Crop/Gizzard or Both Issue-Help!

[kjorgey]

Found one of my 3 layer hens not wanting to come out of her run this afternoon. Noticed her crop was squishy and large, like a water balloon. I massaged it several times and she did vomit quite a bit (brown liquid and pieces of the red beat leaves from earlier) and it seemed to go back to normal. I noticed a small piece of jute string in the vomit that may have blown into the coop while blowing leaves. No worms noted. Anyhow, the gizzard area feels like there is grit in it. She returned to coop and drank a little and pecked at her food. She's also going through a heavy molt at present. She is sitting quietly on her nesting box at present. I'm going to put her alone in the chicken hospital to monitor her. Anything else I should be concerned about or can do? PS-I just lost my favorite hen last weekend suddenly from unknown causes and don't want to lose Blondie.

 

[coach723]

You can't feel the gizzard, it's too low and inside the rib cage (see image below). If you are feeling grit, it's probably in the crop. Crate her so you can see what her droppings look like. Don't give anything but water today, check her crop in the morning, see what it feels like then. You can give some coconut oil and do massage if there is a mass in the crop, to try to break it up so it can pass. When massaging, manipulate the mass and gently massage downward, don't force fluid and contents up, when that happens you risk her aspirating it.
How old is she? Was she laying regularly before she started molting? Have you ever wormed her or had a fecal done to check for internal parasites?

Good articles on crop issues:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...ntion-and-treatments-of-crop-disorders.67194/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

 

[kjorgey]

She was laying fine before molting. I have been expectorating her contents. One vet says to so what is it? I really am not sure what I'm doing.

 

[coach723]

It's risky, aspiration can cause choking, death, aspiration pneumonia. Unless you are under direct advice by a personal vet who showed you how to do it, I would not. That's your choice, some people do it, but it does carry risk.
If you read the articles I linked to, there are many possible reasons for a crop to not empty. Sometimes imaging (xray or ultrasound) can show what's going on, but not always, and if you have a vet that will see a chicken it can be expensive. That's a personal decision. Most often the cause of the crop back up is caused by something lower down in the digestive tract. In birds over the age of 2 reproductive problems (like cancer or infection) can cause it as a symptom. Internal parasites can be a cause. Too much fiberous matter and/or not enough grit can sometimes cause it. Dehydration can contribute. Hardware disease or other gizzard impactions. There are many possibilities and it can be hard to narrow it down. I would take the steps in the articles I linked to, some of which I advised in the first answer, to see if you can get things moving. This may not be a quick process, it's very hard to predict since the ultimate cause is not known. What the droppings look like can sometimes be a clue. Most of my birds that have had crop back ups have been either reproductive problems (salpingitis or cancer) or internal parasites. I had one with a congenital or developmental defect of the gizzard found at necropsy.

 

[kjorgey]

It's risky, aspiration can cause choking, death, aspiration pneumonia. Unless you are under direct advice by a personal vet who showed you how to do it, I would not. That's your choice, some people do it, but it does carry risk.
If you read the articles I linked to, there are many possible reasons for a crop to not empty. Sometimes imaging (xray or ultrasound) can show what's going on, but not always, and if you have a vet that will see a chicken it can be expensive. That's a personal decision. Most often the cause of the crop back up is caused by something lower down in the digestive tract. In birds over the age of 2 reproductive problems (like cancer or infection) can cause it as a symptom. Internal parasites can be a cause. Too much fiberous matter and/or not enough grit can sometimes cause it. Dehydration can contribute. Hardware disease or other gizzard impactions. There are many possibilities and it can be hard to narrow it down. I would take the steps in the articles I linked to, some of which I advised in the first answer, to see if you can get things moving. This may not be a quick process, it's very hard to predict since the ultimate cause is not known. What the droppings look like can sometimes be a clue. Most of my birds that have had crop back ups have been either reproductive problems (salpingitis or cancer) or internal parasites. I had one with a congenital or developmental defect of the gizzard found at necropsy.

Thank you . This was very helpful. I don't worm my hens, as I haven't had an issue in the 3 years I've had them. But they all, but one stopped laying. I attributed it to molting and less daylight here in the north east. I haven't seen evidence in their stools. Is it worth doing a prophylactic round of deworming?

 

[coach723]

Without a fecal, I can't tell you if worming will help or not, but in my flock if it's been a while, I go ahead and worm. I've never hurt a bird by worming it, but I've had some really sick ones from worms (roundworm in my case). You could worm the one with the crop issue and if she gets better then I'd worm them all. If the issue is parasites, it could take up to a week for things to start moving. Sometimes they perk up quickly, but not always. Sometimes droppings will look runnier or mucousy if they have worms or you see more shed intestinal lining. You often will not see worms, they live the entire life inside the chicken and are digested when they die. The eggs are shed in the droppings and are microscopic in size.
Usually the easiest wormer to find is Safeguard, either liquid goat wormer or the horse paste. Dose is .23ml (just round to .25) per pound of weight, orally, 5 days in a row. A digital kitchen scale works well for weighing. You can usually get an oral syringe at the same store, or any pharmacy has them, just ask. Give the dose .5 ml at a time and let her swallow. Repeat until the whole dose is given. With the goat wormer, shake it up well before drawing the dose, it settles out.

