lillybettybabs Posted October 26, 2011 Share Posted October 26, 2011 (edited) Well Fran has been very unwell with a compacted crop for over a week, With trips to the vet and intense massage and syringing she has passed a blue elastic band (broken up) two short sticks and numerous deposits off long grass twisted into rope! I managed to keep her strength up my making a syringable smoothie out of cooked broccoli, tuna, chicken feed and some poultry answer. There's still a back log in her crop to get rid of but what a greedy stroppy chicken! Edited October 27, 2011 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted October 26, 2011 Share Posted October 26, 2011 Great news and well done I'd try to restrict her feeding for a bit if you can; the crop may shrink slightly and so avoid getting impacted again. The crop isn't elastic so will stretch and if over-filled may not return to its original size, so making her more likely to get impacted again. I'd suggest adding ACV to the water 3 times a week and massaging her crop whenever you can catch her to help it all work better. Maggots work really well too - you can get them from the tackle shop opposite Crofts. Just add plenty of grit to their feed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lillybettybabs Posted October 26, 2011 Author Share Posted October 26, 2011 Yep, we have maggots. Still some grass in her crop which is coming out slowly so not out of the woods yet. The smoothies have helped her put some weight back on as she went down to 1.62 she is now 1.82 but was 2.5kilos. She is in the conservatory in an old rabbit run and will be grounded for the foreseeable future! I was going to put a chicken jumper on her to conserve her energy but i'm afraid she'll eat it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sabidtech Posted October 26, 2011 Share Posted October 26, 2011 Good to hear this ended up well. I am always paranoid about my hens having problems with their crop. The run is on a lawn and they take great pleasure in eating up the grass. I put some apple cider vinegar in their water but not sure if there are any other preventative measures I can take? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lillybettybabs Posted October 26, 2011 Author Share Posted October 26, 2011 Someone so invent a chicken muzzle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted October 26, 2011 Share Posted October 26, 2011 I wouldn't worry about her being warm enough as their temp is higher than ours anyway, if you're concerned about her energy then add a smidge on honey to her feed. All you can do to prevent it is make sure they have access to plenty of grit and keep them away from any stringy grass or other stuff that can cause blockages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lillybettybabs Posted October 26, 2011 Author Share Posted October 26, 2011 I wouldn't worry about her being warm enough as their temp is higher than ours anyway, if you're concerned about her energy then add a smidge on honey to her feed. All you can do to prevent it is make sure they have access to plenty of grit and keep them away from any stringy grass or other stuff that can cause blockages. Funny thing is my lawn is kept short for that reason but the little madam dug all the roots up and ate those as well as the elastic band, sticks and a bit of polystyrene . I might put some honey in her smoothie tonight, I also bring Fat Betty in at night so she has so company and they keep each other snug ( and she eats all the leftovers) . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted October 26, 2011 Share Posted October 26, 2011 dustbin chicken! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lillybettybabs Posted October 26, 2011 Author Share Posted October 26, 2011 dustbin chicken! the little............. I'm trying to persuade him indoors that a WIR will save me money in the long run (vet bills,lotions and potions). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted October 26, 2011 Share Posted October 26, 2011 Good luck to you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harryissy Posted October 26, 2011 Share Posted October 26, 2011 Our 3 are very partial to polystyrene!!!! I have to be especially careful if I bring plants back from the garden centre in polystyrene trays as they'll guzzle any bits they can find!! They also like frogs [we have quite a big pond so there are plenty around the garden] and I have watched one of them manage to swallow a pretty large one whole!!! They will also gobble up the remains of bird and rodent corpses left by the cats. However they seem to remain healthy and lay well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lillybettybabs Posted October 27, 2011 Author Share Posted October 27, 2011 I think that where she has got the polystyrene from ( the little monster), She manages to keep our mouse population down nicely, But we don't have a huge population of blue elastic bands so she could have left that alone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
staceychristie Posted October 27, 2011 Share Posted October 27, 2011 Ours used to peck feathers etc, but following a really heavy moult I think they've got fed up of the taste as every shake leaves 10-20 feathers on the lawn. Stacey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
