Small Impacted Crop: To Perform Surgery or Not?

[592667]

I’ve been giving her calcium since last week. And have been giving her Pedialyte

which antibiotics do you recommend?
Some people say ibuprofen, Tylenol, etc... but I’m not going to do that! What about penicillin from a farm supply store?

the stores are closed right now....until tomorrow around 9am...Is there anything that I can give her from my medicine around the house??

 

[azygous]

Penicillin is fine. Whatever is one hand would probably do okay. Go look.

 

[592667]

I don’t have any penicillin right now, I’ll have to get it tomorrow. So I’m debating whether or not to give her anything from home....Ibuprofen, Tylenol, aspirin, and such are not antibiotics....So I probably shouldn’t give it to her.

 

[azygous]

The only pain reliever I feel comfortable recommending for chickens is 81 grain chewable aspirin.

 

[592667]

Okay. Thanks for your recommendation.
do you think the aspirin will help her with her possible infection? Or should I wait until tomorrow to get the penicillin for her?

 

[azygous]

Aspirin only relieves pain and reduces infammation and fever. It is not an anti-microbial.

 

[StPaulieGirls]

Wondering what the outcome was for your hen?

 

[StPaulieGirls]

Hey, folks,

We tubed 30 CCs of warm water w/Nutridrench into our impacted hen's crop this morning and are about to do it again now, about 4 hours later. She didn't love it, but we managed and she didn't aspirate.

Questions for you all:
1. The mass feels pretty fibrous - probably straw with wood chips. Is it more likely to loosen and clear slowly, with the crop shrinking a bit at a time? Or are we going to work at it for days without much change and then suddenly it'll pass?

2. Should we be feeding her anything? I tried scrambed egg on her, and she wasn't a fan. She would eat dried grubs for sure if I offered them. Or should we stick with hydration and vitamins?

We've still got a tennis-ball sized hard mass. We're on day 3 of oil/massage. Her breath doesn't smell great, but it doesn't smell super-yeasty, either.

Thanks for any tip or encouragement. When I have a sick bird, I kind of stop attending to the rest of my life, which isn't a very healthy pattern.

Best,
Kerri in MN

 

[StPaulieGirls]

She's an ounce shy of 4 lbs. 1-year-old barred rock.

 

[StPaulieGirls]

So, we're on Day 6 of an impacted crop during a very hard molt for this 1-year-old, 4 lb barred rock hen. She is in very good shape otherwise, surprisingly fiesty and bright-eyed.

We've been tubing 35mL of warm fluids (with Nutridrench or electrolytes) into her four times a day. Colace twice daily. We've also added some gentle digestive enzymes (cellulase, etc) in the hopes that would catalyze some breakdown. The crop has not gone down in size at all - it's a pliable fibrous mass that gets squishier with massaging but then hardens back up again. This morning, I was concerned that she's been without calories for a long time, so I offered her some liquified rations which she ate up eagerly. Her poops are all over the place, both literally and figuratively, sometimes green mash, sometimes brown with urates, usually pure liquid a while after we give her crop fluids. Her breath smells yucky but not particularly yeasty, yet.

Some of the skin on the outermost part of her crop is looking very red and tender. I'd say the mass is the size of a lemon. Are we at risk of her rupturing? There's some wiggle and give in the rest of the skin around the crop.

None of the avian vets within a several-hour-drive are taking new patients right now, so a vet isn't an option. We're trying to decide whether to just keep at the tube fluids & massage for as long as she's perky, or whether to attempt surgery sooner rather than later since she's got decent strength, in spite of the molt. The suture kit we ordered from Amazon was supposed to arrive Sunday, but isn't here yet.

We're tender-hearted farmers and willing to continue care, but also willing to put her down if and when she seems to be suffering without hope of recovery. We're not to that point yet - she's mighty uncomfortable, but also eager to sneak out of the mudroom to explore the kitchen and happy to complain about her plight.

Thanks for any guidance.
Kerri