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[clucky chicken]

Thanks Sarahsausage - I think it's impacted and sour!! The impactation has caused what's already in the crop to sour as yesterday I smelt a really vile smell - tipped Polly upside down and some awful stuff came out - she seemed a lot better after I did that - so perhaps I should carry on with both methods - am praying it's all helping!!

[Sarahsausage]

Ah bless you Lynne, I really hope Polly gets over this, it sounds as if things are improving, you must be so worried, keep up the good work (((big hug)))

[Chook n Boo Mum]

 

Keep her away from long grass, straw.....anything which can tangle up & clog her crop really, prevention is definitely better than cure........make sure she has grit available too, that may help with breaking things up a bit.

 

Just had a thought, be very gentle massaging if there is grit in her crop as the friction & sharp edges could add up to scratches and possible further infection......sorry I forgot to mention this earlier

 

I'm sitting here typing this with Buffie on my lap.....she's not well again & has just been syringed with half a tuna tin of ready brek with honey & bokashi and some Avipro water as her crop feels very meagre. She's on Baytril, though that doesn't seem to have done an awful lot for her......sometimes it will work, sometimes not, it just depends what it is that ails them as I understand it's a broad spectrum antib.

 

She went outside for about half an hour this afternoon with her sisters before she arrived back at the door to come back into the sick bay...she knows best bless her

 

I may be fighting a losing battle, but I am not prepared to give up yet

 

I hope Polly is improved tomorrow

 

Sha x

[clucky chicken]

Thank you, all of you - thanks for all your messages of support - hope your poor girls recover soon also, I never thought that chicken keeping could be so worrying!

 

Polly seems the same today, it seems we manage to get things moving in the daytime and it all looks hopeful, then the next morning the crop seems to be just as hard again...

 

I gave her some warm very runny porridge with some yogurt this morning, but she doesn't seem very interested, so I put more maggots out which she wolfed down - obviously she's decided they are much more tasty than normal food! Have ordered some Avipro drops online so they should be here today or tommorrow - so that might do her some good as well as all the protein she's gettimg at the moment!

 

She is separated from her girlfriends during the day but I put her back in the evening with them - as she seems quite upset when I take her away from them. (Or maybe that's just me feeling guilty! )

 

- have got my son on massaging duty again today and I will go home later and syringe some more water and liquid paraffin into her but am still not sure if things are working - she seems very thin although she seems to look quite chirpy. Think I will have to ring round some of the local vets and see if I can get any more joy there - but I think we're fast running out of options other than to operate though - not sure all this is doing her any good, as all the books say it's not good for it to go on too long and am so worried I'll go down to the coop one morning and she'll have gone during the night....

 

Ah well, press on.....will post any changes in her condition...

thanks again for your support!

[Sarahsausage]

I starved Hilda for a day and this morning her chest had completely gone down! Got to starve her for another day (poor girl) and then go onto soft foods etc. Have you thought of starving Polly and seeing if everything shifts through? (obviously provide water though!).

[The Dogmother]

I believe ACV and probiotic yoghurt are more for the treatment of sour crop? (someone please correct me if I'm wrong). I think you're doing the right thing with the massaging to help break up the blockage though, don't try and make her sick though as that can cause more problems but I don't think you're doing that anyway?

 

I currently have a chicken with a swollen chest so know how worried you are!

 

You're right, ACV and Avipro are both good for sour crop (as is Bokashi Bran in Yoghurt) - This condition can lead on from an impacted crop when the contents of the crop start to ferment. So there's no harm in using it when there's an impacted crop, but the most important parts of the treatment are warm oil, crop massage and maggots.

[Chook n Boo Mum]

I believe ACV and probiotic yoghurt are more for the treatment of sour crop? (someone please correct me if I'm wrong). I think you're doing the right thing with the massaging to help break up the blockage though, don't try and make her sick though as that can cause more problems but I don't think you're doing that anyway?

 

I currently have a chicken with a swollen chest so know how worried you are!

 

You're right, ACV and Avipro are both good for sour crop (as is Bokashi Bran in Yoghurt) - This condition can lead on from an impacted crop when the contents of the crop start to ferment. So there's no harm in using it when there's an impacted crop, but the most important parts of the treatment are warm oil, crop massage and maggots.

