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[Cazx]

Usually when I let the girls out in the morning the all run to see who will be first at the food. I can put my money on Hetty being at the front every time.

This morning she was last. She didnt run, just walked and stopped in the middle. and did some weird thing with her neck. I let them out of the run and could feel a egg shaped lump in her neck.

After some research on here, it says it could be impacted crop?? I massaged her neck and managed to move it. She then mamanged to eat a bit of grass but has started this weird movement in her neck again.

On the health site, it says to give her olive oil to help soften it up. How do I give it to her if I dont have a syringe? Do I just dip her beak in it?

Any suggestions please as its so distressing looking at her like that

[Goldstar]

I went on a chicken course and was told to put a teaspoon of olive oil into the mouth and massage the crop well and within 6 hours it should clear. I hope this works, good luck.

[Cazx]

Thanks. I will try this. Dont like to see her like that. Make sme want to cry cos I cant make it go away.

[Goldstar]

I must be horrible for you to see her like this. Hopefully what I suggested will work, if not try it again. I was told that it has always worked for my chicken breeder. (but it may take a couple of goes.)

[Cazx]

Ive read somewhere that giving them maggots can help?

 

Anyone else heard of this?

[Tiggy]

I tried the maggot one, yuck, but it did seem to work, I hope your hen is OK

[The Dogmother]

There's a topic in the FAQ section on just this subject....

[Cazx]

I read that and found it quite helpful.

Ive given her maggots and have massaged as often as she will let me, but how do you get their beaks open to give them the oil??

Shes had a peck at it but I cant get her beak open to give any more.

Some sites say she could be like this for days. Think I'll phone the vet if she isnt better by the morning

Anyone know how to get a chickens beak open please give me hints. Im still learning.

Thanks

[The Dogmother]

You will need two people; one to hold the chook and hold her head still, the other to prise her beak open and SLOWLY drip the oil in. It's not easy, and something that I am always asked to demonstrate.

 

Two days of oil, massage and maggots ought to do it, there's not much else that any vet will recommend as it doesn't respond to/nor need antibiotics. The only thing they can do, as a last resort, is to open her up and remove the blockage in her drop.

 

Just make sure that you keep her hydrated with Avipro or Life-Guard in water dripped into her beak (use a dosing syringe) or some Nutri-Drops.

[Cazx]

Thank you for all your advice.

 

Hetty is now back to 'normal' Its quite scary when they're ill.

 

Maggots arent as bad as they sound. Smelly, but the girls went mad for them. Drizzling oil wasnt as easy, maybe I should have drizzled the oil over the maggots lol. Think we ended up with about as much oil on us as Hetty had in her!!

 

Have bought grit as an added extra to their feed cos someone said the corn might not be right for her.

 

Thanks again for all the advice

[The Dogmother]

Extra grit will certainly help her in that it means that her gizzard will process food better and there'll be less of a chance of it backing up to the crop.

 

I would make sure that their diet contains plenty of probiotics/digestive agents - Bokashi Bran, live yoghurt, ACV, Avipro are all good for this. Keep their diet to roughly 95% layers feed with less treats and not access to stringy grass, hay or straw.

 

The problem is that some hens will be piggies and gorge themselves, the crop doesn't have any muscle support of its own, so it just stretches and soon doesn't ping back into shape very well and the food just stays there and blocks it up.