# slow crop empty



## allen

ok one of the chicks the crop has not been empty in 2 days i have added apple sauce and that did not work is there anything i can do to empty the crop


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## tielfan

Here's what Cockatiel Cottage says at http://www.cockatielcottage.net/feeding.html 

"Slow Crop in the advanced stages is known as Crop Stasis or Slow Gut Statis, Although the 2 terms are used interchangeably and the causes are the same, SGS is the total shut down of the baby's entire digestive tract not just the crop. The crop is so impacted with hardened, fermenting matter, that now the entire digestive tract is being affected, either slowing down significantly or shutting down completely. Babies with SGS are being deprived of nourishment and fluids. Death from starvation and complications from a yeast or other fungus or bacterial infection will develop if left untreated This is a medical emergency because chicks are born without any working immune system to fight infections. The chick needs to have the contents of the crop removed, antibiotics administered and supportive care from an avian vet. It's very important that you seek treatment from an avian vet. He/she will flush the crop with a sterile solution to break up the impacted matter. The procedure may have to be performed several times. Your avian vet will also administer digestive enzymes, fluid for dehydration, antibiotics and anti-fungal medications to prevent or treat infections. Experienced breeders know how to empty a crop manually by using warm Pedialyte, a gentle massage to break up the impaction, then suctioning out the contents with a syringe or similar instrument. However, the baby should still be evaluated afterwards by an avian vet. If your baby is having problems, please call an avian vet. "


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## sweetrsue

Warm water and ornabac. If he's not digesting on his own the parents aren't keeping him warm enough. The Ornabac aids in digestion and will get the crop going again. But keep an eye on him to be sure he's not being allowed to get cold.


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## allen

where do you get the ornabac


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## sweetrsue

Pet shop. Mikey got some. He'll know. you also need to massage the crop a little when you get the ornabac in there. Be gentle you just want to try to break the clump up a little , then repeat in 2 hours. once digestion has started put a little formula in with the warm water. You may have to pull this one Allen. You may have Benebac in your area. Is it probiotics (Lacto bacillus) If you have any plain yogurt around you can dilute it for now but you should always have some Ornabac on hand for just such an emergency. Tiny wouldn't have made it if I didn't have any.


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## allen

the thing is it is not a clump she is just not emptying but i did notice it is better this morning i added some apple cider vinegar to the food last night and it was good to see her have a good amount of poo as well


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## Aly

allen said:


> the thing is it is not a clump she is just not emptying but i did notice it is better this morning i added some apple cider vinegar to the food last night and it was good to see her have a good amount of poo as well


Acv will help with that-also preventing infections that can occur since chicks immune system is fully not built up until 6 mths or so. Here is some info on how to prevent it http://www.avianweb.com/slowcrop.html.


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## allen

well i been adding aple cider vinegar and the crop is almost down to being empty after the advise from here and calling my vet friend they said apple cider vinegar as well they said it is a good bacteria fighter as well


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## Cannuck2007

allen said:


> well i been adding aple cider vinegar and the crop is almost down to being empty after the advise from here and calling my vet friend they said apple cider vinegar as well they said it is a good bacteria fighter as well


Apple cider vinegar is a natural bacteria fighter. Keep a close eye on this baby. I would pull and put in the brooder just to be safe. That way you can keep closer watch on the temp and how fast or slow it's crop is emptying.

Keep us posted


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## allen

ok about 75% is now empty


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## Renae

Hope the next time you update the crop is empty!


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## allen

ok i just got back from the avian vet and the news is not good it apears that chickee has lock jaw as well as a bacteria infection


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## skthurley

Oh  So sorry to hear this. Poor baby


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## Renae

AGH. Oh no, that really is bad news.

The whole time I was hand feeding Theo, Charlie & Twix, I worried about both them things, especially lock jaw.. it'd make it so hard. I assume you've got something for the bacterial infection to help clear it up and make him/her better. What can be done about lock jaw?!


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## allen

unfortunately there is no known cure for lock jaw

the good news is i have more eggs on the go my brother got a pair of wf tiels and let them breed now he don,t want them so i got them eggs are due to be laid this week sometime


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## atvchick95

Here's an article i was reading on "lock jaw" 



