3 year old hen with a strange breathing problem, please help

[Wyorp Rock]

I would finish the course of Nystatin and see how it goes.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...with-medistatin-nystatin-no-℞-needed.1258934/

She may have a partial blockage too, hard to know. I'd let her eat like you have been doing, with soft easy to process foods.
Hopefully this will begin to resolve soon.

 

[TropicalChickies]

I would finish the course of Nystatin and see how it goes.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/treating-candida-yeast-with-medistatin-nystatin-no-℞-needed.1258934/

She may have a partial blockage too, hard to know. I'd let her eat like you have been doing, with soft easy to process foods.
Hopefully this will begin to resolve soon.

Thanks. I can't get this Medastin here, but I can get Nyastin oral suspension at the "human pharmacy." It's easier to get many prescription medications in South America. Just tell the pharmacist the problem. So that's what I'm giving her, 2 ml 2x a day, at 6 am and 6pm

She's doing well otherwise. Today she was active all day, until 4pm she came to me wanting a massage. She was gassy. I gave her a dropper of water with a bit of vinegar and the gas broke right up. I hope it resolves soon too.

 

[TropicalChickies]

Thanks. I can't get this Medastin here, but I can get Nyastin oral suspension at the "human pharmacy." It's easier to get many prescription medications in South America. Just tell the pharmacist the problem. So that's what I'm giving her, 2 ml 2x a day, at 6 am and 6pm

She's doing well otherwise. Today she was active all day, until 4pm she came to me wanting a massage. She was gassy. I gave her a dropper of water with a bit of vinegar and the gas broke right up. I hope it resolves soon too.

Good morning! Cleo seems to have turned the corner. The mushy crop is going down. Yesterday it was much improved and today it's almost completely flat, like a water balloon that's almost drained. She has two more days of Nyastin. I'm giving her two very small meals now-- chick starter mash in the am after her medicine and a boiled egg with probiotic sprinkled on it at noon. Nothing in the afternoon to let the crop empty.

I let her eat with the others for company, but I put a big harvesting basket over her so she only eats her soft food.

I feel guilty that I should have caught Cleo's soft crop earlier, but I was so intent on keeping the fleas off...will be more watchful now

Incidentally, I had another hen who is about 2 yrs exhibiting symptoms of yeast--but on the other end-- with pasty butt/vent gleek with diarrhea for over a week. And very little appetite. Ruled out worms because they were all recently dewormed and tried the anti-yeast medication on her too for the past four days. Now she's much improved as well.

So I'm thinking the bout of hot humid weather took its toll, plus I found a bunch of rotted bananas from a fallen tree on the ground last week that the chickens had clearly gotten into. Banana peels, fermenting sugary fruit, hot weather...hmmm. Sounds like a formula for yeast overgrowth to me, so I'm hoping those were the causes and the girls will get better now. They are very much improved at any rate.

Thanks again for your help.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm glad to hear she's improving!

Good catch on the other hen too.

Sounds like you face some challenges with your climate, but you are winning!
Thank you for the update, keep me posted on how everyone is doing.

 

[TropicalChickies]

I'm glad to hear she's improving!

Good catch on the other hen too.

Sounds like you face some challenges with your climate, but you are winning!
Thank you for the update, keep me posted on how everyone is doing.

Hi, here's a little video of Cleo first thing this morning after her Nyastin dose. She's happy, active, and hungry (and pooping very normal poops) but crop is still a bit squishy and her head smelly like sourdough.

Do you think it's worthwhile to try an Epsom salt flush? I'm suspecting she might have a bit of something festering/fermenting in there.

I have massaged her crop thoroughly early in the am and don't feel anything hard in there. I understand there can always be underlying issues, but she seems so robust otherwise -- still hoping this is a temporary problem due to several challenges presenting at once: climate, eating rotten bananas, molting, and fleas. The fleas are under control, I've checked everywhere on the land for fallen fruit, her new feathers are growing in beautifully. Even the weather has cooled off a bit.

Tomorrow is her last day of Nyastin and I'm concerned that the yeast--which is obviously still present-- will start multiplying again when I stop the medication.

Which is is why I'm wondering about the Epsom salt flush to detox her crop and digestive system.. It seems safe enough to try. She's pretty cooperative with the syringe in her beak and I could do it little by little.

Please let me know what you think. She doing so well other than this crop thing, bossing the flock around, singing and chatting.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I love how she just chats away with you, she's so sweet!

Try the flush and see how it goes. The salts can be dehydrating, so be sure to make fresh water available for her afterward.

Is Cleo a frog eater! Oh dear, my hens will snatch poor frogs up and make a game of it.
Keep me posted.

 

[TropicalChickies]

Thanks, I'll give it a go. This morning, her crop was empty and flat, yay! She still has the sourdough smell, but less so. Little by little, it seems this is getting better.

She has more personality than most people. A few weeks ago, I saw this sweet Cleo grab a big frog, headbash it against some gravel, and swallow it whole. It happened in like one second. I was like goodness I hope she can digest that. So in addition to festering banana peels, she could have been trying to digest an entire frog

They probably would have fewer problems if I kept them in a run, which I'm always considering doing, but they have such a good time roaming about -- it's a balance I guess, like using the permethrin to control the fleas. We're an organic farm, so I'm not crazy about chemicals, but I'm not going to let my hens die unnecessary awful deaths from ectoparasites either.

Thanks for watching the video. I'll

 

[TropicalChickies]

I'll tell Cleo she has her first BYC fan!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Keep me posted on how she's doing.

Oh Yes, I'm a Cleo Fan for sure

 

[TropicalChickies]

Hello,

Update: On Wednesday I gave Cleo an tiny Epsom salt flush. It appears to have really helped. I waited about five hours after her breakfast to let the crop empty some. I mixed half a tsp of salts in half a cup of water and carefully syringed 2 ml into her beak. Massaged the crop. Syringed another 2ml and massaged. Figured that was enough for now. Put her in the workshop to observe.

Ten minutes later she pooped out a foul smelling slimy brown green mush puddle. Egads, I'm not squeamish but this was pretty gross. Then she pooped another semi solid mass right after it, slightly less disgusting. Her crop immediately "degassed" and went flat against her chest. The sourdough smell from her beak -- gone!

Question: I haven't given her any more Epsom salt after that. Yesterday I gave water with a little electrolyte powder and probiotic. The instructions I found for the Epsom salt flush say to repeat for 3 days, but it doesn't seem necessary. Should I just keep it "in reserve" in case she gasses up again or repeat anyway?