 

[kjorgey]

Thanks. I'm really not sure what I'm dealing with. Hen's abdomen feels like a water balloon. May be sour crop, but her expelled vomit did not smell. I'm giving her just water and messaging. I feel something in her lower crop area that feels like tiny stone/rice krispies. Maybe she has ascites and has internal issue. So hard to know. I'm going to try and take her to the vet on Monday. In meantime, I might try yogurt. She passed a very small amount of dark brown/black stool and water over night. Comb seems ok too. Any thoughts?

 

[coach723]

If she has ascites, and that's what it sounds like, then the prognosis is likely poor. So sorry. Ascites is a symptom of something else going on. The fluid is from the liver leaking into the abdomen, common with various reproductive cancers and infections, or organ failure. Sometimes draining the fluid can make them more comfortable for a time, but it will usually recur since the underlying condition is still there. And draining does come with some risk of shock or infection, but many do it. That combined with the crop stasis, suggests whatever it is, it's probably advanced. The pressure from the fluid in the abdomen can make it harder for them to pass droppings also. I hope the vet is helpful and can give you better specifics. Let us know what they say, the information might be helpful to someone else.

 

[kjorgey]

You can't feel the gizzard, it's too low and inside the rib cage (see image below). If you are feeling grit, it's probably in the crop. Crate her so you can see what her droppings look like. Don't give anything but water today, check her crop in the morning, see what it feels like then. You can give some coconut oil and do massage if there is a mass in the crop, to try to break it up so it can pass. When massaging, manipulate the mass and gently massage downward, don't force fluid and contents up, when that happens you risk her aspirating it.
How old is she? Was she laying regularly before she started molting? Have you ever wormed her or had a fecal done to check for internal parasites?
View attachment 3320703
Good articles on crop issues:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...ntion-and-treatments-of-crop-disorders.67194/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

Fecal test came back negative today. She is doing well. She passed a stool 2 days ago that included stones, so gizzard is working. Appetite is not great, but then again its been stressful. I never treated for sour crop other than giving a little yogurt and 1 tsp of applecider vinegar in 16 oz of water (recommend by vet). Crop has been empty each morning. I attempted to put her back with the other 4 hens and as soon as she went for the food, they ambushed her. I didn't think 4 days away would be an issue, but it certainly was. I'm fixing up a smaller pen to isolate her in it next to the chicken run, to help with acclimation. So, today....I operated a chicken clinic which took up most of my day. I brought all 5 hens in for a head to tow inspection. For the most part, all look great, with the exception of an early scaly spider mite infection on their feet. Every girl got a 10 minute soak and scrub of their feet. I sprayed each with Manna Pro Poultry protector (as I had that on hand) and smothered their feet in petroleum jelly. I also identified bumble foot on 3 of the 5 hens. Tomorrow, I will repeat their soaks in Epsom salt solution until the necrotic scab comes off. Will treat with neosporin, duoderm gel and vet bandage. I'm a nurse practitioner and feel this will work better than surgical removal.

 

[kjorgey]

If she has ascites, and that's what it sounds like, then the prognosis is likely poor. So sorry. Ascites is a symptom of something else going on. The fluid is from the liver leaking into the abdomen, common with various reproductive cancers and infections, or organ failure. Sometimes draining the fluid can make them more comfortable for a time, but it will usually recur since the underlying condition is still there. And draining does come with some risk of shock or infection, but many do it. That combined with the crop stasis, suggests whatever it is, it's probably advanced. The pressure from the fluid in the abdomen can make it harder for them to pass droppings also. I hope the vet is helpful and can give you better specifics. Let us know what they say, the information might be helpful to someone else.

Fecal test came back negative today. She is doing well. She passed a stool 2 days ago that included stones, so gizzard is working. Appetite is not great, but then again its been stressful. I never treated for sour crop other than giving a little yogurt and 1 tsp of applecider vinegar in 16 oz of water (recommend by vet). Crop has been empty each morning. I attempted to put her back with the other 4 hens and as soon as she went for the food, they ambushed her. I didn't think 4 days away would be an issue, but it certainly was. I'm fixing up a smaller pen to isolate her in it next to the chicken run, to help with acclimation. So, today....I operated a chicken clinic which took up most of my day. I brought all 5 hens in for a head to toe inspection. For the most part, all look great, with the exception of an early scaly spider mite infection on their feet. Every girl got a 10 minute soak and scrub of their feet. I sprayed each with Manna Pro Poultry protector (as I had that on hand) and smothered their feet in petroleum jelly. I also identified bumble foot on 3 of the 5 hens. Tomorrow, I will repeat their soaks in Epsom salt solution until the necrotic scab comes off. Will treat with neosporin, duoderm gel and vet bandage. I'm a nurse practitioner and feel this will work better than surgical removal.