> As you may have guessed from the quote marks, “lockjaw” is not the scientific name of this serious malady affecting cockatiels (and other birds) while being handfed; rather, it is a description of the main symptom. When chicks become sick with this problem, you probably won’t notice any other sign of illness until, one day, your baby’s beak won’t open. You might also notice that the eyes, or one eye, look swollen and protruding. At first, you think the chick, which might be pretty close to weaning, isn’t hungry – that is, until you turn to feed another and the one that wouldn’t open it’s mouth starts begging piteously. The outlook for chicks affected with this malady, which is really Temperomandibulitis (infection/inflammation of the temperomandibular joint of the jaw) isn't good but they can recover if you can find a way to feed them despite the fact that they can’t open their beaks and if nothing else goes wrong. The thing that most often carries my chicks off when they have this is that they regurgitate and then choke because they can’t open their beaks to rid themselves of it.
> 
> Many people immediately think “Bordetella” when this problem comes up. Although that particular organism can cause these symptoms (plus a runny discharge from the nares), it is not the only causative agent. This is good, as successful treatment and recovery is doubtful when “Bordetella” is the bacteria causing the problem, perhaps because this particular organism does not respond very well to antibiotic therapy.
> 
> I have had about six instances of this problem, in which one up to five out of a group of up to ten cockatiels gets the lockjaw symptom and some or all of the other symptoms. Although I have had necropsies done each time, including once sacrificing a live bird that had the disease, Bordetella has never been found in the chicks I had that died of this disease. In fact, although inflammation of the TMJ was found in every case, no particular bacteria has been isolated as causing the problem. . The necropsies did note the presence of bacteria that would have normally been present in the birds’ mouths.
> 
> Dr. Cheryl Greenacre at the University of Georgia’s Veterinary school has written on this subject “An outbreak of temperomandibular rigidity was experienced by a number of 3 – 4 week old handfed cockatiels in an aviary. The affected birds were thin, had ravenous appetites and various degrees of TM joint rigidity….. Entercococcus bacteria were cultured from the TM joint of the affected birds…It was theorized that the practice of feeding with a sharp curved-tip syringe induced trauma to the oropharynx allowing entrance of the Enterococcus bacteria into the TM joint…These cases responded well to antibiotic therapy based on culture and sensitivity results, however decreased joint movement persisted after therapy. This outbreak demonstrates that several different organisms, each of which carries a different prognosis, can cause TM joint rigidity. It also demonstrates the trauma that can be caused by improper hand feeding techniques in juvenile birds.”
> 
> So, if your cockatiels, while handfeeding, get the locked jaw symptom, just pray that it is caused by some other organism than Bordetella, as there is a small chance of recovery from other causative agents. I must sadly admit, though, that the chances for recovery are not high. Out of about twenty cases over the past three years, I have two birds that survived the two months of locked jaw and thereafter. One of those recovered from all its symptoms eats well on its own and is now six months old and living in our outside aviary, where he is thriving in our winter weather with no heat! This is a strong indication, it seems to me, that the bird is fully recovered and its immune system is strong. I held on the other bird, after seemingly full recovery, for two additional months, and then sold it as a pet. It was later reported to me that the bird died after being given as a gift for Christmas. Unfortunately, no necropsy was done. I will note that I did refund this customer’s purchase price. Although I had no way to know if the locked jaw episode had contributed to the early death of this bird. I also could not say for sure that it had not.
> 
> I have noticed that these cases have occurred with other species than cockatiels (one Indian Ringneck) and have occurred with parent-raised chicks. It also happens when chicks are fed with other types of feeding utensils (other than the curved-tip syringe mentioned by Dr. Greenacre). With the chicks I’ve handfed that got this disease, the only constant was my way of handling the chicks during feeding. I finally reached the conclusion that my practice of placing my thumb and forefinger on each side of the chicks'’ head in order to hold it steady is the factor that causes damage to the TM joint and allows the entry of bacteria. In fact, my observations lead me to believe that some sort of trauma was present in every case. Needless to say, I am paying more attention and consciously handling the chicks” heads more gently.j Since I started being more aware of my methods, I haven’t had new cases but I also haven’t fed many chicks since then. With breeding season starting up again, I will now get an opportunity to check my theory!
> 
> I’ve also had cases where parent fed birds developed this problem. I wound up pulling and treating (and losing) 3 out of 4 babies from a clutch, but the fourth remained perfectly normal.
> 
> I do want to stress here that I am not a veterinarian and this article is not intended to be a substitute for veterinary advice when this problem is encountered. My intent is only to share my experiences and observations with this malady in the hope that, if you ever encounter the problem, you will not be absolutely mystified, as I was the first time.


from: http://www.acstiels.com/Articles/Health/Lockjaw.htm
and part 2: http://www.acstiels.com/Articles/Health/lockjaw2.htm


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## Cannuck2007

I am very sorry to hear that Allen! Is there any way of crop/tube feeding?


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## Aly

allen said:


> the good news is i have more eggs on the go my brother got a pair of wf tiels and let them breed now he don,t want them so i got them eggs are due to be laid this week sometime


Sorry to hear that. Maybe you should slow down a bit so in case there are some serious problems (ie. the chicks dying before and this one being ill) you can handle it. Treating all the birds you have would be expensive and having more eggs right now would just make things harder. Just my opinion, I'm just trying to help so don't take it personal.


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## allen

ok i am not sure if any of you believe in prayer but i do i believe in healings as well so the last few days i been praying for chickee well i just went and fed chickee mouth wide open and crop almost down to nothing i also increased the humidity and turned the heat up and it is working like a charm


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## Aly

Good to hear but will you consider maybe slowing down after these new eggs and the one's your brother didn't want?


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## Cannuck2007

Aly said:


> Good to hear but will you consider maybe slowing down after these new eggs and the one's your brother didn't want?


Aly is right. With so many clutches on the go if you run in to problems it can be very overwhelming and devastating.

It is great to hear that the little chickee is doing better though, let's hope that crop empties quickly. Did the vet suggest flushing the crop as Sue had said?


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## xxxSpikexxx

I hope you little Chickee gets better is he on antibiotics now?


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## allen

yes he is but his eating is not good he is eatinh very little now


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## xxxSpikexxx

Oh no thats not good  Is there a way the vet can feed him for a while? He needs to eat, poor little guy.


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## allen

ok i just got a call from the avian vet the chick never made it through the night


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## Renae

Sorry to hear that allen. RIP lil one!


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## allen

just to settle your minds i,m treating all birds in my aviary


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## huson

What kind of vet did you bring to? I used to work in an animal hospital for dogs and cats, the vet that work at my workplace does not know anything about birds. But she still help treating chick by reading a vet book. So honestly, I would treat a sick chick myself, if I research the cause and cure for the infection. So do what you think is right~~~


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