When to put down and when to let it go

[WhenInRhome]

I have what I think is an rooster, he seems to have stopped developing/growing, who has an impacted crop. He has been like this for around 2 months and he is around 4 months old. His brothers have already started crowing so I thought maybe he was really a hen?? He is a lot smaller than the other roosters but he has three distinct rows in his comb.

I have tried adding granite grit to his feed, I separated him and gave him only olive oil soaked bread for a week, and I gave him docusate sodium for a week. Nothing has worked. He seems happy and eats well.

Can he live with it and just be? Or is it painful and should I put him down? I cannot afford surgery, I had planned on giving him away when he matured. I have noticed in the last week or two he is losing feathers on the lump. Maybe from laying down?

 

[heatherlaw]

Does his crop hang down and swing when he walks? 2 months is a long time for it to be an impaction. Sounds like pendulus crop

 

[WhenInRhome]

I was reading about that, and it said that the muscles stretched out but it could be emptied. Is that correct? His is always very hard, like a stone. Even first thing in the morning.

 

[heatherlaw]

it hasn't emptied at all this whole time?

 

[heatherlaw]

I have a chick who got sour crop caused by a tumor the grew in and blocked her crop. She also stopped growing because she wasn't getting food. I ended up having to make and incision in her crop and pull out the tumor (along with carpet fibers she had eaten out of desperation). Her crop became pendulus because it took us two weeks to figure out what was wrong but she is happy and eats good. Her crop just doesn't empty all the way. If your rooster has some sort of tumor or even a mass of solid food/gunk in his crop it needs to be removed

 

[heatherlaw]

I could not afford surgery for my little chick either but my husband was so attached to her that I had to try. If you have a strong stomach I'd try it. If you can't handle it then I'd suggest putting him down so he doesn't slowly starve to death. If you want to try the surgery I'll send you the instructions written by a vet

 

[WhenInRhome]

I would like the instructions. I could not do it, but my husband is pretty tough.

It has not emptied the whole time. It is pretty large, between baseball and softball size. He does not seem to be in pain, he eats like a champ. He is first in line when the treats come. He has not had access to anything like carpet fiber. He has been in with the others since it started. There is straw, grass clippings (short), feed crumbles, fruit and veggie scraps. They do not free range so no mystery food. Maybe the straw?


I am not totally sure he is a boy. It could be a hen since it is not crowing/getting a larger comb. Then again maybe the lack of nutrients caused it to delay? All of the chicks who had three rows of peas ended up boys but this one. It is the size of the smaller hens. The mass has not gotten any bigger since it happened, just like he somehow swallowed a big rock. It is really hard.

 

[heatherlaw]

It's probably some straw or grass that got tangled and turned into a big mass. I'll give you a link to the instructions. It sounds terrible but I did it on mine and she did great. If you can, go to a health food store and get some oregano essential oil. Most that die from that surgery die of and infection after. I used frankincence and oregano and didn't see any infection at all. I gave them topically and oraly. If they have frankincence get it but I think you can only get it online. Also, go to the vet and ask if you can have a suture needle and dissolving thread. Most likely they will give it to you for free if you tell them what you are doing. Use this to see up the crop and then the skin (separately)

 

[lindalouly]

Keep us posted.... Sounds like a tumor. Poor baby.

 

[heatherlaw]

Well I couldn't find the link but I will just type out the how-to. I read it like 8 times and then did it (this was only 2 weeks ago) ok, here it goes.

You need:
Cotton balls
Iodine
Suture thread
A sharp razor blade (new)
2 clean towels
Tweezers
A bowl (to put the gunk in)
Clean water


I found it helpful to give the bird water right before so soften everything up. Cover a clean work surface with a towel. Wrap the bird in another towel, holding it on its back with the head slightly elevated.
Pluck feathers around the site of the incision, this should be high and towards the right. Swab the area with iodine and make a small incision in the skin, inbetween veins if you can see them, then try to slide the crop to the side under the skin so that the incisions don't line up (to keep the skin and the crop from sticking together as they heal). Make another incision in the crop. Gently squeeze any fluid out of the crop through the incision dabbing it up with cotton balls as needed. Use tweezers to start pulling the gunk out. This could take a while if it's a lot. If it is a large mass and you can't break it up you may have to widen the incisions and pop it out all at once. The skin and crop stretch so try to keep the incision as small as possible and it's ok if they stretch as the mass comes out. Flush with clean water if needed. When you are sure the crop is empty put a stitch or two in the crop and then in the skin. Use as few stitches as possible. Just enough to hold it closed.

After the surgery feed the bird honey mixed with water for the first day and then give it baby bird hand feeding formula for 5 days. No solid food at all for 5 days. After that softened regular feed. Don't let the bird fill its crop, just small frequent feedings as you don't want the crop to stretch and tear the incision site. Slowly allow the bird more regular food until he is eating normally again. The crop may always be a little bigger than normal but he should live happily like that

Apply oregano oil and honey to the incision as it heals to prevent infection. Both are natural antibiotics