3 year old hen is displaying ongoing symptoms | please help

[AChickenBoi]

From the last few posts, I have seen odd symptoms in my sapphire gem hen, Rocky. This morning, she was reluctant to come out of the coop. It looked like she is constantly trying to swallow something, and when I set her down to eat, a yellow fluid would dribble out of her beak when she would lower her head to peck at the ground. This has been something going on since April, and while I have been putting it off due to extremely expensive vet visits, I feel that there really is something wrong with Rocky. Her feathers look healthy, but her bottom feathers are dirty. I’ve only seen her poop out greenish-yellow fluid and greenish poop. She’s lethargic in the morning, but as the day goes on, she slowly gets more energy. I’ve also seen that her bottom has been getting more squishy and large over the months. She still walks around, and is very much alert, but this isn’t normal chicken behavior, and I feel that I can’t ignore it any longer.
Previous threads on same hen:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/3-year-old-hen-is-acting-sickly-help.1520707/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...s-i-don’t-know-what’s-wrong-with-her.1521649/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...s-when-i-put-my-ear-next-to-her-side.1534066/

 

[HollowOfWisps]

From the last few posts, I have seen odd symptoms in my sapphire gem hen, Rocky. This morning, she was reluctant to come out of the coop. It looked like she is constantly trying to swallow something, and when I set her down to eat, a yellow fluid would dribble out of her beak when she would lower her head to peck at the ground. This has been something going on since April, and while I have been putting it off due to extremely expensive vet visits, I feel that there really is something wrong with Rocky. Her feathers look healthy, but her bottom feathers are dirty. I’ve only seen her poop out greenish-yellow fluid and greenish poop. She’s lethargic in the morning, but as the day goes on, she slowly gets more energy. I’ve also seen that her bottom has been getting more squishy and large over the months. She still walks around, and is very much alert, but this isn’t normal chicken behavior, and I feel that I can’t ignore it any longer.
Previous threads on same hen:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/3-year-old-hen-is-acting-sickly-help.1520707/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/hen-from-before-is-displaying-worrying-symptoms-i-don’t-know-what’s-wrong-with-her.1521649/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...s-when-i-put-my-ear-next-to-her-side.1534066/

Is the yellow fluid coming out only after you have picked her up and set her down or even when not picked up?

Have you felt her crop and is it full in the morning?

How early in the morning are you going in there to let them out?

 

[DonyaQuick]

I don't know about the other symptoms but yellow/brown fluid dribbling out when she lowers her head sounds like sour crop. Does she have bad breath?

 

[AChickenBoi]

I don't know about the other symptoms but yellow/brown fluid dribbling out when she lowers her head sounds like sour crop. Does she have bad breath?

Not at all. Today, it’s more greenish-yellow than brown

 

[AChickenBoi]

Is the yellow fluid coming out only after you have picked her up and set her down or even when not picked up?

Have you felt her crop and is it full in the morning?

How early in the morning are you going in there to let them out?

Even when I set her down, the stuff dribbles from her beak. It only really happens when she bends over to peck at the ground, so what I’ve done for the time being is have their normal feed elevated on a stool so she doesn’t have to bend down to eat.

I felt her crop this morning. It’s not full of food, but it does feel like there is fluid in there. It’s squishy, and has no solids in there.

I let the girls out at 7:20 in the morning, when it’s light outside. She comes out whenever she wants though.

 

[AChickenBoi]

Update: New things are coming up. Rocky will still gladly eat her favorite treats, like mealworms and lettuce. However, her crop will fill with fluid in the morning, and be extremely lethargic. She gets better as the day goes on. The last time I looked at the liquid, it was mostly clear with a yellow tinge to it. She’s also pooping clear-yellow fluid with the white stuff that normally comes out. I think it’s a circulation problem and a lack of crop muscle control that comes from genetics and aging. Levi (her daughter) is showing similar symptoms, like the dribbling of fluid out of her beak, but I’m more worried about Rocky because she’s lost a lot of weight.

I’m not giving up on my girls. If I can’t fix the problem, then I will do my best to make sure they are comfortable and happy as possible as they live with this condition.

 

[Aunt Angus]

You can try treating for sour crop with Medistatin (available online). In my experience with crop issues like this, it's usually a symptom of an underlying problem, like a reproductive order.

 

[AChickenBoi]

You can try treating for sour crop with Medistatin (available online). In my experience with crop issues like this, it's usually a symptom of an underlying problem, like a reproductive order.

I don’t think it’s sour crop that’s making her have a loose crop. I just treated her for it (empty and flat crop) and she will still leak when she bends down. It’s only when she bends forward though. Right now, I’m more concerned for her weight, as she’s gotten pretty skinny, while still having the energy and strength to run around and do chicken stuff.