The Poultry Keeper

heathercolley · Joined: 31 Aug 2005 Posts: 3

I am new to hen keeping and have a chicken with a cough, sort of like laryngitis. She is otherwise well, bright and breezy, no mucus secretions, bright eyes and eating well. She has not infected her house mate and has been like this for about a week.

From what I've read I think that it could be impacted crop, but apart from the cough, she is otherwise fine. I tried her with some oil and massaging her crop last night but it doesn't seem to have made a difference. Any suggestions welcomed.

Deb_Moderator · Joined: 13 Apr 2005 Posts: 3661

Hi Heather,

It could also be gape worm. You might want to locate some flubenvet and give the girls a good dosing.

If it is impacted crop...her crop will be full and hard in the morning, as it is at night. If the crop is normal in the morning it is not that.

Keep an eye on her and keep us posted as to which it may be.

nigel · Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2005 6:47 am Post subject:

Heather

It does sound very similar to the symptoms my flock had. Some were coughing/sneezing but very active, feeding and laying normally. The noise is almost like a clearing of the throat accompanied by a shake of the head. If this sounds about right there is a really good article from Smallholder Magazine by Janice Houghton-Wallace.

http://tinyurl.com/cs6cw

I thought it was a chest infection (in fact I secretly thought it was mycoplasma). I took them to the vets and they diagnosed gape worms and a course of flubenvet.

heathercolley · Joined: 31 Aug 2005 Posts: 3

Thanks for your prompt replies. I've checked the web site about gape worm, and she doesn't seem to be "gaping". Also this morning we checked her crop (now that we know where it is) and sure enough there was a lump there - about the size of a grape. We massaged it and fed her a fiendish brew with oil and molasses, which was very popular.

She is feeding OK and excreting - we were worried that food would not be getting through. Awkwardly we're going on holiday on Saturday, so any short term solutions to relieve the problem and remove the worry from our hen sitters would be appreciated!

Lisa · Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2005 12:26 pm Post subject:

Oh dear, back timing...

I've had a chicken with an impacted crop recently. First plan was to try several days of some sort of lubricant and massage to try to break up the blockage so it can go down the way nature intended.

I tried oil for a few days, but was worried that all that oil had to be digested and was getting really bad nutrition wise (ie overload for her liver). So I changed over to liquid parafin (from the local chemist or vet). Its works in the same way ie it should help things slide along... if they can... but AFAIK, it doesn't get digested.

Often this treatment will work on its own. And as long as the chicken is not getting obviously ill, and things are coming out the other end, then at least you can be confident that some food is getting through and they're not suffering.

Unfortunately a week of that didn't work for Tilly (my Bovan Nera) and, as my chooks are very much pets, it was off to the vets for an operation to open up the crop and remove the blockage. This was followed by a large extraction from my wallet Rolling Eyes

and again when the crop got infected a few days later!

Had a happy ending though. Tilly is now fine and, after a brief detour for being broody, is back laying eggs.

How far down that road you want to go is, of course, a very much a personal thing. If your chickens are more livestock, then its just no economically viable...

Do you think your chicken sitters could cope with the oil and massage?

And how long are you away on hols?

On a positive note, the lump in Tilly's crop was bigger than a grape in the mornings, so fingers crossed the oil and massage will work for your chook.

heathercolley · Joined: 31 Aug 2005 Posts: 3

Actually we're still not clear if it is impacted crop or she just has "a bit of a cough". It sounds like a cross between a cluck and a cough. It doesn't seem to bother her and she is eating and doing all the usual hen things normally. We're continuing with the massage and oil mixture.

Also spoke to vet yesterday (who keeps hens) and she said that 48 hours starvation usually did the trick if the crop wasn't too big (grape sized). But is a grape sized crop normal first thing in the morning? In fact we're still not sure if it is the crop! Oh dear, we do seem confused!

Knobby · Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2005 2:05 pm Post subject:

Sorry I cant help on this one......Ive never had to deal with crop trouble ! Confused