Henslaved Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 As some of you may know one of my girls has been having crop problems. I think I have narrowed it down to pendulous crop. After giving her nothing but avipro and water for 24 hrs, her huge swinging crop disappeared which to me rules out blocked or sour crop. So I let her out with the others (my mistake as the poor girl was back to square one again with a full swinging crop ) My plan of action is to give her just water and avipro again for 24 hrs, then give her small amounts of soft foods spread throughout the day and hopefully her crop will shrink back to normal . I am also going to put some Critical Care Formula into her water on alternate days to the avipro. Does anyone have any experience with this? If so, will her crop ever shrink back to normal? How long will it take? Very worried and at the end of my tether . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 It looks like you've eliminated the likelihood of a blockage further down her digestive system. I'd keep up the regime you have started and see how it goes, you may need to restrict her access to food which could be a pain. Once the crop has distended a few times it tends to stay stretched; it is just a bag like a balloon with no muscle to keep it in place/tone. If you fancy it and have a chicken-savvy vet, then they can do what amounts to a tummy tuck on her, but it's costly and they don't take well to a GA. Just ensure that she has access to plenty of water and withdraw food if her crop doesn't empty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henslaved Posted March 26, 2012 Author Share Posted March 26, 2012 Thanks DM. No chance of her crop ever shrinking then . She definitely won't be getting a tummy tuck. I feel so mean not letting her FR . She carries on alarmingly when she sees the others all playing out which makes me feel worse as she obviously doesn't understand what's going on . She's not exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer either as she will try and eat just about anything, including shavings . Will see how she goes . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 Some hens do that and just distend their crop so much that it goes baggy. A friend had a hen which was obsessed with eating grit out of the coop pot, it wouldn't stop so she had to take the pot away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laurmurf Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 i had a grit eater too, she nearly killed herself with it... our pendulous crop is still causing us problems too... i'm going to reach the end of my tether soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 TBH there's bother all you can do about it Laurie, you've seen a crop yourself, so you know what it's like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lillybettybabs Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 Fran had a stretch crop but thankfully it has shrunken back after a good two months of food being restricted (mainly pellets in water). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 Was it not stretched for long then? Ex-batts are very prone to it; they tend to go mad when they are released and can eat as much as they like - they will gorge themselves and stretch the crop beyond the point of no return Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lillybettybabs Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 No, I check their crops a couple of times a week so i caught it in time, It was huge! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 Good for you. My girls are pretty small so I notice anything like that quite quickly as well. Mind you they don't really get digestive problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henslaved Posted March 27, 2012 Author Share Posted March 27, 2012 you may need to restrict her access to food which could be a pain. No kidding . Her crop still seems slow to empty, and even with food restricted she still seems full of energy and alert and she even laid me another egg today bless her. She does hate not being allowed to play out . I may take her off the layers for a while and put her on growers. I feel your pain laurmurf . Well done lillybettybabs for spotting yours so quickly . Not sure if I have , as Pudding is a chunky little thing . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted March 27, 2012 Share Posted March 27, 2012 I wonder if she has a mild gastric stasis, where their gut slows down the processing of food - this could cause her gut to be over-full and stretch, which in itself causes another problem when the crop loses 'tone' and remains slack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henslaved Posted March 29, 2012 Author Share Posted March 29, 2012 Would that not make her feel ill? Apart from the crop being slow to move food she's still bright eyed and alert (although a bit scatty at times ). I have put her back with the others to eat pellets and water only as the restricting food regime was a bit too much for me, what with work and other things. She will still be banned from FR though as that's when she seems to get the fullest. Hens eh! Who'd 'av 'em . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henslaved Posted April 1, 2012 Author Share Posted April 1, 2012 I tried feeding her small amounts of really sloppy mash with a little olive oil 3-4 times a day over the last couple of days. After each feed I picked her up and massaged her crop a little, and to my amazement she burps , which sometimes smell like sweet yoghurt When she is eating, could she be gulping down air too which could be adding to the distended crop? Also tonight she has a semi full crop and is doing a bit of the break dancing thing with her neck again . This girl has got me so confused . