Someone please help me out here.

[josephp525]

Hello:

I also have a hen, where the crop seems to hang down like it has a ball in it. I never saw the others with the same condition, so I was wondering if it was normal to do this? Also, the other turkeys are always trying to peck her head and pull skin off. She is now moved into the pheasant cage, and has been named Betty. She will never reach the table now that I have nursed her. I have posted a photo also to show you, She is half the size as the others.

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If you touch it, it is soft and feels like there is food in there, then it slowly goes halfway away until she eats again.
Let me know what you think. HELP ME PLEASE............

Thanks

Joe

 

[iron chicken]

I have seen a chicken with somthing similar, and I don't think it is normal. You may want to take her to a vet or somewhere to get it looked at.

 

[ivan3]

Looks like pendulous/`drop' crop. Some good info., here: http://www.hybridturkeys.com/en/Hyb.../Hybrid/Hybrid Library/Health/Health_PC1.ashx

No real fix, that I've heard of, other than surgery. Nystatin, intermittently, might suppress nasty flora proliferation, but that's just a guess.

 

[josephp525]

Thank you IVAN3 it does not sound good for her no matter what I try at this point. I hate having to cull her, but if i let her roam the yard nature I sure would take care of her. We have a large area, so she could not really get to far, I could still keep an eye on her, If that crop finally burst, i do not want the built up bacteria so spread to my favorite pheasants. Thank god some is doing the preparing for me when the time comes, i hate killing a fly..

 

[josephp525]

Ian3 sent me a very good article o it.

 

[ivan3]

You could try sewing up a mechanical supporter (like a girdle) to reduce potential for overfilling of crop (difficult). Specific, controlled diet (no potential for eating some plant, etc with bacteria/fungus/etc that could lead to `fatal fermentation'). If you have a University Ag college/avian vet nearby you could call around for better advice on antibiotics.

A very good reference (focused on psittacine birds - parrots, et al. but chapters on trauma/surgery/emergency care, good formulary and chapter on galliformes) is available, online, again (though it now has to be downloaded by individual chapter instead of all at once):

http://www.harrisonsbirdfoods.com/avmed/ampa.html

Performing an Advanced Search, here, on BYC, might be useful as well (crop surgery in chickens isn't much different - though actual `reduction' is).

https://www.backyardchickens.com/se...sort=relevance&order=descending&Search=SEARCH