 

Phew I'm glad I'm not handing out dodgy advice

 

Sha x

[clucky chicken]

Hi again - well I've doeed her up again with water and Avipro and massaged again - think somethings going through now as she seems to be pooing a bit more now - have starved for a couple of days - and just started giving her mash porridge now

 

I tried mixing with some yogurt but she turned her nose up at that - this afternoon the crop had gone down a little - but it's still there - I think we're in for the long haul here...

 

Glad Hilda'scrop has gone down now Sarahsausage, bless - it's so worrying isn't it? I assume she's gone back with her friends now, so things are back to normal. By the way just to top it all, poor Pollys backside is a bit raw at the moment, think the others have been pecking her! Bought some of the anti pecking spray this afternoon so have doesed her up with that also.

 

She's still reaching bless her, so I rang a vet this evening (this time one who knows a lot more about chickens) and he confirmed that I'm doing all the right things, but said surgery probably was a bit drastic. So it's back to syringing water and liquid paraffin and massaging - as she doesn't seem to be drinking anything at the moment, even though I keep the water container topped up. I just hope when this is over, she makes a full recovery and it doesn't happen again - my hair will be grey by the end of this week!!!

[sandyhas3chucks]

maggots maggots and more maggots

let them work their magic , no dry foods as they will just clog it up more.

I had a god result with putting the olive oil in with pureed apples, eagerly eaten no syringing needed

good luck

oh that is as well as doing everything else suggested

[Plum]

Great news Sarahsausage your perseverance has worked

 

and Good luck clucky chicken sounds as though she's beginning to go the right way.

[The Dogmother]

Hybrids do seem to be prone to it, especially if they are greedy and over-stuff on food. Stringy grass or similar is the usual problem, but some birds just eat far too much so that the crop can't empty properly.

 

The crop doesn't have any muscles of its own - it is just a sac, which collects the food and liquifies it before it passes off to the gizzard for grinding up. It is kept in place by the chest wall, but can soon become slack and lose tone with repeated stretching.

 

If you have a girl who is prone to this, then I'd keep her on liquid mash and don't let her eat too much. make sure that she gets plenty of probiotics such as Bokashi in live yoghurt, Avipro, and ACV to stop any yeast infections setting in.

 

Chickens can't gag or retch, so are prone to inhaling the contents of their crop if it gets too full and overflows, as the contents will just flow back up the oesophagus.

[Sarahsausage]

Glad to hear Polly is still making progress!

[Sarahsausage]

Any news on Polly?

 

(Got up this morning to find Betty has an impacted crop so will be re-reading advice on this post...and buying some maggots!)

[clucky chicken]

Hi Sarahsausage - sorry to hear about Betty - Hope that she's better soon - let me know how it's going

 

Polly is coming along nicely - just had a report from my son who's looking after her today - he says although still a bit swollen, crop is a lot softer - and yes still giving her maggots which she goes absolutely mad for!!

Poo is looking a bit better now also, so something is obviously moving! (Never thought BC I'd be poo watching!!!)

 

Have put her back with her friends now, and discovered that she loves Tuna and egg, unfortunately so do the others - so she has to fight with them to get to it first!! Turns her nose up at mash porridge now, but still picks out the grapes I put in it to tempt her!!

 

I feel a bit guilty when I put the others out to FR in the mornings - but thinking I have to be cruel to be kind - hope all this is over soon, I miss Pollys eggs- and she misses free ranging!!

 

{{lots of hugs for Betty}}

[Sarahsausage]

Oh I'm so pleased to hear she's getting better! Well done you (and your son!) You've done a really good job there. You must be feeling very relieved!

 

Betty was back to normal when I got home and had laid a soft egg which was probably why she looked miserable. Won't know till the morning re. her crop but I got her some maggots and the other 3 girls went mad for them and Betty turned her nose up, typical! Mixed them with some cat food (nice) and she ate a few.

xx

[sandyhas3chucks]

SS, I think I "may" have said this before, but incase...

Sometimes the crop will be not empty in the morning (not the same as impacted necessarily (impact is often really hard /roock solid) due to as you have discovered something not moved from the other end, be this a large egg, a soft egg, or lashes.

I am somewhat obsessive about keeping track of who has laid and who hasn't, it really does help on deciding on what time to really start worrying

but largly I work from home(and only part time) so am able to keep an eye on proceedings.

As you may have noticed with the softee out, the contents of the crop then move

re Polly, also try and make sure she drinks lots too as this will help... even put a little sugar in the water to encourage her.