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 Sounds like she has a bit of a blockage there; either in her crop or further down. Was she wormed recently? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henslaved Posted April 2, 2012 Author Share Posted April 2, 2012 I haven't wormed her since I got her in Feb and I don't know before then. This morning was like a scene from The Exorcist . Her crop was still full so I picked her up off the perch this morning and she threw up everywhere, all over my shoes and the floor , luckily I was not going to work. So I thought "right that's it, it must be a blockage somewhere" so I tipped her up and got out what I could and left her with just water for an hour or so. I then gave her a few maggots. A bit later I checked her crop, it had gone down again, some more massage and maggots. A while later I gave her a little really watery prune bio yoghurt and avipro and then massaged and "burped" her . A bit later she had some really watery pellets with oil and avipro and was massaged and "burped" again . By this time her crop was not filling up so I took a risk and gave her a few growers pellets after which I massaged again and No Burps . Tonight is the first night in what seems like an age that she has gone to bed with a "normal" sized not squishy crop. I have everything crossed that in the morning her crop will be empty and this whole upsetting and stressfull episode is behind us . I may still restrict her food for a while though . Sorry for the long post but it has been a worrying and stressfull day, I had to get it off my chest . Will order some Marriages Flub pellets and do them all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plum Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 Phew, chicken doctor well done Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 it sounds like the blockage led to sour crop (smells sweet and strangely sour too when you open their beak) I'd leave her with water and avipro only for 24 hours and then introduce some maggots after that Pellets can ferment if they get soggy so a watery crop isnt a good place for them to be untill you are 100% sure they are going through If you empty the crop again be very careful, if he comb turns dark put her back upright straight away Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 Yes, empty the crop quickly in a swinging action. I'd leave her off food for 36 hours, just water with Life-Guard in it or Nutri-drops for sustenance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henslaved Posted April 3, 2012 Author Share Posted April 3, 2012 Well her crop felt just about empty this morning, "great" I thought and let her have a very small handful of growers pellets. Checked on her a couple of hrs later and I was back to square one with a squishy crop (unfortunately I didn't read your posts til mid morning ). I tried to empty her a couple of times but nothing would come out. She must be processing what little food I gave her this morning as she is still pooping, although smaller than usual. Since then she's had nothing except for water with lifeguard in. Just been to check on her now and her crop is emptying slowly, but it's driving her mad being separated and watching the others tuck into their pellets . Poor girl she must feel sooooo hungry. I am assuming the blockage must be further down as I can't feel any lumps in her crop . In fact it wouldn't surprise me if the silly girl has got some barley straw lodged somewhere (which has all been removed from the run and nesting area) I will persevere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 See how it goes over the next couple of days, but if there's a blockage further down then there's nothing you can do, even with the most caring of nursing, they will become anorexic. See if she will take a little probiotic yoghurt laced with Life-Guard or Nutri-drops and a little ACV. You're doing well and it's not easy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henslaved Posted April 4, 2012 Author Share Posted April 4, 2012 Thanks DM I gave her some probiotic yoghurt laced with Life-Guard and ACV as suggested and she wolfed it down. I had to expel the air she swallowed afterwards . This morning her crop wasn't empty so I put her in the cat carrier with some water and lifeguard. This afternoon her crop is empty so she has just had some maggots. I will give her another couple of small feeds of sloppy pellets and Lifeguard a bit later. So she is digesting food, just really really slowly which is probably what is causing the pendulous crop . I think I am going to have to continue with this until either the blockage passes or I feel that it's best for her to be PTS . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted April 4, 2012 Share Posted April 4, 2012 It is normal for them to take in air as well as food, this is generally expelled as they move around after eating. The decision is yours, but she will be missing her companions if she is kept separately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henslaved Posted April 4, 2012 Author Share Posted April 4, 2012 She's not kept completely separate. I only put her in the cat carrier before I go to work, as I start at silly o'clock in the morning. I put her in the run which I have divided in two when I get home. She also goes to bed with her friends . I would never keep any hen completely isolated . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted April 4, 2012 Share Posted April 4, 2012 That's fine. Sorry, was just dipping in to the thread and hadn't read back through it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
