Sour Crop help

[tomhoogstra]

So last night I heard a hen outside in the coop making a lot of noise, so I thought there might be a predator of some sort, so I rushed around there to check on the hens and I found one in particular that has been acting a bit strange over the last few days. There was no predator but the hen was vomiting, and had trouble breathing. So i rushed her out of the coop into an open area under my balcony and did some quick research which pointed to sour crop. I massaged her crop from top to bottom and bottom to top and suprisingly enough A LOT of brown stinky crap came flying out. I knew for sure this was sour crop. So once I emptied her crop I put her back in a nesting box, she was still having trouble breathing, so I thought I would leave it until morning. Because my house is right next to the coop I could hear her scrawk every 10 minutes or so and you could hear her jump up and knock her head on the roof. She did come out this morning and drank water, but didn't eat much. She looks like she got no sleep and hasn't ate anything, yet her crop is still kinda full (Probably still infected), she did do droppings that were darkish green. In the morning my Mum went out and bought some live yogurt that I could squirt into her mouth with a syringe, it went down ok.

I'm posting this to see if there is anything else wrong, she seems like she has no energy and would fall over, but she went down the ramp ok.
She no longer has the breathing problems...

Please help.


Edit: I saw a lump on her throat, it honestly looks either swollen or broken, not sure what it could be.
Probably from bumping her head around for an entire night.

 

[willowbranchfarm]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/692365/sour-crop-treatment

Here is a thread on sour crop treatment.

 

[tomhoogstra]

Problem still persist, Ive added live yogurt into her water, and she will drink it sometimes.
She is at the point where she will peck at one bit of scrambled egg, nothing else.

I don't think she will make it long, my other dead hens showed the same symptoms over the last 6 months.

 

[sunbear1224]

Hello! I was just curious how your hen with the sour crop was making out? Did she make it through? I have had success treating this though it can take a long time.

 

[tomhoogstra]

She recovered perfectly but sadly just yesterday she died of suspected botulism from drinking contaminated water, very sad.

Make sure you keep feeding her yogurt with a syringe and she should pull through fine.

 

[cowcreekgeek]

Your best defense against botumlism is Apple Cider Vinegar, at the rate of four teaspoons to the gallon (but not in galvanized containers). The tannin ACV contains reduces the viscosity of mucus, which helps birds to more easily expel it, and also 'cuts through' the coatings in the mouth, throat and intestines, which improves nutrient/vitamin uptake. And, it reduces the presence of viruses and bacteria, as well as makin' a harsher environment w/in the bird for internal parasites. The toxins produced by botulism bateria are among the most poisonous known to man, and algae can also be the culprit, but the ACV is an actual treatment for the wry kneck, limberneck, etc. that results. I saw you'd put yogurt in the water before, which might have provided the source, but decomposing matter and the maggots that feed on it are the most usual cause.

The water's still gotta be changed daily, and I'm assuming you've already scrubbed/decontaminated you equipment.

OH .. nearly forgot. Although this is to late to help the bird you regrettably lost to it, the others should most probably be treated as well, and others will later find this thread and, hopefully, the following treatment.

The sour crop is most often caused by a fungus, which should be erraticated from their environment (it's sometimes brought in upon grains/feed, or from other sources). There's two steps to treating it most effectively, with the first being a laxative solution, which is then followed by a copper sulfate solution:


LAXATIVE SOLUTION:

Epsom Salt Solution

1 lb Epsom Salt per 15 lb feed
-or-
1 lb Epsom Salt per 5 gallons water for 1 day

Give the epson salt feed mixture as the sole feed source for a one day period. This feed can be used only if the birds are eating. If the birds are not eating, use the water solution. If the birds are unable to eat or drink by themselves, use individual treatment with:

1 teaspoon of Epsom Salt in 1 fl oz water

Place the solution in the crop of the affected bird. This same amount of solution will treat 5-8 quail or one chicken.

COPPER SULFATE SOLUTION

Use this solution as a treatment for mycosis (mold infection) in the crop. An alternate name for the condition is "Thrush." Use the solution as a "follow-up" treatment after flushing with epsom salt solution.

Dissolve .5 lb copper sulfate and .5 cup vinegar into 1 gallon of water for a "stock" solution. Dispense stock solution at the rate of 1 oz per gallon for the final drinking solution.

An alternate method of preparing the solution is:

dissolve 1 oz copper sulfate and 1 tablespoon of vinegar into 15 gallons water.

Use either solution as the sole water source during the course of the disease outbreak. Copper sulfate is often referred to as "bluestone".

 

[sunbear1224]

So sorry to hear of your loss! It just seems sometimes if one thing doesn't get them..something else does..
My sympathies..