9 wk old chick – Coccidiosis and sour crop?

[Olive1124]

I noticed one of my 9 week old easter eggers was acting lethargic and had her feathers fluffed for the past few days. Yesterday afternoon during a chick check I found an Australorp chick (also 9weeks) stuck on her side at the bottom of their ramp to the run. As I went into the run to help her, she began vomiting a tan/brownish liquid. Her crop was very large and felt like a water balloon. She has been separated since this happened. Hasn’t ate or drank anything. Spent most of the night fluffed up with her head under her wing. Found her roosting this morning, but still fluffed up. Her poop looks normal. No blood and not runny at all. Checked the easter egger last night and her crop felt normal, but still lethargic. Do you think this is coccidiosis and sour crop? A friend is dropping of some corid in the next few hours. I’ve seen posts saying to massage the crop and some saying not to. We couldn’t get a vet appointment until this Friday. Any suggestions?

Symptoms:
-Very lethargic
-Vomited tan/brownish liquid after being stuck on her side.(only vomited once)
- Large crop that felt like a water balloon
- fluffed up
- Not eating or drinking
-pooped 4 or 5 times in the last 20 hours and they look normal.
The easter egger has only been lethargic and fluffed up.

 

[FoxholeFarm]

Sounds like you have two different things happening. The waterballoon crop is almost certainly sour crop, especially if she was vomiting. if the crop is empty, you can offer them a small amount of feed and water. Avoid anything that contains much sugar as sour crop is an overgrowth of candida(yeast) in the crop and gut. There are also antifungal treatments available for soup crop.

The other one is honestly hard to tell. Lethargy is a symptom of almost every chicken illness so I can't advise there.

 

[Olive1124]

Thank you for the reply. Her crop has not emptied since yesterday. Keep water away until it does?

 

[Eggcessive]

No, keep giving water (or medicated water with Corid.) Never withhold water with a crop issue or any other time. Your chick sounds to me like it has every other symptom of coccidiosis but the diarrhea or blood in stools. I would treat for it with the Corid. Also, a slow moving crop is very common with coccidiosis, but there shouldn't be any sour or rotten odor coming from the crop, as you would see in sour crop.

 

[Olive1124]

No, keep giving water (or medicated water with Corid.) Never withhold water with a crop issue or any other time. Your chick sounds to me like it has every other symptom of coccidiosis but the diarrhea or blood in stools. I would treat for it with the Corid. Also, a slow moving crop is very common with coccidiosis, but there shouldn't be any sour or rotten odor coming from the crop, as you would see in sour crop.

Thank you! This is what I was thinking, but I keep second guessing myself. Got her to drink a bit of water(with corid) from a dropper. I didn't notice any odor coming from her.

 

[FoxholeFarm]

Actually the recommendation from the chicken health handbook, and the storey's guide to keeping chickens is to withhold water for 24 hours in cases of sour crop.

 

[Eggcessive]

Water is the best thing to flush out an impacted or sour crop, so I would disagree with that. Withholding water for any length of time can also start a molt in chickens.

 

[FoxholeFarm]

Looks like you have differing opinions and you will have to make a call yourself.

You could always try with water for a while and if she doesn't improve after a day or two, remove that as well and try the second option.

 

[Eggcessive]

I really don't think the OP has sour crop, but coccidiosis with a slow crop. Of course with chickens it is always a guessing game, and lots of opinions. That's why we have these forums to get different opinions, and then make up our own minds.

 

[FoxholeFarm]

I really don't think the OP has sour crop, but coccidiosis with a slow crop.  Of course with chickens it is always a guessing game, and lots of opinions.  That's why we have these forums to get different  opinions, and then make up our own minds.

Agreed on the multiple opinions point!