anamiya Posted April 24, 2013 Share Posted April 24, 2013 Hi, please help, I have been re-homing ex-bats for over a year and took on one with a cyst by her eye, we got her on Saturday (4 days ago). On her first day she spilt her water onto the wood shavings, she started eating them, I have seen her eat grass, a worm and a bee as well as grit and a bit of corn. We removed the shavings very quickly but it has led to an impacted crop. Yesterday I massaged her crop 4 times throughout the day having put between 2ml and 4ml of olive oil through her beak. I massaged her again this morning, I feel terrible though as on 2 of the massages some of the oil has gone into her lungs. What do I do? How do you get the oil into them without it going into their lungs? I've never thought about her lungs being connected to her mouth (I know that is crazy) but in the past if one of the girls have been on antibiotics, how do we know if it is going in her crop or her lungs? She is very thin so the impacted crop could have been a problem for a while, she has never been interested in the ex-bat crumb. In the garden she tried eating anything that wasn't food, we had to check for small peices of plastic etc as she would try to eat it. She spilt her water onto the crumb yesterday and then ate it, so I now know that's what to feed her but I don't think she should eat until the impacted crop has gone. She is drinking. She has pooed during the night but the crop still has a hard mass inside along with what feels like a lot of grit. I'm reluctant to do an operation as I think the trauma of it could kill her, plus tumours etc are very common in ex-bats so she could have an internal tumour inside (the eye cyst perhaps indicates there is more wrong with her internally) and the tumour may have contributed to the impacted crop. So maybe there is nothing we can do, but I still want to try my best for this sweet little girl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted April 24, 2013 Share Posted April 24, 2013 Are you sure that she has an impacted crop? As she is very thin, her crop will be prominent. Does it go down overnight? I would stop the oil treatment for now as you think it has gone into her lungs. I would keep her confined to her run for a week and get her used to the ex bay crumb, or try her on layers mash. Normally we are advised to keep ex batts confined for a week or so, to enable them to build up a bit of strength and become accustomed to their new surroundings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anamiya Posted April 24, 2013 Author Share Posted April 24, 2013 Hi, Thank you for your advice. The crop is prominant, it does not go down overnight. She is doing the funny stretching neck/opening mouth movement that is associated with impacted crop. Is it ok for her to eat ex-bat crumbs mixed with water or will this make the blockage even worse? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted April 24, 2013 Share Posted April 24, 2013 I'd make the mash very wet. The added moisture and a bit of massage now and then should help. In fact you could also add a bit of oil to the mixture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anamiya Posted April 24, 2013 Author Share Posted April 24, 2013 Wonderful, will try that. Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
counturchickens Posted April 25, 2013 Share Posted April 25, 2013 We had an impacted crop problem with one of our girls and following a tip on here fed live white maggots, this did do the trick. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egghead68 Posted April 25, 2013 Share Posted April 25, 2013 I second live maggots. She will probably love them. You can get them very cheaply from fishing tackle stores. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anamiya Posted April 25, 2013 Author Share Posted April 25, 2013 Hi, Thank you everyone. My concern with maggots is what happens if they eat more than just the blokage and start eating the chicken? None of you have mentioned the oil in her lungs being an issue, her breathing is normal so I assume it got absorbed into her body? We have been making wet feeds with the ex-bat crumb and water and olive oil, lots of massages. She did a HUGE poo this morning and interestingly the cyst by her eye has decreased a lot in size, perhaps finally getting vit D from the sun was all she needed to help with that. Her crop was definitly smaller this morning so I feel as though the worst is over. I think I will also make her a feed with live bio yogurt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LottyJ1 Posted April 25, 2013 Share Posted April 25, 2013 You will be fine feeding maggots - i have used them for suspected impacted crop before and also use them if I have a hen off her food. They love them! They will only eat down any impaction and will be digested before they can do any damage to the hen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted April 25, 2013 Share Posted April 25, 2013 I don't think I've ever heard of the maggots eating the chicken! Make sure you buy the undyed ones from the angling supply shop. She would be showing signs of illness if the oil had got into her lungs in any significant amount. Wheezing, rattling etc. I imagine she has coughed it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anamiya Posted April 25, 2013 Author Share Posted April 25, 2013 Thank you for the tip on undyed maggots. She did wheeze and rattle a little bit for about 5 minutes but her breathing is normal now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandyhas3chucks Posted April 26, 2013 Share Posted April 26, 2013 Right ho.... My friend had a young bird with a huge crop, she was eating and eating and it was going nowhere. One vet thought her gizzard was impacted and thought no hope, then seeng as some poo was passing thought again, we tried all the massaging the oil the maggots. Then of course it went sour, we emptied we treated the sour, it filled we emptied, that vet went on holiday another at our request flushed the crop. A week and it was normal, then she went home and it started again. AS seems fairly ish typical, this was a young bird just come into lay and spring... she was kept on soil in her run mostly but as soon as was let out pigged out on new fresh grass. We battled on over a month. we won some we lost some.I mean it filled and went sour again. we tried no food for 48 hours we tried soft food, liquid food (not all at once ) One night she slept with me my had holding her now pendulous crop and I could feel the contractions as the crop worked. Then it dawned on me,,,, no Poop !!! so the next day I asked the vet to clear her... He had luckily successfully cleared one before, she was a good girl and he made a interested in his ring and watching the impaction of grass way way too long coming out than anything else. 40 minutes late a little stitch then home. I wont go into recovery details except she was great and a year on a normal girl ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandyhas3chucks Posted April 26, 2013 Share Posted April 26, 2013 So 2 weeks ago I had an ex bat that I suspected was eating her bedding, that vet was away this time but another said he prefered to do it under light GA. Had also done before... Alas this girl only had food in there... We /I hoped that as she was a peritonitis girl that was happily going on after 8 months a 2 drainings that there was just a stassis going on... On always hopes.... But really I did think we were on a hiding to nowhere and a week later I took her to Rainbow bridge. She was actually quite perky and even would run down the garden after me, but I knew, the crop was not moving again and would just be time so I made the appointment for the next day, only just in time, her eyes were bright but she was starting that down ward spiral... The operation itself was a success she was absoloutly fine after the anesthetic. she had a long wound stitched that did not bruise or weep and heeled beautifully. She was not at all stressed before or after.. My poor little love was internally riddled with tumors which were actually blocking her whole system. BUT had she been eating the bedding and not as it turned out picking through looking for the cursed meat lumps AKA lashes. then it would have been a different outcome. Sadly we dont have crystal balls. RIP Hen Pen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
