Impacted crop?

[ajpaterson]

I've had my 6 ladies for 3 weeks. One of them started to lay last Monday and a few have followed suit (as we've had max of 4 eggs on one day - presuming they only lay one each!). This morning our black rock (aka Higglety Pigglety) didn't manically run out of the house like the others but just sat on the perch. After a while I tried opening the house to offer her some water but she then jumped down and went outside. She didn't go to water or pellets and is just standing around. I noticed her chest looks abnormally big so am wondering if it's an impacted crop (or sour crop). I've read the former is mostly due to long grass but they are in a run with no grass. I also notice that the whole of her rear end is slowly pulsating - as if it were a chest while breathing (which I realise it's not!). I'm not sure if she's one of the ones who's started laying - does one get constipation type thing with a first egg?!

Foodwise they have pellets in feeder all day and then we give them corn/grit combo late afternoon scatterred around the ground.

Any thoughts? Could it be impacted? Do I need to go for the olive oil syringed down side of throat? If so how soon - can it wait until I'm home from work?!

Many thanks as always.
Andy

[MaureenHall]

Not sure about the impacted or sour crop theory, but when chooks first come into lay they can behave in odd ways. Her pulsating bum signals to me that there might be an egg on its way. Keep an eye on her. If she hasn't laid by tomorrow and still has a swollen crop, mix a little olive oil or cod liver oil on some pellets and see if she'll eat them. It'll do no harm. I'd also gently massage her crop downwards to help any congestion in there. Good luck

[lizzylemon]

One of my hens had both, 1st it was impacted and then it went sour. The easiest way to tell is in the morning (an early one for you I'm afraid) before they have any food (remove it if you can). If her crop is still swollen (right side breast area) before she's eaten it's a good indication it's impacted. Pick her up and feel it. It'll feel hard and grainy. She might have lost weight too, so just have a general feel of her while she's being held. (Impacted crops stop any or most food going into her stomach)

If it does feel very hard and tight, gently massage the lump downwards regulary (2 / 3 times a day will be fine) and check poo on a regular basis too. The poo will contain the stringy grass / whatever before turning to normal - dont stop the massaging until the poo's been normal for a couple of days (I stopped too soon)

A sour crop is quite different. The crop will be very soft and squishy to the touch and the hens breath will stink (I dont know how you check that bit).

Also if you pick her up and tilt her forward slightly a dark / black liquid / slime will come out of her beak. It's a fungal infection I think so maybe antibiotics might work but my gal was too far gone when I noticed and so having her put out of her misery was all I could do.

The good news is don't panic about time as such. You have a few days to get it all moving again as the hen can use her own fat / energy stores for a while so a few days without food wont be too much of a problem.

Good luck.

[Suechooks]

............ It's a fungal infection I think so maybe antibiotics might work ........

Just for the record - antibiotics DON'T cure fungal infections - they're more likely to cause them by killing off all the "good" bacteria leaving the way open for the fungal stuff to take over.

[HayleyB]

If she hasn't had any long grass then it's more likely she's pre-menstrual

[NSB]

I was told by my breeder to check their breath, if their breath smells then it could be their crop.

I thought mine had it once, i was told to check them first thing in the morning and if their crop is full thats not good, as they disgest their food overnight. I was told to give them narural yoghurt this puts some goodnes back in their diet, I do this once a week anyway now, I mix some of their layer pellets in with the youghurt and they love it.

The other thing to do if it is their crop then they need to be swung between you legs with their body higher than there head so they can be sick.

[RichmondHens]

NSB - That sounds rather extreme (the swinging thing). Chickens can't actually vomit, but if you hold them upside down and massage the crop, as Lizzy says, the crop contents will come out.

[lizzylemon]

Just for the record - antibiotics DON'T cure fungal infections - they're more likely to cause them by killing off all the "good" bacteria leaving the way open for the fungal stuff to take over.

Consider me told - I'll know for future situation, thanks!

[lizzylemon]

Sorry I'd just like to clarify: Hold chicken upright and massage crop downwards toward her stomach - it will pass everything in there into her stomach for digestion.

Up the grit levels they have access too and feed them live maggots too. Both were advice I got off here from other grapes. Apprantly the maggots eat the blockage before they get ground up - but don't quote me on that. I did it for my gals and all I know is they really enjoyed it.

[DJ_Chook]

NSB - That sounds rather extreme (the swinging thing). Chickens can't actually vomit,

Today I saw one of my girls leaning over and bringing up a liquid with 'bits' in it. She wasn't eating at the time, just sat ontop of hen house taking in the view.

[RichmondHens]

?????? Have no idea what that's all about then!

[lizzylemon]

?????? Have no idea what that's all about then!

Oh nothing! I just read my waffle back to me and was worried it read wrong and had visions of hens being held upside and massaged. Talking about adding insult to injury LOL!

[ajpaterson]

Thanks for all your help. I managed to corner her last night to give her a bit of a massage. Not really sure what I was feeling for but tried to help things down. The neck felt pretty central so not sure if anything stuck on the right.

This morning she came out of her house slowly (not amid the mad rush) and then didn't go for the food or water like the others so I gave her another massage.

Having said all that, she did go mad for the afternoon corn yesterday - we thought she was so under the weather we didn't need to stop her going for it, but she did (which probably doesn't help the situation!)

Yesterday we had our record of 5 eggs, and what with having 6 hens I reckon she's the one who's a bit troubled!

[RichmondHens]

Oh nothing! I just read my waffle back to me and was worried it read wrong and had visions of hens being held upside and massaged. Talking about adding insult to injury LOL!

Well Lizzy, on other forums, advice for sour crop IS to hold upside down and massage so contents come back out.

Mine don't get sour crop so have never had to deal with it. It's apparently more likely to happen in hens kept in runs/coops who are then let out now and again to free range and effectively gorge themselves on stuff not usually available. That and too many treats, apparently!

[lizzylemon]

Well Lizzy, on other forums, advice for sour crop IS to hold upside down and massage so contents come back out.

Mine don't get sour crop so have never had to deal with it. It's apparently more likely to happen in hens kept in runs/coops who are then let out now and again to free range and effectively gorge themselves on stuff not usually available. That and too many treats, apparently!

I totally agree with you, for Sour Crops that is the right thing to do as it tips the nasty liquid out but I don't know if it applies to Impacted Crops as well.

Maybe massaging an Impacted crop upside down would make the mass come out quicker but I'd worry the mass would get stuck in the hens throat and choke her. Gently massaging the mass into the stomach should mean it gets digested without any further harm to the hen.

One of the reasons I stopped my girls from free ranging was they were getting access to very long, very tough wild grasses and it was the grass that caused the mass. Luckily the other 3 gals didn't have such a problem passing it through - only Hendrix got into a terrible state with it, poor gal.

After she'd been put out of her misery I spoke to my local vet and he said she'd likely suffered from the Sour Crop after being Impacted because the food had sat in her crop for too long which had then allowed the fungal infection to get a hold.

I think that's why treats such as bread aren't recommended. It just goes soft and doughy in the crop which means it can't be ground by the stones, and so just sits in the crop, either impacting or passing through so slowly it causes sour crop to occur.