Vet says X-Ray shows “Minerals” in her Crop

[MyCoffeeisCold]

3yo hen was lethargic (sitting down) while the flock was let out to forage. Took her to the ER vet and they took an x-ray which they read as having minerals in her crop. Doesn’t make sense to me. I also don’t feel anything in her crop. On the contrary - her crop seems empty.

History:
In early June, I noticed that she had a constantly pulsing vent and wagging tail for serval days. She had a frequent dirty vent. I bathed her and gave her an internal exam. No egg bound but that was the last time she laid an egg (they are distinctive).

A couple of weeks ago, other hens in the flock and her started having some loss of neck feathers and, so I sent fecal samples for testing which confirmed ascarids. I gave them a treatment of Fenbendazole around 20 days ago, and their second dose about 10 days ago. Their eggs have been trashed since then.

The girls we doing better, but I noticed that the older hens did not have full crops at night. I have to ages of hens: 3yo and 1yo. The older girls have not been vaccinated for Mareks (school brood and I was unaware of that then). Young hens are vaccinated. I lost an older hen about 9 months ago and necropsy confirmed Mareks and fatty liver disease. Since then, everyone has been great until now.

Here’s an album and trying to figure out how to post videos:
https://www.reddit.com/user/MyCoffeeIsCold/comments/1lxqejg/chicken_mystery_album/

 

[Disheygirl]

I had a similar experience with one of my girls that I eventually had to put down. X-ray and the comment of minerals - I ran the X-ray through ChatGPT and it gave me the same response. I think the vets are using AI to help diagnose and it’s returning certain standard responses. I don’t know where my girl would have gotten a hold of minerals (the kind in an X-ray) that weren’t being digested. I should have had her necropsied but couldn’t make it to the lab soon enough; vet also suggested Mareks due to the Rx of crop stasis. No others have been sick with Mareks symptoms in the five years I’ve had them though so not really sure.

 

[MyCoffeeisCold]

I had a similar experience with one of my girls that I eventually had to put down. X-ray and the comment of minerals - I ran the X-ray through ChatGPT and it gave me the same response. I think the vets are using AI to help diagnose and it’s returning certain standard responses. I don’t know where my girl would have gotten a hold of minerals (the kind in an X-ray) that weren’t being digested. I should have had her necropsied but couldn’t make it to the lab soon enough; vet also suggested Mareks due to the Rx of crop stasis. No others have been sick with Mareks symptoms in the five years I’ve had them though so not really sure.

Thank you. That’s very interesting to hear. I will definitely send her for necropsy if she doesn’t make it.

They sent me home with something to help move her GI tract.

I gave the girls scrambled eggs, yogurt and sunflower seeds this morning. They were in heaven. If she goes, she’ll at least have had some small joys over the next few days. That’s the daily plan for now: lots of tasty food to keep up her energy.

 

[Disheygirl]

Thank you. That’s very interesting to hear. I will definitely send her for necropsy if she doesn’t make it.

They sent me home with something to help move her GI tract.

I gave the girls scrambled eggs, yogurt and sunflower seeds this morning. They were in heaven. If she goes, she’ll at least have had some small joys over the next few days. That’s the daily plan for now: lots of tasty food to keep up her energy.

In the Reddit pics, your girls’ crops look enlarged…but kind of up high. Like, not an impaction but still bigger than normal. If she doesn’t make it - and I hope she does - can you post the autopsy results here? I am curious what the minerals turn out to be…and if whatever the minerals are has something to do with Mareks. I have another hen whose crop looks like that but it’s not full and she isn’t acting off. All but four of my girls were vaccinated for Mareks as chicks and the only ones I’ve lost were the vaccinated ones.

Chickens…they just can’t be simple.