Talk to me about pendulent crop

[Cryss]

Here's what I've done to this point.
I have started giving 1/4 inch of miconazole suppository as recommended in the link supplied by Wyorp Rock. After some thought I decided today to separate her so she doesn't eat her usual food. I put a dog cage in the run, covered half of it with tarps. Inside I put pine shavings, a water dispenser raised on bricks, and a dish on bricks for food. She was so puffy she couldn't stay on the roost last night so I decided to do something I have been nervous about...I helped her vomit. It was light brown with bits of egg visible. I put her inside the cage. I put a hard boiled mashed up egg and a goodly dollop of plain whole milk yogurt in her dish. I also left a small jar lid with chick grit. About an hour before bed I will give her her second dose of miconazole. She had 2 doses yesterday too.
My questions now are 1. what should I be including in her diet while she is enduring a weeks worth of meds and separation? Is egg and yogurt enough? And how much? Her separation is only to prevent her from eating anything that will hinder these treatments. The rest of the flock gather round the cage and can see her well.
2. I am concerned she won't be warm being alone at night. I'm considering putting her in with the gang at night as there is no food in the bed roosting area. But then again I don't know if she will roost or just sit under them.
Any suggestions?

 

[azygous]

Have you determined if you're dealing with impacted crop or sour crop or both? Gentle massage at the center of the crop, avoiding the top near the throat, is preferable to vomiting, which is very risky. But massage is really not necessary with sour crop. As the yeast is killed off by the miconasole, it should empty on its own. If it does not, then you probably need to treat for impacted crop using coconut oil.

Your hen will determine what she feels like eating and how much. There's really no reason why she can't remain with the flock. It will make her feel more normal and secure and she could recover more quickly. Just remove her long enough to give the treatments twice a day.

 

[Cryss]

Have you determined if you're dealing with impacted crop or sour crop or both? Gentle massage at the center of the crop, avoiding the top near the throat, is preferable to vomiting, which is very risky. But massage is really not necessary with sour crop. As the yeast is killed off by the miconasole, it should empty on its own. If it does not, then you probably need to treat for impacted crop using coconut oil.

Your hen will determine what she feels like eating and how much. There's really no reason why she can't remain with the flock. It will make her feel more normal and secure and she could recover more quickly. Just remove her long enough to give the treatments twice a day.

I believe it is sour crop. It is big but squishy in the morning. It doesn't eel fiberous. I was restricting what she eats because of this copy/pasted paragraph in Wyorp Rocks link..."Following treatment for sour crop, offer plenty of plain fresh water and boiled egg to get the crop operating again. I like to also give a probiotic or Greek yogurt to restore good microbes in crop and intestines."
This sounded to me like other foods shouldn't be offered yet. Is this incorrect? Plus if I put down egg and yogurt the others will run in and eat it before Repecca gets any of it.
Thanks for helping me with this. I love this little gal.

 

[azygous]

Yes, that is to say that water and boiled egg are the first things to offer a sick hen. After she begins to eat again, then you may offer her other things. She isn't likely to eat anything that's going to make her sick.

I've found that my sour crop survivors prefer dry crumbles to the normal fermented feed I feed the flock. After their crop gets back to normal, then they feel like tackling the fermented feed again.

It's like after we have the flu, we don't feel much like eating steak and potatoes right away, but we gradually get our appetite back by eating soup and jello first. She will eat what she feels she can handle. You don't need to stick to a strict diet. Let your hen be the judge.

 

[Cryss]

Ok. I think what I am going to do is put her in to roost with the gang tonight. Then I'll repeat this fgor one more day. In the morning I will give her meds, then separate her to let her eat egg and drink some water in peace and absorb the meds. I'll leav'e her till she has her evening meds and egg and water. Then I'll let her totally rejoin her sisters. There is a rooster thast is leaving this weekend that bothers her first thing every morning. This will give her a short break while she's feeling poorly.

 

[Cryss]

Then is sounds like it's not emptying completely overnight. It won't hurt to try a crop bra if it's stretched out. She's fairly young, but some can overeat and it gets stretched fairly quickly.

The crop function will still need to be monitored even with a crop bra. She may benefit from daily massages to get things moving. I'm sure you have a source of poultry grit available, while it won't cure or eliminate pendulous crop, it is helpful for digestion and gizzard function.

@azygous is excellent in walking people through crop issues, so hopefully she will chime in with her thoughts. Some people do make their own crop bra, but they can be purchased as well http://www.hensaver.com/Crop-Bra.html

I attempted to make a bra. Then I attempted to put it on Repecca. Looked like I was choking her! Took it off, threw it aside. Was looking at photos of those bras, realised I was putting it on her sideways!. Went back, tried again. Ok! That looks a bit more like it. However my poor manufacturing attempt is obviously lacking soooo...I just ordered one. Thank you for the link!

 

[Cryss]

@Cryss you may find this helpful. @azygous graciously took the time to write a short article about crop issues
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

I have to thank you again for this link! I bought the lady type medicine recommended and started it the next morning. (It comes in 2 strengths. I got the weaker of the 2.) I kept her in the cage for a day and a half. Was going to keep her in another day but she was looking so perky I let her out. Her crop is empty in the mornings but still feels like a deflated balloon, much much smaller now. At night it feels soft but expanded. She is standing so much straighter she looks like a real chicken, not a ball on stilts! She looks less unkempt. She just looks so much healthier. I was giving her the chunk of medication, then holding my bowl of scratch for her to get a couple pecks so she could maybe relate getting meds with treat time. Well now when I take the bowl away and offer scratch to the flock he makes unhappy sounds as if to say "Hey, that's mine!" I put her down to join the flock in scratching but she stretches her head up to me as if she expects me to hand feed her Now! Spoiled little girl!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm so glad to hear that she is improving!

They do seem to get easily spoiled when they have to receive "extra care". Orpingtons are such sweet birds anyway, but it sounds like you have a cuddle bug

 

[Cryss]

UPDATE!!! Repecca is definitely feeling better. For the first time in her 21 weeks of life she has roosted!! Hubby went out to put them all to bed and came in all excited because she was perched right up there with the rest of the flock! That means no more chicken popsicles, no more baths and blow dries. I don't have to try to figure a way for her to "roost" on the floor in a new coop I'm planning. It means that in the 15 weeks I've had her she's been having this problem and it has take me this long to figure it out. Now to avoid it recurring. I've ordered a bra. What other ways can I help her avoid getting sour crop again?
I am beyond happy that she has roosted!

 

[azygous]

You are already employing the best strategy to preventing this from recurring - observing her behavior. At the first symptom of crop malfunction, her behavior will be noticeably different. You will then examine her crop, massage if necessary, readjust the crop bra, and if yeast begins to colonize, you will treat.