Sour/impacted crop-treatable at home or too big??

[velocityoflove]

One of my americaunas has a very large crop area. She is about 3 months old. It has been large for a few days but I haven't seen any improvement. Is it too large to try to treat???

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

I have heard of chicken bras are for crop problems. Maybe you could try one.

 

[velocityoflove]

I have heard of chicken bras are for crop problems. Maybe you could try one.

I am just afraid it is too big and I'm not sure if it is something I can treat at home or something she may need surgery for...

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

Last year I had a hen with a crop problem and me and my mom did surgery on her.

 

[Beer can]

If it's impacted I had one once and fed her some olive oil to loosen it up, held her upside down massaging and squeezing it until some came out. Let her back up to breathe. Repeated over and over, had to pull a lot of it out. It was a lot of hay. Towards the end had a big wad I couldn't pull out and I'm pretty sure she died from lack of oxygen, did a death flop and had blood trickling out of her eye. So I pulled as hard as I could and got the last of it out, gave her chest compressions for a bit and she came back to life. Put her in quarantine by herself for a few days feeding her just greek yogurt with some olive oil mixed in so if anything was left in her crop hopefully it would pass. She lived and never had the problem again.
I read how to do that on chickenchicks website.

 

[Hen Pen Jem]

Greetings velocityoflove,

Is your hen sleepy, lethargic, having wet diarrhea? If not and she is still eating and drinking you have time.

Here is what I wrote to another member:

She will need your help if she starts to regurgitate the contents of her crop. And, extreme care must be exercised if you decide to tip her, to empty the contents. If any fluid gets into her air way she will aspirate/choke. You have to be prepared. At that time a hen can pass out or can just die from shock and suffocation. She will open her beak gasping, close her eyes, and the comb and wattles will start to darken. So, at this point, you must do CPR on the chicken, if, this happens.

Emergency CPR: While holding the chicken with one arm, give gentle but firm, pats to the chest/crop area, with your other hand, with same hand hold open the beak, blow soft puffs of air into her mouth, alternate pats to chest and puffs of air, to revive her.
(If she has more to throw up, let her do it. As, she may regurgitate automatically. She may cough or sneeze to clear her throat and nostrils of any fluid.)

It will be touch and go, and you will have to stay with it, and not panic. Use your best judgement. It's not always possible to revive them when this happens, but if you do nothing, she'll die.

1. Once she opens her eyes, you can stop.
   
   
2. Keep her upright while holding her.
   
   
3. Keep talking to her, and patting or gently rubbing the crop, till she recovers. At this point you can put her into a crate or box, and let her rest, and stabilize.
   

Now, back to her crop issue. The contents only has two ways to go, down through the digestive system, which is preferable, or, out through the mouth.

Medicines can be administered to help her clear the contents and kill the yeast, which may develop during the process.

• Nystatin is my choice, to kill yeast, along with Lactulose to help break up the contents and to get things moving. Lactulose is sold for dogs at some pet stores. But, the Nystatin must be prescribed by a vet, here in California.
  
  
• Some keepers have had success with over the counter anti fungal medications like Monistat (Miconazole Nitrate) for yeast.
  
  
• Copper Sulfate is another remedy used by keepers. It is sold at farm/feed stores, I have never used it myself. It cannot be used in metal containers, and dosage must be accurate, as it can be toxic to chickens, if not used properly.
  

There are many remedies online that may or may not be effective. But, the main thing is to get the contents moving down the digestive system.

You should keep massaging the crop to get the contents to break up, and to go down. You can administer a bit of olive oil with a syringe to lubricate the crop, if you can't get some lactulose. But if the contents are solidified, the oil won't work. If the crop is impacted, do not feed her till the contents have cleared the crop, and she poops. It may take a day, then tiny soft meals, and small amounts of wet mash, with fresh water available. Electrolytes in the water, and a dose of vitamins is also helpful. A course of Probiotics is also good.

She may also have a pendulous crop, which will make her more prone to this condition. Many keepers use a crop bra on the chicken, to support her crop, and keep it emptying properly. Each morning you must, check the crop to be sure it has emptied during the night. Once she is pooping normally, you'll know she is digesting properly.

This is a deadly condition, if left untreated.

If the crop is rock hard, she may need to see a vet for surgical removal.

I hope I covered everything. By the way, I performed CPR on one of my hens last Summer, for this same situation, it saved her life. But, if the hen has a heart attack, it won't save her.

These are my thoughts on your chicken's issue. I hope they are helpful.
Other members will give advice, please consider them too.

God Bless