And if you can get your son to get a little olive oil into her, maybe on a "SMALL" piece of bread or mixed on something she likes.

Good luck

[Sarahsausage]

Hi Sandy, you were right re. the soft egg causing blockage, Betty was fine in the morning, hadn't experienced that before so panicked a bit! Thanks for the info though

[clucky chicken]

Hi again lovely people! Polly's crop is a bit round and about and up and down I've noticed lately - a couple of days ago she seemed a lot better, the crop was a lot softer, and she seemed a lot happier. Since then, the crop has moved round - one day it was to the side of her chest, the next in the front again and softer. This morning it felt a bit harder again, but when I get home later, it will probably feel a bit softer again as seems to be normal in the last few days... I really don't know what else I can do, she's still having the maggots every day, seems to be eating ok, she does seem to fluff her feathers up a bit and stand a bit hunched sometimes, but poo is seemingly normal most of the time now, so I'm assuming the food is getting through. Not laying yet, but her comb is looking quite healthy.

 

I am still giving her Avipro in her water and also syringe some into her at times, as I don't know if she's actually drinking herself, and have put her back on mash now, not pellets.

 

She seems fine with the other girls, although she has a few bald bits on her bum, and is back freeranging for a few minutes each day..... she looks a bit worse for wear at the moment, but I guess she will look better soon, and she still loves having special treatment with the maggots!

 

Is there anything else I should be doing? Did someone say maybe get the vet to look her over and get some antibiotics into her??

On the whole I'm quite pleased with her progress, just need to get her back up to strength again.....

 

Thanks in advance for all your advice once again.....

[The Dogmother]

Is there any way that you can restrict what she is eating?

 

It's hard to tell without seeing her, but I suspect that she's a bit of a gannet and is eating more than her crop and gizzard can process.

[clucky chicken]

Thanks Claret, difficult without seperating her from the others - and as our other run is a bit exposed to the elements I'm a bit loathe to seperate her, and also a little pecking has gone on recently.... maybe I could bring her into the house in a box for a bit, but she does love to go out freeranging...

[Sarahsausage]

Hello Lynne, I think maybe you should try bringing Polly in for a day and restricting her intact, maybe just soft foods? Yoghurt, cat food, tuna? Just a minimal amount though, it's amazing what a days starvation/restriction can do (even though you feel terrible doing it!), I've had to starve Hilda again as her crop had filled with fluid again, and it cleared overnight. I think Hilda's problem has been caused by being a right pig and overeating so maybe Polly has a similar thing? I put Hilda in a large guinea pig cage, have you something similar or could you borrow one? Or maybe just a large cardboard box would do?

[sandyhas3chucks]

or a dog crate

[Redwing]

If she still has problems with her crop should she be out and eating normally?

 

If it was me I would bring her in and 'starve' her for a day or so to get an accurate reflection on what the crop is actually doing when food isnt involved and then take her to the vet or put her back out with the others and stop worrying about it depending on what you find

 

With the complication of her being in with the others with access to food I dont think you will get to the bottom of it

[The Dogmother]

If she still has problems with her crop should she be out and eating normally?

 

If it was me I would bring her in and 'starve' her for a day or so to get an accurate reflection on what the crop is actually doing when food isnt involved and then take her to the vet or put her back out with the others and stop worrying about it depending on what you find

 

With the complication of her being in with the others with access to food I dont think you will get to the bottom of it

 

I was just formulating the same post... until I saw yours, Tasha.

 

Yup, keep her seperate until you've got to the bottom of it.

 

The gizzard is really small and can only process food slowly, so Perhaps she's pigging out too much and it hasn't had the chance to empty. so long as she's on water and avipro, she won't waste away.

[clucky chicken]

Thanks everyone - I think I might have to do this - I did seperate her from others and starve her last week - so when she started to get a lot better I put her back with the others - but maybe you're right, it was too soon - I will bring her in the warm in a big box and starve her again - does she still need the maggots though?

 

When have done this, and she gets better again - how do I put her back with the others? I don't want her to get bullied again like she did last time. How should I get the feeding right again? Won't she do the same as last time and make up for lost time by pigging out?

 

I have changed the feed back to mash and not pellets now so that Polly doesn't get impacted again, but as my son has now gone back to school, we're not there all day and I can't monitor what she eats