Something is wrong with my New Hampshire

[Fwoof]

My New Hampshire is not doing well.
I just checked on the chickens and she was in a hunched position in the corner of the run. I picked her up to see what was wrong and she threw up on me.
Her crop feels like a water balloon, she looks a little thinner than usual, and her feathers are all fluffed up.
I doubt it's sour crop, because I don't smell anything. I don't know what's wrong with her! Do you have any ideas?

@speckledhen @azygous @Eggcessive

 

[Fwoof]

My New Hampshire is not doing well.
I just checked on the chickens and she was in a hunched position in the corner of the run. I picked her up to see what was wrong and she threw up on me.
Her crop feels like a water balloon, she looks a little thinner than usual, and her feathers are all fluffed up.
I doubt it's sour crop, because I don't smell anything. I don't know what's wrong with her! Do you have any ideas?

@speckledhen @azygous @Eggcessive

Also note that her toes are pinker than usual. I don't know if it's connected in any way, but worth mentioning.

 

[Eggcessive]

How old is she? It could be an early sign that her crop is going sour. When the crop is full and puffy soft, be careful not to squeeze the crop or tilt her forward since they will throw up. Does she lay eggs? The pink toes could be that she is having a fever. Check her crop again in early morning before eating or drinking to see if it goes down. What do her poops look like? I will check in in the morning. Here is a good article about crop problems:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

 

[Fwoof]

How old is she? It could be an early sign that her crop is going sour.

She is six years old, so about senior.

When the crop is full and puffy soft, be careful not to squeeze the crop or tilt her forward since they will throw up. Does she lay eggs?

Very rarely. She lays lots of shelless eggs, too.

The pink toes could be that she is having a fever.

I was thinking of putting her in a crate with heat lamp tonight, to keep her warm.

Check her crop again in early morning before eating or drinking to see if it goes down. What do her poops look like?

She hasn't pooped yet, but I will let you know if she does.

I will check in in the morning. Here is a good article about crop problems:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

Thank you so much! I will read it.

 

[azygous]

Sour crop doesn't smell at all until the yeast has had lots of time to make mischief in the crop. Then you might catch a whiff of dirty dishrag. By then, the yeast is established and would be a real job to treat. Your hen has all the symptoms of sour crop.

The treatment is usually miconazole twice a day for seven full days. If by the third day there is no improvement, you may need to step up to a stronger med such as Nystatin and Epsom salts.

 

[Fwoof]

Sour crop doesn't smell at all until the yeast has had lots of time to make mischief in the crop. Then you might catch a whiff of dirty dishrag. By then, the yeast is established and would be a real job to treat. Your hen has all the symptoms of sour crop.
The treatment is usually miconazole twice a day for seven full days. If by the third day there is no improvement, you may need to step up to a stronger med such as Nystatin and Epsom salts.

At least we caught it early!
Should I go ahead and do the miconazole, or wait until her crop empties?
Thank you so much for the info!

 

[Eggcessive]

Shell-less eggs sounds like a reproductive disorder, such as calcium deficiency or salpingitis. That can lead to infection or internal laying. The pressure inside the abdomen from one of those problems can effect the ability of the digestive system to empty. That leads to crop disorders, but crop problems can also be found with large amounts of long grass getting stuck, or if there is a lack of grit, the gizzard cannot grind up foods other than chicken feed. If you have the miconazole, you can use it.

 

[Fwoof]

Shell-less eggs sounds like a reproductive disorder, such as calcium deficiency or salpingitis. That can lead to infection or internal laying. The pressure inside the abdomen from one of those problems can effect the ability of the digestive system to empty. That leads to crop disorders, but crop problems can also be found with large amounts of long grass getting stuck, or if there is a lack of grit, the gizzard cannot grind up foods other than chicken feed. If you have the miconazole, you can use it.

I didn't give her any long grass lately, so it makes sense that a reproductive disorder would be it, and that it would be connected to crop issues.

I'm going to go out and grab the miconazole right now. She is warm and safe in her crate with a heat lamp. No poop yet.

 

[speckledhen]

Sorry I'm late to the party but you're getting experienced advice. I see crop issues in some when they are heading toward their end, but remember that more often than not, crop issues are a symptom of something wrong in the body, the first outward clue something is going on inside. Shell-less eggs, her age and crop sluggishness or insufficiency often go together. Could be a reproductive malfunction/infection causing the crop to malfunction. With internal laying they build up cheesy masses of infection cooked with the yolks and that slowly poisons the hen, for lack of a better word, nothing you can do about it unless you literally have it removed and hens in her condition rarely would survive a surgery anyway if you could find a vet that knows what he's doing. Not an expense I would take on because of the outcomes that I've seen in these hens. I've had hens this age that I thought were laying internally and after they passed, saw only a few tiny cheesy masses but it was obvious the hen had reproductive cancer. Hard to know from the outside what is happening inside.
Can't hurt to treat the crop as sour crop because, IMO and experience, it's headed that way and you can treat it with the anti-fungal. No food, just water, for a day or two and see if it subsides. I recall someone years ago, I think it was Allen Wranch (where are you, Carla?) telling me that a pinch of copper sulfate in water can treat sour crop and I have some around, but don't often use it. I'd go with the anti fungal mentioned to start. Best of luck with your hen!

 

[dawg53]

I recently dealt with sour crop with a rooster which evolved into a yeast infection. You could see the very small white splotches inside his mouth and the esophagus opening.
Miconazole for 7 days cleared the white splotches in his mouth and esophagus opening. However I suspected the yeast infection was in his crop and possibly further on down.

Also, there was mucus in his mouth and he gurgled on occasion and stopped crowing.
I had ordered Fluconazole at the start of the Miconazole treatment and the Fluconazole didnt help at all.

I ordered Acidified Copper Sulfate and treated him for 10 days and it cleared up everything. I then waited a few days and followed up with 3 days of Epsom Salts treatment. Then a heavy treatment of ProBios in his feed.
He was back to normal after the start of the Epsom Salts treatment and crowing his fool head off, and still is.