Help...3 yo Rhode Island Red with watery crop?? Black vomit?

[becky31312]

I am relatively new to being a chicken mom. I've had my 4 chickens for almost 3 years now and never had an issue. I noticed yesterday that my Rhode Island Red (pollo diablo) was lethargic and did not shy away when I tried to pick her up. I felt her crop and it is EXTREMELY watery....you can hear the water sloshing around. I put her in a kennel last night and withheld water and food to see if it would go down. It did not. I accidentally drained it yesterday and then after internet research drained it again today and got a good bit of black brackish type water out. It by no means drained it dry and she was so weak tonight when I tried to put her back in the hen house she couldn't get on the roost with the other 3 hens. I let her out today and she picked a little but no real interest. We don't have a vet that specializes in chickens near me that I can call tonight. I'm not sure what I should do at this point. I have a tractor supply near the house and several older farmers at church that I can call tomorrow. However, I thought it might be a better idea to ask you guys since most of us have chickens as pets.

I should also say her comb is still red. She does feel VERY skinny, which you couldn't tell until you picked her up...I didn't smell anything foul coming out of her mouth.

Also...yesterday I did soak her bottom in warm water because she had poop that had built up from having diarrhea.

Help....someone please tell me what to do. Can I drain her with a syringe?

Thanks in advance,
Becky

 

[Eggcessive]

Welcome to BYC. It sounds like sour crop with the symptoms you have described, except that the black liquid coming from the crop should have smelled awful. I am treating that right now with a hen who is thin and acting similar. Most people will vomit the chicken until the bad awful smelling stuff is gone, but if not done correctly the chicken can choke to death. Feed only electrolyte water, yogurt and egg at first, and you may even have to tube feed those.Massage the crop several tomes a day. Some call for acidifying the water with vinegar or copper sulfate (1/4 tsp per gallon of water.) plain yogurt cultures or probiotics are especially needed. Infections can be bacterial or fungal or both. If a vet is possible, it would be worth it. I would do a search at the top of this page for sour crop, and look for posts by Two Crows. Google it also, and look for TheChickenChick.com. Let us know what happens.

 

[becky31312]

Hi. Thank you for the post. I have googled and searched thechickenchick.com website. Her site says no acv because it will irritate the chicken. I will try and make her vomit again tomorrow and try the diet you suggested. I am stopping by my dogs vet in the morning and calling a mobile vet. If I can get them to come out I will. I will update tomorrow. Thanks again!

 

[froggiesheins]

http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/04/answers-from-chicken-vet-on-impacted.html

 

[becky31312]

Just in case anyone was wondering....was definitely sour crop. I had to milk her several times and finnaly got her to eat some grit and food. That seemed to do the trick. She is eating, laying and no runny bowel movements! Thank you all!