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[veersix]

Hi,

 

Picked up my new girls from Storrs Poultry a week past Saturday. Here they are fresh from the farm in the :

 

 

They've all settled in well. Alice still runs away when you try and come near here, Dotty will feed from the hand but scarpers when you try and stroke her or pick her up, Buddah is okay with being stroked and picked up and Alabama is very comfortable with being picked up. As far as I can tell only Alice and Alabama are laying.

 

They all seem to be in good health, but I am concerned about Alabama.

I think she may have an impacted crop. For a couple of days now it has felt quite large and hard. I felt it this morning when I let them out of the and it hadn't gone down overnight like Buddah's had. I've been researching it on the web, there's so much conflicting advice , so tonight I tried feeding her some olive oil. That was interesting, more of it ended up on my hand than down her throat. How do you keep a chicken's beak open? I massaged the crop a bit, but I'm not sure it made any difference. I'm going to try the olive oil again in the morning.

 

I've also ordered some live maggots to be delivered tomorrow which I'll fed her tomorrow evening.

 

Mainly I'm just really worried that she could come to serious harm due to my incompetence and lack of knowledge.

 

So, how do you keep a chicken's beak open to feed them olive oil/yoghurt? I'm struggling with gauging how much force to use etc..

 

TIA,

[Egluntyne]

Sounds as if you are doing the right things. Plenty of massage is helpful.

 

I administer liquids with a syringe. I apply pressure to the corners of the beak and I find that it opens that way. A little teasing with the tip of the syringe helps too.

 

Has your hen had access to long grass, hay or straw? They are common culprits in the causing of crop impaction.

[karlotta]

Hi there - sorry to hear about your girl and can't really offer further advice.

 

I would like to know more about your groovy run cover though! Where did you get it/what is it?

 

So sorry for the thread hi-jack!

[veersix]

Sounds as if you are doing the right things. Plenty of massage is helpful.

 

I administer liquids with a syringe. I apply pressure to the corners of the beak and I find that it opens that way. A little teasing with the tip of the syringe helps too.

 

Has your hen had access to long grass, hay or straw? They are common culprits in the causing of crop impaction.

 

Hi,

 

I'm using a syringe (well, trying to ) to administer the olive oil. It was a bit easier this morning as I'm getting more confident and she seemed a bit more ready to take it as well.

 

The run is on the lawn in my back garden, so she will have had access to the grass on it, but it's not longer than a an inch or two.

 

Managed to give her a bit of yoghurt this morning, only a ml or so though.

 

I gave the crop a good massage, with a bit more force this time too.

[veersix]

Hi there - sorry to hear about your girl and can't really offer further advice.

 

I would like to know more about your groovy run cover though! Where did you get it/what is it?

 

So sorry for the thread hi-jack!

 

Hi,

 

To be honest I'm not sure where the cover originated from as it came with the Eglu. It's just a shower curtain held on with short bungee cords if that helps

[NewChick99]

Hi there,

 

I had the same problem with my Poppy and I took her to the vets. He perscribed Liquid Parafin. I followed his instructions and two days later her crop was almost empty in the morning.

[veersix]

Hi there,

 

I had the same problem with my Poppy and I took her to the vets. He perscribed Liquid Parafin. I followed his instructions and two days later her crop was almost empty in the morning.

 

Hi,

 

How did you get it in? I think this is the part of the treatment I'm having the most difficulty with

[Sarahsausage]

Hello, what beautiful girls! Sorry to hear you've a problem to deal with as soon as you get them though! I have found that white maggots work wonders, you can get them from any fishing tackle shop rather than online if that's easier? How about mixing olive oil in yoghurt rather than syringing as you have to be careful not to get oil down the airhole? Don't massage too hard in case there is also grit in the crop as well. Good luck x

[Hen Watch]

Hi. I had a chook prone to crop problems on and off for 2 years - it would come and go.

 

Live White Maggots are brilliant (I got some online but then later from a fishing tackle shop as they are much cheaper - but don't forget to take your own container - Margarine tub with holes is good).

 

My girl would eat maggots wriggling in live yogurt to her hearts content.

