Ammonia smell in coop-first time owner

[FiggyPudding]

My non egg laying hen ate some bread yesterday which I think is the cause for the impacted crop. I thought she was a bit different this am.

 

I've let them all out for a run this afternoon & she has basically hobbled out, wandered over to the pond & then stood still.

 

I've looked on here & googled & have tried the olive oil but it appears the liquid is not getting down.

 

Her comb is also floppy. The vet said to wait 24 hrs (to see if she survives?) & has said he'll see her tomorrow night.

 

I'm trying to get hold of him now, but having no luck.

 

So what shall I do ?

[Egluntyne]

I would isolate her from the others and give her water only for 24 hours or so, and massage the crop gently but firmly as often as you can....as much as hourly if you can manage it.

 

It might just shift the blockage.

 

In addition to the above, a swig of olive oil might just help lubricate it a bit.

[FiggyPudding]

she is in the garden at the moment, the other 2 are pecking away quite happily thank goodness. She must have been the greedy one..She is standing there, with feathers fluffed up.

 

I've tried with the olive oil again & tried to coax her into drinking more water, but it doesn't seem to be going down as it keeps spewing out.

 

I don't want her to suffer & I don't want her to die.

[Egluntyne]

Keep up with the massage......it might make a difference.

 

Tomorrow, if you can get hold of some undyed fisherman's maggots, a few given hourly might just be able to munch their way through the blockage.

[Jennyhenny]

Mine had an impacted crop last week due to straw. As Egluntine says use olive oil and massage and the maggots It cleared my girls crop in two days, the first day she wasn't too thrilled with the maggots but the second day she was much better and gobbled them down, by the next morning it was clear I hope shes ok, keep us informed.

 

Jennyhenny

[emmaw298]

i think live yoghurt helps too - something to do with the pH balance I think... fingers crossed for you

[FiggyPudding]

thanks for your advice

 

I managed to get her to see the vet. I'd drizzed some olive oil over her & had attempted to get her to drink, but she was still being sick or bringing fluid up.

 

The vet was very good & explained options, ie if she has unlicensed medication we shouldn't eat her eggs, although not a problem at the mo, because she hasn't laid for over 2 weeks. Cost of trying to find out what is wrong/stress involved for her etc.

 

We decided she is an exbatt, as she has a clipped beak so I am thinking she must be about 3 years old. Vet said they are pretty hammered when they come out I got her from my local animal rescue.

 

Regards treatmetn, he sort of turned her almost upside down & squeezed her crop which brought up alot of liquid, a few grass strands & a small piece of cauliflower.

 

She had 3 inections & I've been given some probiotic powder to put in the water. She is allowed a tsp of pellets tomorrow & then (if she survives) I have to ring him at 5pm & he's booked me in at 6:30pm.

 

Poor little love, I choose her because she hung around me at the rescue centre & my daughter choose her to be hers because she said she did ballet (she stood on one leg)

Edited May 29, 2009 by Guest

[Egluntyne]

Fingers crossed for her.

 

I love the ballet story.

[FiggyPudding]

yes, the ballet story is good, my daughter is 5

 

Well Chloe is alive this morning. I've lt the other 2 out in the garden (under the watchful eye of our cat) & she was in the eglu run, standing & looking throughly miserable & has now walked into the actual eglu...

[FiggyPudding]

ref the live maggots - where can I buy some ? I am inReading, Berkshire

[Egluntyne]

Any Angling shop will sell them. Try Yellow pages.

[FiggyPudding]

Very sadly Chloe was put to sleep at her appointment . She'd spent all day being throughly miserable, standing in more or less the same place, bringing up the yellow coloured water.

 

I did find an angling shop & bought 1/4 pt of the maggots but she wasn't really interested in them, had a peck at a couple & that was it. I also offered some cucumber, apple & pear & she barely pecked at them.

 

Chloe had a very good life after an exbatt & I've looked after her well for the month that I had her. I'm feeling very sad all the same..

[ClaireG]

I'm sorry to hear Chloe didn't make it.

[Jennyhenny]

Oh this is so upsetting, I am so sorry Chloe didn't make it

 

Jennyhenny

[Egluntyne]

Sorry to hear it.

[Budgies]

Sorry to hear that nothing more could be done for Chloe. It's so sad isn't it, losing one of our hens, but at least your poor girl isn't suffering any more.

[FiggyPudding]

thank you for all the advice & kind words.

 

I think we'll be rescuing a Chloe II very shortly as it looks like the animal rescue has some exbatts. If we can give another chicken a good life, we'll feel better.