# Swollen crop



## mchambers (Jan 24, 2008)

I'm raising a pigeon from day one, day 7 now, and he has developed what I guess is yeast. EVERY pigeon I raise gets it, no matter how clean I keep the utensils, and how careful I am. Crop slows down and gas builds up in it so at times it is swollen like a balloon. Had my avian vet send me the current medicine for yeast, not nystatin, better than that, just can't think of the name of it. Once a day. It has been four days and I'm not seeing any improvement. I'm having to feed the food more liquid than I should be so it processes more easily. I'm feeding him a commercial squab formula for pigeons under ten days that my vet recommended. Think it is by roudybush. I've added a tiny bit of yogurt a couple of times with ACTIVE cultures, to get the LIVE cultures the grams of sugar went up tremendously and I was afraid that would do more harm than good. I can sometimes massage the crop and a little of the gas will burp out, but comes right back. Any advice on what's causing this and what else I can do to help the little guy? He's in a plastic tub with holes drilled in it with a heating pad, on a wash cloth. Cup of water for moisture. Feeding with a syringe with a very thin tube on end so formula goes right into crop. I have trouble keeping the formula warm until it gets into him, could that be causing problems? I make new food each time, wash thoroughly, feeding was every 2 hours, now it's every four or five and he's only a week old. Weighs 19 grams. 
Thank you so much for any help you can give me on this.
Melissa


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Exactly how are you feeding them? Could be Aerophagia.

Pidgey


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Click the link and wait for your browser to go to the specific post, which takes awhile after it opens the page. When it finally stops, you're "there":

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?p=201905

Pidgey


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

Melissa,
You should only feed when the crop is empty. Adding food to food already in the crop could be causing the problem. Try feeding some applesauce for human babies in the next feeding. It will change the PH balance and get things moving.


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## maryjane (Jul 15, 2006)

Sorry you're having troubles. Instead of tube feeding, if possible, try a different method. This is my favorite:









Sometimes letting them eat the formula at their own speed works out better than tubing. They pick it up very easily and at seven days they're plenty old enough to do it. Good luck.


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

Melissa, this sometimes happens if they are being fed too much and if the formula is too thick.

To keep the formula warm, set the bowl you have the formula in, into a larger bowl with hot water but be sure you stir the formula very, very well before loading the syringe to eliminate hot spots which can burn the crop. Try giving it between 3-5 cc's of formula every two hours with either plain yogurt (about 1 cc) or Benebac probiotic powder added to it. A baby that is only one week old doesn't require a big feeding every time. You can gradually increase the amount you feed it every day but you need to get its tummy straight before giving it large amounts.


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## mchambers (Jan 24, 2008)

Read up on aero. Thanks. 
What is AVC water, where can I get it, and can it be given at the same time as Itraconazole for yeast?
Thank you for your help. You guys are amazing.


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

It took me weeks to figure out that AVC is apple cidar vinegar. Most people here use Braggs organic which can be purchased at health food stores.
My pigeons can detect even the smallest amount in the water and refuse to drink it. Starting them on it while they are young is the key because then they will naturally accept it when it is added to the water.
Yes you can give it at the same time. You can also use baby applesauce.


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

mchambers said:


> ...he's only a week old. Weighs 19 grams...


Incidentally, they often hatch around 12 grams and would normally gain about 15% or more weight per day. So, by the end of a week, they will often be in the 35 to 75 gram weight range. They do tend to grow a little slower on formula for the first part of their nestlinghood but that (19 grams) is very low for a pigeon.

Pidgey


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## mchambers (Jan 24, 2008)

I'll try that. Thanks.


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## mchambers (Jan 24, 2008)

I love your idea, very creative, but I am sneaking the baby in to my classroom with me (my principal is NOT an animal person and thinks any animal will make the classroom smell and detract from the learning of my 5th graders) and I have to feed VERY quickly and be done so he doesn't come in and catch me. I do think your way would help, I really feel something about the tubing is what is causing the problem because it happens with every baby-very frustratig!


