Meet Confit, a notable chicken who has a success story to tell. Confit’s owner noticed she was in distress and brought her to Dr. Karner for help. An exam revealed that Confit had an impaction with an enlarged crop. When a chicken swallows food, it travels through the esophagus and gathers in the crop. Later this food empties into the gizzard and intestines for full digestion. When chickens eat something inappropriate, like too much long grass, their crops (and digestive system) can become impacted. This is a serious problem that can result in death if not quickly corrected. Dr. Karner whisked Confit into surgery which resulted in the removal of an abundance of long grasses. Confit’s owners did a great job of following the post-surgery instructions and she made a full recovery. We were so excited to receive a recent picture of Confit looking fluffy and beautiful, as well as showing her newest egg.
If you would like to watch a video of a London veterinarian performing crop impaction surgery, try https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJaswdsiBLg&feature=emb_logo
An interesting article on the subject can be found on the National Institute of Health’s website: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30973086
This article explains that long grass is not the only culprit to potential crop impactions. Other impactions have been associated with over-ingestion of feathers, bale net wrap, and litter. Our free-range and penned poultry need clean, safe (and mown) foraging areas.
While we don’t see many chickens at Muddy Creek Animal Clinic, they are always welcome. We are so excited to celebrate Confit’s success and happy home. There is something adorable about our feathered friends.