Silkie Hen Month Long Slow Crop (doesn't smell) not improving

[TheDarkestwolf]

On Feb 26 my 5 month old Silkie Pullet was discovered to have a large tennis ball sized, watery, gritty crop. I took her to a vet who said her digestive system had shut down and she had no hope. Luckily a member of my chicken FB groups had treated chickens with similar symptoms (coincidentally ones that the same vet had told the owner to put down as well) and she offered to take in my pullet and try to save her with oil treatments, massages etc. After 8 days of trying it was apparent that nothing much was going to change so I took her in for crop surgery to clear it out for a fresh start, but the only vet anywhere in my area who could do chickens was the same one who said she had no chance. I forced him to do it, and she survived it fine, but he wouldn't tell me what was in there or even debrief me after the surgery on how she did or after care...even said I could start feeding her right away. I took it upon myself to disregard that and did critical liquid diet, hydrohen and water for 3 days, then moistened food slowly before solid food. She's had great looking feces this entire time, a VORACIOUS appetite, has never looked the slightest bit depressed or sullen, she's like a hover even eating nonfood items like she has pica, which is why I assume she got into this issue, clogging up her crop to begin with. She was doing great post surgery, slowly gaining weight again, until I had her sunbathing on the back of the couch, when she found a bit pine shavings left by another chicken and gobbled it right down before I could grab it. The next morning her crop hadn't emptied fully and it all started again. She's kept on puppy pads in a dog kennel currently, she's been kept in a crop bra (though she's quite the escape artist) since surgery, and as far as she's concerned thinks this is much ado about nothing. She's been treated at various times with vitamin E & Selenium, Nutridrench, Critical care omnivore, mineral oil, olive oil, vomiting...I'm at a loss as to what else to do. I'm hoping once her vitamin levels and weight get back up she might loose her appetite for nonfood items that is killing her, because I can't keep her in sterile playpens and cages forever. Has anyone ever seen this before and know what to do? Is she just going to have to live the rest of her life this way? I really could use any help anyone could give at this point. Picture is of Princess Snowflake today, one month post "guts not working".

 

[Wyorp Rock]

What are the non food items that she's eating?

Do you provide her with a source of grit (crushed granite)? Chickens will consume a number of things that we may deem non food, but their gizzard is powerful if in good shape and will grind many things up.

I would provide her with a 18-20% poultry feed and plain water. Offer her a small treat of fruit, veggies or egg once a day. Make grit available free choice.
Does she lay eggs at all?

 

[TheDarkestwolf]

What are the non food items that she's eating?

Do you provide her with a source of grit (crushed granite)? Chickens will consume a number of things that we may deem non food, but their gizzard is powerful if in good shape and will grind many things up.

I would provide her with a 18-20% poultry feed and plain water. Offer her a small treat of fruit, veggies or egg once a day. Make grit available free choice.
Does she lay eggs at all?

She tore apart and ate bits of a nesting pad I bought from Amazon that is what I think started it all. I took it out immediately after it was trashed, but damage was done. After that she's swallowed Bits of Pine Shavings, Strings from the ground, fuzz on clothing, she'll pick at anything she sees really. If you set her on the floor instead of her puppy pads she'll basically eat any 'bits' she sees, even though she has free access to 28% protein food all the time, oyster shell calcium and grits, water, I give her nutridrench and she's not laying yet. She's still severely underweight from her crop discovery/treatment period but she's gaining now. It's really strange. I hate not being able to let her have much space, but don't want her to kill herself on something I've missed.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

That's a chicken's nature to pick at things, so unlikely she will stop that.
Interesting the vet was unable/unwilling to give you more information about what they removed from her crop. I don't think I would use them again.

 

[TheDarkestwolf]

That's a chicken's nature to pick at things, so unlikely she will stop that.
Interesting the vet was unable/unwilling to give you more information about what they removed from her crop. I don't think I would use them again.

I won't be going to them again. I took her to a different vet a few weeks later and he believed that she may have ingested some fibers that had gotten lodged in organs located past the crop and behind the air sacs, making it impossible for surgery but effectively holding up the entire digestive process...which basically means that the first vet was right, her "guts weren't working" as he so elegantly put it. BUT, my second vet also said that given time and a liquid diet that could pass through and wouldn't just sit in her crop and ferment the blockage SHOULD be able to be disintegrated by all of the bacterial and yeast in there. That's why she was having so many problems, and he couldn't give me any treatments for the sour crop, because if he stopped the process, the blockage would never be cleared. He recommended Ensure as the liquid diet which I did for awhile until I was able to find alternate avian specific diets, and sure enough after about 3 weeks (he estimated a few months) she eventually had some really thick black feces and has now been able to be transitioned back onto full dry chicken food! It's been 2 full days, her crop is emptying normally, not overfilling, and not going sour. Fingers crossed she keeps improving!!

 

[TheDarkestwolf]

Snowflake today! Not sure what I am going to do with her, silly pica chicken

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm glad to hear she's doing much better!