Chicken with sour crop can’t walk right

[JackieDohoney]

Hi everyone! I have a sick hen that I’m hoping you guys might have insight on. Grace Jones is a six-year-old free-range barred rock that suddenly started exhibiting symptoms of sour crop this morning. Yesterday she was scrounging like normal. This morning when I went out to take care of everyone, she was sitting in the middle of the chicken area and didn’t look right. I thought her leg might have somehow got stuck on some bailing twine, but when I picked her up, fluid starting pouring out of her mouth. Ok, sour crop. So I treated her like I have the other two times I had hens with sour crop. I massaged her crop and about two tablespoons of brownish—red fluid gushed out and she was pretty shaky. That’s the most fluid I’ve ever seen come out after massaging. I immediately separated her into my baby brooder and took away her food, but left her with water mixed with acv. For the first few hours she just kind of sat at one end of the brooder and didn’t do much. I have a camera in the brooder, so I’ve been watching it all day and trying to leave her be so she can recover. Just a few minutes ago she got up and started walking toward her water and stumbled pretty badly and fell. It scared the pee out of me. She was able to get up and make her way toward her water and has been drinking for the last few minutes. It’s only 64 degrees outside, so I don’t think it’s a heat issue. Since I had another hen that just recovered from sour crop, I ordered same day delivery for Amprolium in case it’s multiple cases of sour crop due to coccidiosis, and I’ll be treating everyone’s water in the next hour or so when it arrives. None of the other hens or pullets are acting as if they are sick at all.

Does anyone have any idea what else could be going on with her? The walking issue is what really has me concerned. Plus she seems really thirsty all of a sudden. I’m pretty sure it’s not Marek’s. We’ve never had it in our flock, but she’s able to stand on her leg fine. She’s just wobbly when she walks. I plan to take her to the avian vet in the morning, but they are closed right now so I can’t ask them. Her crop was mostly empty last time I checked on her, so it does appear I got all of the fluid out.

 

[Stravager]

Is she pooping normally? Also did you check to see if she was egg bound?

 

[JackieDohoney]

Is she pooping normally? Also did you check to see if she was egg bound?

She has only pooped once that I’ve seen today and it was dark brown diarrhea with a little bit of white in it. That was also making me think coccidiosis. I didn’t check to see if she was egg bound, but the thought did occur to me after I posted. I planned to ask the vet tomorrow.

 

[Stravager]

https://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=17568.0
Do the poops resemble anything like what's listed here?

 

[JackieDohoney]

https://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=17568.0
Do the poops resemble anything like what's listed here?

Honestly it didn’t look exactly like my of them. The closest I can say is the last picture in the oily and foamy section, but more watery with a little bit of white in it. I didn’t see any blood that I could tell.

I will say she does still fight me when I try to pick her up, but then she settles down once I start petting the back of her neck.

 

[Stravager]

Are you able to post any pictures of her poop/her in general? Has she stumbled at all since then?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Grace Jones is a six-year-old free-range barred rock that suddenly started exhibiting symptoms of sour crop this morning. Yesterday she was scrounging like normal.

Since I had another hen that just recovered from sour crop, I ordered same day delivery for Amprolium in case it’s multiple cases of sour crop due to coccidiosis

Is she laying eggs?

Crop problems are often a symptom of an underlying condition. In laying hens, reproductive disorders, infection, worms and/or Coccidiosis are a few common conditions that can cause the crop to slow. An impaction/material in the digestive system can also cause crop problems.

I would begin addressing the crop symptom - if it's sour, then treat with an anti-fungal/yeast medication per the article linked below. Do provide plenty of water during waking hours. It's up to you whether you want to fast the bird for up to 24hours or not, I don't, but some do. Offer wet soupy feed and/or easy to process foods like soft cooked egg. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

The Corid (Amprolium) won't hurt to give even if Coccidiosis is not part of the problem but do consider whether she needs to be dewormed or if she's having trouble expelling an egg as well.

Liquid Corid dose is 2tsp or Powdered Corid Dose is 1 1/2tsp per gallon of water given for 5-7 days as the only source of drinking water.
Do not add any extra vitamins/electrolytes that contain B1(Thiamine) to food or water during the course of treatment.

 

[JackieDohoney]

Are you able to post any pictures of her poop/her in general? Has she stumbled at all since then?

She covered up the one poop so I couldn’t get the picture. I did take her to the vet, so since I had her out of the brooder, I went ahead and changed her bedding so I could see if she left anything. So far I haven’t seen anything, but that’s not surprising since she hadn’t eaten in a little over 24 hours. She hasn’t stumbled at all since, but she is walking pretty slowly. But then again, I don’t move that fast when I’m not feeling so hot either!

 

[JackieDohoney]

Is she laying eggs?

Crop problems are often a symptom of an underlying condition. In laying hens, reproductive disorders, infection, worms and/or Coccidiosis are a few common conditions that can cause the crop to slow. An impaction/material in the digestive system can also cause crop problems.

I would begin addressing the crop symptom - if it's sour, then treat with an anti-fungal/yeast medication per the article linked below. Do provide plenty of water during waking hours. It's up to you whether you want to fast the bird for up to 24hours or not, I don't, but some do. Offer wet soupy feed and/or easy to process foods like soft cooked egg. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

The Corid (Amprolium) won't hurt to give even if Coccidiosis is not part of the problem but do consider whether she needs to be dewormed or if she's having trouble expelling an egg as well.

Liquid Corid dose is 2tsp or Powdered Corid Dose is 1 1/2tsp per gallon of water given for 5-7 days as the only source of drinking water.
Do not add any extra vitamins/electrolytes that contain B1(Thiamine) to food or water during the course of treatment.

She has not laid any eggs, but she is older and the temp started dropping here recently, so I’m not entirely surprised. I did take her to the vet yesterday and they did say she does not have an impacted egg and it’s definitely not Marek’s.

The vet seems to think I was correct in my diagnosis, that it’s severe sour crop caused by coccidiosis. She said to treat her for both pending blood test results, so I have Corid in her water and she’s on antibiotics and liquid rimadyl. (She did ok using both with the Corid). I’ve been giving the Corid for almost 48 hours now. Her crop was completely empty, so per the vet’s suggestion, we gave her a small bowl of soupy feed as well as some Greek yogurt. She’s been drinking her water but has no interest in eating unless I make her. She’s moving around better than the other day, but she’s kind of hit a plateau. She’s not getting any worse, but I haven’t seen much improvement since I brought her home from the vet yesterday. Her crop was maybe 1/3 full when I just checked on her, but she hasn’t eaten that much. I’ve been watching the camera in her brooder religiously. She is regularly drinking water though, so I’m assuming that’s where the fluid in her crop came from. She wasn‘t leaking this time when I picked her up and checked her crop, which of course is progress in its own right. I’m concerned that the sour crop isn’t quite going away though because of the fluid in there and her lack of appetite. Plus she is just sitting there. Her eyes are bright and she fights me when I pick her up, so I don’t know. I’m hesitant to try and purge her crop again because of the meds, so I just massaged it a bit instead. The vet said I would get blood results today or tomorrow, but they neglected to tell me they wouldn’t be open like normal this weekend. So now I’m kind of at a stand still. I’m not sure what else to do. She won’t eat even the yogurt unless I dip her beak in it, and even then it’s just a few bites before she stops. Again, she’s not listless or having trouble standing, she’s just not acting 100%.

 

[Stravager]

Hopefully she improves soon.