Hard Crop Not Clearing

[azygous]

You've done amazing connecting dots, asking some thought provoking questions. It's triggered some ideas in my head. This is called synergy. When one brain meets another brain to problem solve, the result can be much more than just twice as good.

How about you give this little stinker a molasses flush? This will not only help flush her crop, but it will stimulate the intestines to move material more quickly on through. It's safe, and it will get some nutrients and fluids into her as a side bonus.

Mix one teaspoon of molasses in one-fourth cup warm water. Tube it down into her crop very slowly until it's all in, but if any liquid comes back up, stop. That's all the capacity she has. This is a good reason to take it slowly getting this mixture into her.

Be sure she's on absorbent bedding because the poop, when/if it comes, will likely be on the liquid side. This is where your foresight to use your bathroom as a treatment room will come in handy.

 

[Mimi13]

You've done amazing connecting dots, asking some thought provoking questions. It's triggered some ideas in my head. This is called synergy. When one brain meets another brain to problem solve, the result can be much more than just twice as good.

How about you give this little stinker a molasses flush? This will not only help flush her crop, but it will stimulate the intestines to move material more quickly on through. It's safe, and it will get some nutrients and fluids into her as a side bonus.

Mix one teaspoon of molasses in one-fourth cup warm water. Tube it down into her crop very slowly until it's all in, but if any liquid comes back up, stop. That's all the capacity she has. This is a good reason to take it slowly getting this mixture into her.

Be sure she's on absorbent bedding because the poop, when/if it comes, will likely be on the liquid side. This is where your foresight to use your bathroom as a treatment room will come in handy.

I know you’re likely not up and at it yet this morning, but I was wondering if I should wait on doing the flush since I do have a vet appt in 3 hours? Even though I was able to loosen her crop contents considerably yesterday, the darn thing is back to being big and hard with just the minimalist amount of fresh poop in her enclosure.

I’ve been thinking about something else I noticed yesterday while massaging her crop. Several of her feathers around the crop area are missing, but more of them are broken. I’m thinking this crop problem could have been going on much longer than I have realized. Her crop possibly has been itching, hurting, etc., which has caused her to pick at her feathers (even though I haven’t noticed anything like that since I’ve had her inside.) I don’t know, I’m just grasping at thin air trying to come up with a reason and/or solution for this.

I’ve got several piggie girls that go to roost with huge crops, but luckily I have only had a couple (outside of this one) that has presented with unemptied crops in the morning and those were fairly quickly treated. Thank the lord.

I really am leaning toward her system being so clogged she can’t get it going, which would benefit from a flush. I will bet Dr. Berry will want to do an X-ray before doing anything else, which is fine. I just want my little Speckled Sussex back to running around happily.

I really do want to know what it is she got into. I can’t imagine a place that she found that would have made her gorge on just a grit-like substance only and not eat other stuff in between. Oh me, time will tell I suppose. I hope the vet can offer an answer to this question and me not have to find out through a necropsy.

 

[azygous]

Speckled Sussex are a breed with strong personality traits. Each of the four I've had have been "intensely" unique. One even loved to practice crowing in the mornings before a bobcat ate her. The one I have left now crows a perfect imitation of the roosters.

No, I wouldn't advise the flush before you see the vet. I was hoping you'd get the post last night in time to flush her and have results by now. Hope the vet can fix her.

 

[Trux]

 

[Mimi13]

Speckled Sussex are a breed with strong personality traits. Each of the four I've had have been "intensely" unique. One even loved to practice crowing in the mornings before a bobcat ate her. The one I have left now crows a perfect imitation of the roosters.

No, I wouldn't advise the flush before you see the vet. I was hoping you'd get the post last night in time to flush her and have results by now. Hope the vet can fix her.

I hope the vet helps out here. We are in the waiting room now.

I just don’t understand people laughing when they see a chicken in a pet carrier at the vet. Do y’all?

 

[Trux]

I hope the vet helps out here. We are in the waiting room now.

I just don’t understand people laughing when they see a chicken in a pet carrier at the vet. Do y’all?

I could maybe if she was clucking and carrying on

 

[azygous]

This is America. Chickens have the right to be anywhere they want to be.

 

[Mimi13]

Okie dokie. We are back at home with the problem not solved. Gabby’s life is now completely in my hands.

First of all, he would do surgery, but it would have been full-blown surgery, under anesthesia and all. He does not subscribe to the “cut while awake” crop impaction surgery, which actually shocked me. I mean, after all, he is a country livestock vet who I must say has done wonderful work for us the past 11 years. I cannot brag enough on him. I then asked if he could take an X-ray of her to see if there was something blocking the way and his reply was that we might as well do surgery if I’m gonna spend $75 on an X-ray. The whole time we were talking he was massaging her crop and got it broken up again. He said my best bet would be to take her home and keep working on the crop with massage and coconut oil. He did say though that with everything I had described to him and after feeling her crop, he was afraid there was another underlying issue.

So, here we are, back to square one. This bird looks and acts normal in every possible way a chicken would/should/could look and act, except that crop. With all this said I believe it’s time for a molasses flush, @azygous. I might as well add the smell of molasses to the smell of garlic already exiting her.

As I have sat here with her she has eaten a little bit of her food and has pooped a little bit three more times. Heck, maybe all is not lost. She is now wandering around the bathroom scoping everything out like a nosy chicken would, stopping every once in a while to cluck to me.

I’m gonna go wash out my tube and syringe and find my molasses, which I never use, but I’m thankful I have it.

Molasses flush, here we come.

I shall return! I’m like an old lingering fart...I just won’t go away.

 

[azygous]

Did somebody call me an old lingering fart? Okay!

The fact that this hen is pooping at all gives room for hope. Just take it slow and easy. We don't want to rupture anything.

 

[Mimi13]

Molasses flush administered at 1:30 pm.