Blockage of the esophagus

[ssjacks]

Hello,
I am brand new to this forum and this will be my first posting. I come with a need for info. That is how I found this site.

I have a rooster who appears to be blocked up, probably due to something he's ingested. I have been giving him treatments (3) of mineral oil and massaging with no luck of a passage yet. I will try to empty his crop by inverting and massaging it up. I will see how that goes.
He doesn't have a sour dose of breath so I believe it just his feed (egg pellets and water), as the contents feel soft.
I have an old Stockman's Dictionary which discusses minor surgery for this type of thing but I'm a bit hesitate to try. I must do something or I'm going to lose him anyway, so what does everyone think? My man and I have a ranch with all types of livestock, and I'm not completely without this type of experience, just never messed with poultry in this way.
We have cow/calf pairs, sheep, horses etc so I already do a lot of the doctoring. Please give me some feedback. I won't use the vet for 1 chicken, as that wouldn't be worth it, and had I caught this sooner, he would've ended up in the freezer. He is too bony at this point and I'd like to save him. Sorry for rambling on, just would like to help the poor critter.
Let me hear from you, please.
Thanks, Shawna :|

 

[KellyHM]

There's a sticky at the top of the emergencies forum that tells how to deal with it.

 

[hinkjc]

I don't think you really explained what the symptoms are. Are you sure it's the esophagus that is blocked and not the airway? What is your rooster doing that makes you think he has a problem. That would help us to give advice.

Jody

 

[ssjacks]

Rooster's crop is greatly distended and is obviously full of soft feed. I have been giving him mineral oil (maybe 2.5 - 5. ml) per treatment, and massaging it to try to break up the mass and get things going on their own, but we've seen no progress yet. This has been a problem for him now nearly a week. He at least has some color back in his comb. It had turned purple and was shrinking down in size. After the first treatment the color came back to red. He is alert and just being a chicken though he looks rough and droopy, his feathers.

 

[dlhunicorn]

He may be dehydrated (severe) and in need of ringers (subcutaneous) which is the primary cause of that "thinness" and the most dangerous symptom of crop stasis (crop stasis means the crop is not moving anything through including fluids). Dont let him eat any grains at the moment (as it is not going move through anyway if we are talking about a crop that has totally stopped functioning)
Here is some info (some kind of technical but do plod through it > it will be worthwhile I promise you):
http://dlhunicorn.conforums.com/index.cgi?board=emergencies&action=display&num=1161893898