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## mchambers (Jan 24, 2008)

I agree-the parent raised ones are mooses by this time. He was abandoned while in the egg and ice cold-he'd only pipped out his beak,and I ended up having to, after gradually warming him, help a lot in his hatching. He's had some strikes against him since before birth, poor little guy. Think he's underweight because I am afraid to feed much, and feeding formula thinner than it should be, because his crop has slowed way down and the air in his crop makes it hard to feed him sometimes.
Thanks for your advice.


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Can you post a picture of the little guy and as well as one of the equipment that you're using? Also, how are you incubating him?

Pidgey


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## mchambers (Jan 24, 2008)

He's in a clear plastic box with holes drilled in it. Inside that is a heating pad, on top of that is an empty sour cream-small size-container lined with a washcloth and him on top of that. I'm using a big syringe with a tiny thin tube attached. I've successfully raised many, many pigeon and other babies, but not from day one. Most are at least three days old when I get them and have at least had a couple of days of parent feeding. Makes a big difference. If I waited to feed until his crop was totally empty, he'd die. His crop is very slow emptying. At other members suggestions I'm now adding a small feeding of just warm water between feedings and gently massaging crop. He passes the water and very little of the food and it empties very slowly. I'm going to go buy ACV. My vet has him on Itraconazole for yeast, but didn't see him, just went on my description. He's on a commercial squab diet for very young pigeons by roudybush.
I don't have a way of getting a pic on-he looks like a newborn only bigger and his eyes have opened almost all the way.
Thank you for helping.


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

A long time ago, I built an incubator with a temperature control. You sometimes have problems with them if they're a bit too cold. I saw a lady raising them once by putting a feather duster over the chicks. They were sitting on a towel over a heat pad. As long as you put a thermometer in there and regulate the temperature pretty well, you end up with a lot less problems.

Pidgey


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## mchambers (Jan 24, 2008)

I LOVE the feather duster idea! I raise a lot of bantam chicks and it is always a challenge to find just the right stuffed animal for them to crawl under and feel like it is mama. A feather duster is perfect. Thank you! 
The box I have set up is pretty good, temp stays pretty constant, have had more trouble with it getting a little too warm than too cool. 
Crop really slowed down yesterday and I called my avian vet and made him an appt. I just can't feed him as much, or as thick, as he needs to grow or his crop just stops processing.I'm taking the afternoon off to take him there. Gave him some ACV last night and he seems to be processing again this morning. 
Thanks.


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## AndreiS (Jul 28, 2013)

I have a pigeon that I threated with antibiotics (doxycycline) and metronidazole because it apparently had a recrudescence of trichomonosis & bacterial disease (I found this combination through lab test at two other pigeons and symptoms were similar at this one), sneezing and making a strong "runny nose" sound (without having any apparent liquid in nose or mouth). The treatment went for like 5 days. 


Today I noticed that the crop was swollen and I tried to insert a tube to empty the crop by suction, but when I introduced the tube the crop deflated because was in fact filled with gas. The crop seems empty when touching and the pigeon appeared to want to eat but renouncing (perhaps because of the gas, was before the deflating). 


I put some ACV at his beak and I think some of it went into his crop by capillarity (he snezeed). 

What you think can have caused the accumulation of gas in crop, if the crop is empty and what should I do now?


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## Barncroft (Aug 23, 2015)

*Baby pigeons puffed up and sitting in one place*

We had 2 pigeons I presumed babies. They would sit all day on our drive not moving out the way from cars unless we got right up to them and clapped .
They were puffed up and their crops puffing In and out (im guessing it's crop from reading other forums).
Sadly i found one dead today In the hedge.
I think the parents keep coming down but not for long.
There's one left he does fly a bit when made to but not up high just into the hedge.
What could be wrong? Can I save the one left somehow?


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

This thread is from Feb. 2008. You can start a new thread on your baby pigeons. I have PMed you on how.


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## kiddy (Feb 5, 2015)

Already started... 
www.pigeons.biz/forums/f6/baby-pigeon-puffing-and-blowing-crop-out-77544.html


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

kiddy said:


> Already started...
> www.pigeons.biz/forums/f6/baby-pigeon-puffing-and-blowing-crop-out-77544.html


Thanks Kiddy


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## kiddy (Feb 5, 2015)

Most welcome


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