive oil/massage thing? Also, there was a weird sound coming from him when I was doing the olive oil thing. It sounded like the popping noise that rice krispys make when you pour milk on them. Is that a good or bad sign?

 

[Chicken_Pauper]

Keep up what you are doing..... I would just keep massaging his crop and following the treatment suggested for impacted crop.... primarily. BE VERY careful... when you give the olive oil or any oral medication, food or water into him... that you do not put it into the airway... be careful to avoid the windpipe behind his tongue.. he would die rather quickly of "drowning" if you get anything into the airway. (Search -- "giving oral medication")

You can offer him some yogurt or buttermilk mixed with scrambled eggs / or mixed with some "complete" food, like "laying mash".. or wet laying pellets a little (then add some buttermilk or yogurt) and it will turn to a mash. Maybe you could put a little extra olive in that as well.

Just offer, don't force, the yogurt food mix...

I am figuring that he gets a complete food or some grit with his food regularly. And, the "respiratory" sounds, like "crackles", like he may have some congestion in his lungs or airway?? Does the info on impacted crop say anything about congestion or aspiration?

I don't know how old he is... or how old your hens are. Have you every wormed them all? Worms can cause a variety of symptoms, and if your chickens are free range especially and over five or six months old they could have worms. (Use the search here on BYC for "worming with Valbazen", or "worming" -- special attention to posts by dawg53 on worming, dosages, etc.)

But, I would continue to deal with this as impacted and / or sour crop first... then, afterwards.. if you haven't, consider worming everyone.

If you have more than one rooster, could they be fighting? Could your rooster have gotten injured or "beat up" by another rooster?

Good luck.

 

[h8snags]

One of my hens started acting funny, I figured out she had impacted crop. I gave her flaxseed oil, and massaged her crop, then gave her apple cider vinegar and massaged that into her crop as well. She was doing much better a few hours later. Then by the end of the day her crop size was in half! I massaged her every few hours for the day. The next day she was almost back to normal! Here is a link to a video, which is what I found, so you can see what the chicken does when they have an impacted crop. Hope that helps! Good luck!

 

[OregonChickenGal]

Quote:
Be very careful when giving oil, if you get it in his lungs, he will aspirate. I just had a hen with an impacted crop. I separated her to a dog crate. Gave her oil which she just licked from the dropper and massaged. I did this several times a day. Only gave her water with ACV and no food the first 24 hrs. The next morning the crop was down alittle. Gave her more oil and massage. That evening, I gave her just a little scrambled egg which she gobbled up. The next morning, the lump was almost gone, but still only fed her a soft diet and not much of it. Always check the crop in the morning before they eat. It should always be empty since they don't eat at night. After 3 days she's back to normal and back in with the flock, but still will check her every morning before she eats anything just to may sure the crop is still working normaly.

 

[Sword]

He's gone.

 

[RhodeIslandRedFan]

I'm very sorry

 

[h8snags]

Ohhhh.... I am so sorry!