Too much yogurt? Impacted crop? Please help!

[HaleyKrueger]

My just over a year old Australorp may have an impacted/sour crop. She was acting fine and dandy this morning. She was running and scratching around with her usual intensity. I took a small bowl of plain yogurt outside, as I do very often, and let them at it (I only have two hens right now). I came back outside about an hour or so later, to find Miss Marple, the hen in question, standing and not moving. I've seen these symptoms before, in a hen who recently died of ours. I went over to her, she didn't move a muscle, I felt her crop and sure enough it was large (like a very large lime) and squishy. I thought it could just be the yogurt, but her behavior is all off. She just stands there and sleeps. Because of our last hen, I flew into action and have her safely inside with some grit and water. She is on a make shift roost I made and is sleeping away.

Can this happen suddenly when too much yogurt is consumed, or suddenly in general? She's the boss out there and I wouldn't be surprised if she ate the whole thing (maybe about a 1/3 cups worth). I was thinking of vomiting her in the morning if she is in the same condition. I have never done that, but after my last hen passed I would try anything to make her better!

Any ideas?
What should my next steps be?

Thank you SO much for the guidance!

 

[earlybird10842]

Partly, I'm just bumping this post, but I also can tell you that if the crop is hard, it is impacted and squishy is sour. So this is probably sour. good luck!! also, you can look up the forum archives for info on this.

 

[chickenzoo]

If squishy it could just be full of soft food or water? If it feels like a wet sandbag then it is impacted...if it is squishy, not going down in size after a day of no food and their is a bad smell inside the mouth then that is sour. I guess a milk base product could sour in the crop..... She might have just stuffed herself to the max and is sore....... Hope she is better for you in the morning. I'd remove all food and only give water overnight and see how she is come morning.

 

[HaleyKrueger]

Thank you! I'll do that. Is grit okay to have in there?

 

[HaleyKrueger]

Also before I left for the evening I gave her a drop of olive oil and massaged her crop...it doesn't appear or feel to have gotten smaller. I might do it one more time before I hit the sack and hope morning brings good news!

 

[HaleyKrueger]

Well this morning it's not down. It might be a little bit. She drank tons of water last night, some if it might have made it's way through. Her crop has stuff in it. It feels a little sandbag-ish. There is a lot of liquid, but I can feel the food for sure. Think I should vomit her?

 

[chickenzoo]

You can..but you must be very careful. You hold them upside down by their feet and put pressure on the crop and stroke down. Do it in small sessions so she doesn't aspirant. Keep up the olive oil..some apple cider vinager. .lots of liquid with poultry vitamins and even a little antibiotic. one day I'm going to experiment with a large feeding tube and a vacuum cleaner to see if I can suck thinks out with that. I have used a big syringe and feeding tube and sucked things out that way before.....its safer.

 

[ChickensRDinos]

I would not keep the grit in there with her if you still have it. I will not help and you do not want to feed her anything solid if you think the crop is impacted.

You can feel a hard mass of food?

I recently had a bird with impacted crop that then turned sour. I could definitely feel the blockage and this is was squishy all around and smelled very distinct. I tried the olive oil and massage but I think the mass was too large to work it's way down. I then tried vomiting but was only about to get her to throw up liquid and not the mass. She took a turn for the terrible and started wasting because she was not getting any food through so I ended up cutting it out and it saved her life. The grass tangle she had managed to get in there was pretty crazy. She is doing great now. If it gets to this point you can message me and I can send you lots of info.

 

[HaleyKrueger]

I can't feel a big mass. I can feel things floating around in there, but nothing so massive as that sounds. I'll keep feeling her for sure! I took the grit out, gave her some bread crumbs soaked in water. She's much more active this morning. I might be imagining it, but her crop does seem slightly smaller.

I think I might proceed as if it's sour crop, since I don't feel a mass or ball like you're mentioning.

You cut it out!!?? Wowza. How on earth did you do that? How long of a time period did this all take place in?

 

[HaleyKrueger]

Can you recommend poultry vitamins? I haven't got a clue what to get...