Trying to feed my chicken the lemon/cayenne mixture. How do you get it in the chicken?

[sholnay]

exactly

 

[coach723]

She’s still doing well. Her crop felt empty this morning, but this evening it was full again and felt doughy. Still waiting on my feeding tubes…

Always check her crop first thing in the morning before access to food and water. It should be empty then, if it is then that is good, it's working properly. The crop will fill and empty throughout the day as they eat and digest, so it's much harder to tell if it's working properly then. Some birds really stuff their crops.
I've had birds really perk up after just one dose of wormer, I've also had sick birds with blockages or slow crops from worms that digestion didn't really start moving again for a week. With those I continued to give fluids and do crop massage every day until droppings looked more normal and the crop was emptying over night.

 

[mbishop]

Today was the 5th and last day of dewormer. I have to say, this has made a remarkable change in the flock. Hiko (our sick chicken) has a lot of energy and her crop is empty in the morning. We got more eggs yesterday than we had in two weeks (which sadly, went right in the trash and will for 9 more days). Thank you @coach723 . This really made a huge difference and I’m grateful to you!

I’m still trying to decide if I’m going to feed her the ACS when it arrives. She seems to be doing well and her crop is empty in the morning.

At least through this experience, I will have acquired most of the supplies I will need for future emergencies.

 

[coach723]

You are very welcome, glad it has made a difference. I usually see a noticable difference in my birds after worming also.
Is ACS acidified copper sulfate? Not sure it's needed at this point, if that's what it is.

 

[mbishop]

You are very welcome, glad it has made a difference. I usually see a noticable difference in my birds after worming also.
Is ACS acidified copper sulfate? Not sure it's needed at this point, if that's what it is.

Yep, that’s what I meant. I’ll just see how she does, I’m usually concerned a little bit that her crop feels doughy at the end of the day, but it’s pretty empty in the morning so maybe that’s not a concern. At least I now have my feeding tubes and the ACS for the day that I might need it.

 

[PlentifulPrairie]

The herbal mixture I use for doughy crop is:
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ginger powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
1/2 tsp chili powder
squirt of lemon juice
2 Tbsp of water
Give it 1/2 ml at a time and let her swallow, until all is given, and do that 3 times a day. Do crop massage often while giving it. The extra water can be helpful if there is dehydration going on.
Hold the bird in your lap (sit comfortably since it can take a bit of time to get all of that down) and wrap her in a towel like a burrito if necessary to help hold her wings. I'm right handed so I place my left arm around her and kind of over top and put my left hand around the back of her head. You can either pull down on the wattles to open the beak, or you can put the left thumb and forefinger at the corners of the mouth and open the beak with your right hand, then your finger and thumb will hold it open. Then you give the 1/2 ml and release and let her swallow. Some birds will relax after a bit when they realize you aren't doing anything horrible. It gets easier with practice. Just be patient and take your time, I usually massage after each 1/2 ml, you will begin to feel the fluid as you get more in.
If you don't feel you can do it safely, then you can tube it instead. I've done it many times, no issues.
A doughy crop can be a sign of things slowing down, so the other causes in the article you have, need to be considered. How old is she? Do you know when she last laid? Has she ever been wormed or had a fecal done to check for internal parasites?

Just reading this for my own future knowledge. Thanks for such in-depth technique detail for us newbies.

 

[sholnay]

Today was the 5th and last day of dewormer. I have to say, this has made a remarkable change in the flock. Hiko (our sick chicken) has a lot of energy and her crop is empty in the morning. We got more eggs yesterday than we had in two weeks (which sadly, went right in the trash and will for 9 more days). Thank you @coach723 . This really made a huge difference and I’m grateful to you!

I’m still trying to decide if I’m going to feed her the ACS when it arrives. She seems to be doing well and her crop is empty in the morning.

At least through this experience, I will have acquired most of the supplies I will need for future emergencies.

Woohoo! Glad to see hear she's doing better!

Our sick hen is still kicking, day 2 of wormer, her crop was smaller than it's ever been this morning so we're cautiously optimistic. We're also on day 9 of ACS, so we're almost done with all treatments we can think of for now - we're really putting all our eggs in the worm basket, crossing our fingers.

Which wormer are you using?

 

[Jen Tevyaw]

The herbal mixture I use for doughy crop is:
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ginger powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
1/2 tsp chili powder
squirt of lemon juice
2 Tbsp of water
Give it 1/2 ml at a time and let her swallow, until all is given, and do that 3 times a day. Do crop massage often while giving it. The extra water can be helpful if there is dehydration going on.
Hold the bird in your lap (sit comfortably since it can take a bit of time to get all of that down) and wrap her in a towel like a burrito if necessary to help hold her wings. I'm right handed so I place my left arm around her and kind of over top and put my left hand around the back of her head. You can either pull down on the wattles to open the beak, or you can put the left thumb and forefinger at the corners of the mouth and open the beak with your right hand, then your finger and thumb will hold it open. Then you give the 1/2 ml and release and let her swallow. Some birds will relax after a bit when they realize you aren't doing anything horrible. It gets easier with practice. Just be patient and take your time, I usually massage after each 1/2 ml, you will begin to feel the fluid as you get more in.
If you don't feel you can do it safely, then you can tube it instead. I've done it many times, no issues.
A doughy crop can be a sign of things slowing down, so the other causes in the article you have, need to be considered. How old is she? Do you know when she last laid? Has she ever been wormed or had a fecal done to check for internal parasites?

I am treating my hen for doughy crop right now with this mixture. We are on day 2 of treatment. She is partially impacted with long grass. Her poops are coming out very sticky and green.
What do you feed your hen while you are treating them?? I have tried the bread in oil, eggs and baby food but she doesn't like any of it. The only thing she will be temped to eat is melon.

Thanks!

 

[coach723]

If the long grass is in her crop, and it won't pass, then sometimes the only option is surgery to remove the mass. Long, fiberous plant material is very difficult to break up in the crop, so that may be the only option to get it out. Crop surgery is best done by a vet, but some have done it at home successfully, there are threads here you can search for to see how it's done. When treating a crop issue I only feed water soluble feed mixed with water to make it easier to pass, nothing tough or fiberous. But a mass of grass sitting in the crop will make everything harder to pass, and will eventually sour.