Chicken Sitting for a Sick Hen

[Cregg McMuffin]

We are chicken sitting for a family this week and decided to bring this hen home after we noticed she was acting lethargic. My wife also noticed she was being picked on a little by one of the other hens, but nothing extreme. Her name is Kylo, and she is very sweet and curious.

Symptoms:
1) Lethargy, resting her eyes much of the time
2) Lack of appetite (not drinking much either)
3) Yellow/green watery stool (small stool size)
4) I haven't seen her sit down in the 24 hours she has been here
5) Didn't walk at all yesterday, is taking short strolls today, mostly just stands
6) Tail pointed down yesterday, less so today
7) No clucking/cooing chicken noises yesterday, but some quiet noises today

External Factors:
1) A flock mate recently passed away
2) She may be starting a molt
3) We have removed her from her flock (3-4 other hens)
4) She was being lightly picked on by another hen.
5) She is an egg-laying hen

Does anyone have any insight on this combination of symptoms and potential causes? My research/googling has yielded a match for some symptoms, but not all. Maybe a combination of issues?

 

[Stravager]

Have you checked her crop to make sure everything is emptying properly and her vent for signs of egg bound?
What has the hen been eating?

 

[Cregg McMuffin]

Have you checked her crop to make sure everything is emptying properly and her vent for signs of egg bound?
What has the hen been eating?

No signs of egg binding, her vent looks clean and there is no bobbing. Her crop does seem more full than it should be given that she really hasn’t eaten much with us. She has had a few meal worms but that’s it.

We massaged her crop some to see if that helps at all.

 

[Stravager]

No signs of egg binding, her vent looks clean and there is no bobbing. Her crop does seem more full than it should be given that she really hasn’t eaten much with us. She has had a few meal worms but that’s it.

We massaged her crop some to see if that helps at all.

Does her crop feel mushy/liquidy, or hard?

 

[Cregg McMuffin]

Does her crop feel mushy/liquidy, or hard?

I'd say it's more mushy

 

[Stravager]

I'd say it's more mushy

If you open her beak and smell, does it smell sour?

 

[Cregg McMuffin]

If you open her beak and smell, does it smell sour?

She has been breathing with her mouth open, and when we massage her crop, we do smell something bad. Her crop should also be empty by now since she hasn't eaten for a couple days. We think we have it narrowed down to sour crop. My wife is taking her into the vet this morning. Hopefully it's not too difficult to fix!

 

[Stravager]

She has been breathing with her mouth open, and when we massage her crop, we do smell something bad. Her crop should also be empty by now since she hasn't eaten for a couple days. We think we have it narrowed down to sour crop. My wife is taking her into the vet this morning. Hopefully it's not too difficult to fix!

Yeah that does sound like sour crop.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...ntion-and-treatments-of-crop-disorders.67194/
These are a couple of articles that might help too depending on what the vet says.

 

[Cregg McMuffin]

Yeah that does sound like sour crop.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...ntion-and-treatments-of-crop-disorders.67194/
These are a couple of articles that might help too depending on what the vet says.

The vet has informed us that it is not sour crop but a potential digestive issue further down the GI tract. It could be an enlarged organ or a tumor based upon the mass she felt in the abdomen.

 

[Stravager]

The vet has informed us that it is not sour crop but a potential digestive issue further down the GI tract. It could be an enlarged organ or a tumor based upon the mass she felt in the abdomen.

Sour crop can often be a symptom of other issues, most commonly reproductive, but that is very unfortunate to hear.