 

Syringing takes practice and if I'm honest - a bit of determination - to gently hold their head whilst at the same time prising open the beak with your fingers by a few mm's enough to get a syringe tip in the beak. The childrens Calpol or Nurofen plastic syringes are good for this. After 2 years of doing this on/off I'm now a dab hand at this and much better than when I first tried. Sitting down on a garden chair with chook firmly on my lap held against my body and with the syringe on a handy table next to me also helped.

 

I also gave all chooks pellets mixed in with warm water into a sloshy paste so that it would be digested easier than hard pellets.

 

Good luck.

[sandyhas3chucks]

You could try a "small" piece of bread with a good dose of olive oil on.

Also found it went down well with stewed apples,

and water is really important.

I would only feed her sloppy wet food.

The maggots hopefully will do the trick though.

I pay £2.60 a half pint from the bait shop.

[beulah59]

I pay £2.60 a half pint from the bait shop.

I pay £1.25!

[sandyhas3chucks]

perhaps that was a pint???

hope so now you put that!

[veersix]

You could try a "small" piece of bread with a good dose of olive oil on.

Also found it went down well with stewed apples,

and water is really important.

I would only feed her sloppy wet food.

The maggots hopefully will do the trick though.

I pay £2.60 a half pint from the bait shop.

 

Hi,

 

I really like your drowned in oil bread idea. That would make life much easier

 

My maggots cost me £5.25 for a pint (plus £5 for next day delivery ) from Worms Direct. I also ordered some live mealworms. Gave all the girls some maggots this evening and they went crazy for them. Even Alice took some from my hand, and she never normally feeds from my hand.

 

I also placed a tub of live yoghurt in the run. Alabama was the first to try some and eventually they all dived in. I had to remove it though as their beaks were getting covered in yoghurt which made them shake their heads causing the yoghurt to fly over each others feathers. Alice then proceeded to peck the yoghurt of of the other girls and I figured that probably wasn't a good thing. Should I be watering the yoghurt down a bit to make it easier to eat/drink?

 

I'm thinking of getting a dog carrier and placing Alabama in it to keep her away from the pellets and to check on her poo and whether or not she's still laying. Does this seem like a good idea?

[Sarahsausage]

Aah don't give up on the yoghurt they always get a bit messy but soon clean themselves. No need to water the yoghurt down. I don't think you need to keep Alabama separate from the others but keep up the gentle massage, oil and maggots.

[veersix]

Hi,

 

I gave Alabama bread soaked in olive oil and maggots covered in yoghurt for breakfast and dinner, coupled with a relaxing crop massage So far it doesn't appear to be making a lot of difference, but it's really only been a day and bit of the maggot treatment, so I'll carry on with it and see what the weekend brings. I think she's stopped laying though as I haven't had an egg from her for two days now, and she's been laying pretty much every day since we got her.

[sandyhas3chucks]

darn lost post. My advice would now be take her to a vet with good knowleie of chooks. She may have stuck egg or shell or lash or all. My vet feels internally and can oft get it out. Sometimes crops are not blocked themselves the system is. If you follow me.

[beulah59]

I kept on with maggots twice a day for a week before it resolved the problem.

[veersix]

Hi,

 

Just an update on the situation. I took Alabama to a local vet on Wednesday as she was showing no signs of improvement. We agreed that flushing her crop would be the next course of action, so I took her in and left her there yesterday. They successfully managed to clear out her crop, and she polished off a bowl of food whilst recovering from the procedure. Now that her crop has gone back to normal size, I can see how thin she looks. Hopefulyl she'll start to put weight back on quite quickly.

 

I do have another problem now though. Alice keeps bullying her. I'm not sure when it started, but on the first day I took her to the vets I noticed some blood in the nesting box, presumably the result of pecking by Alice. This morning when I was cleaning out the I had to shoo Alabama out as she was hiding in there from Alice. As soon as she was out, Alice started pecking her rear end and would run after her whenever Alabama tried to get away. I'm guessing she's not fighting back as she doesn't have the energy.

 

I now have a dog carrier following the vet trips, so was thinking I could keep Alabama in there for a few days until she puts on some weight. The alternative might be to seperate Alice for a while too. Any advice most welcome as I don't want Alabama to go into some kind of shock whilst still recovering from her crop problem.

 

TIA,

[Egluntyne]

I'd put the bully in the crate and let the convalescent have free reign.

[sandyhas3chucks]

me too!