Continued poopy butt after illness

[Lord_Maren]

My black copper marans hen was sick about a month and a half ago. She had a poopy butt, downward pointed tail, lethargy, and wasn't eating or drinking (original post: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/poopy-butt-lowered-tail.1655603/)

With y'all's help, I got her feeling better, eating, drinking, and back to her normal bubbly self. However, the poopy butt still hasn't gone away and she has not laid any eggs since being sick. What should I do to get her back to normal and laying again?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

My black copper marans hen was sick about a month and a half ago. She had a poopy butt, downward pointed tail, lethargy, and wasn't eating or drinking (original post: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/poopy-butt-lowered-tail.1655603/)

With y'all's help, I got her feeling better, eating, drinking, and back to her normal bubbly self. However, the poopy butt still hasn't gone away and she has not laid any eggs since being sick. What should I do to get her back to normal and laying again?

You're other thread is quite involved and has very good information.

I'm glad she's feeling better. It sounds like she's doing well if she's eating/drinking and back to her normal bubbly self.

Some hens have a poopy butt that needs to be cleaned frequently. Perhaps they are very fluffy and need a trim. Could be they don't expel as forcefully as they need too, so may factors.

If you have not dewormed, it may be a good idea to do so. If possible get a fecal float and see if it's necessary. If vet care is not an option, then deworming her may be warranted to see if it helps with the loose poop. More info about deworming below.

Check her for lice/mites.

As for getting her back to laying, that would be up to her. On your other thread, just a quick scan, she may have had something reproductive going on (?) which is often the cause of a laying hen to start having symptoms of decline and not feeling well.
Either way, you cannot make a hen lay eggs, her reproductive system and body dictates that. If she's happy within herself and interacting with her flock, then enjoy her.


To treat most worms that poultry can have except for Tapeworm you can use Safeguard Liquid Goat Dewormer or Equine Paste (Fenbendazole) or Valbazen (Albendazole). Both are given orally by weight; they do not mix well with water.

Safeguard dose is 0.23ml per pound of weight given orally once a day for 5 days in a row.
---OR---
Valbazen dose is 0.08ml per pound of weight given orally once, then repeated in 10 days

Here's how to give oral medications:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...dications-to-all-poultry-and-waterfowl.73335/

 

[Lord_Maren]

It's definitely sour crop. I picked her up and liquid came out of her mouth. I did notice it doesn't smell as bad as people make it sound. Like, it just smelled like muddy water to me.

Also I found flystrike on her yesterday. I cleaned that out and haven't seen any more maggots. I'm cleaning and dressing that regularly

I'm still freaked out but she acts fine.

I've got her isolated and am withholding food. Her crop was squishy again this morning. I'm massaging it regularly.

Her crop is pendulous I think, but not that bad. It doesn't look like the pictures on the forums where it's really noticeable but it looks somewhat bigger than normal and has a little bit of a droop. She is also keeping her head tucked in, so it could just be the s curve of her neck.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

This is the treatments I use when dealing with Sour Crop, you may find it helpful.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

 

[Lord_Maren]

The flystrike wound is healing marvelously. The sour crop not so much.

I didn't give her food or water for 24 hours. I fed her last night and her crop was mostly empty this morning so i fed her again and let her have access to water all day. This evening her crop was very full and pendulous. Just lightly touching it she spit up a bunch. She's still got green diarrhea, too.

Also, does water belly have any connection to sour crop? She seems to have some of that going on too. Her belly is squishy behind her legs.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

The flystrike wound is healing marvelously. The sour crop not so much.

I didn't give her food or water for 24 hours. I fed her last night and her crop was mostly empty this morning so i fed her again and let her have access to water all day. This evening her crop was very full and pendulous. Just lightly touching it she spit up a bunch. She's still got green diarrhea, too.

Also, does water belly have any connection to sour crop? She seems to have some of that going on too. Her belly is squishy behind her legs.

I would not withhold water during waking hours, you risk her becoming severely dehydrated. It's debatable to withhold food, I never do, but that's up to you.

The crop should be full after eating/drinking. If you press on a full crop even on a hen that is not having issues - they will likely spit up. Chickens do not have a gag reflex, so putting pressing on the crop will push the contents up the esophagus.

Check first thing in the morning before she eat/drinks and has had a full nights sleep.

Water Belly is a Symptom called Ascites. Generally the abdomen will fill very bloated and tight like a drum, not squishy.

 

[Lord_Maren]

I would not withhold water during waking hours, you risk her becoming severely dehydrated. It's debatable to withhold food, I never do, but that's up to you.

The crop should be full after eating/drinking. If you press on a full crop even on a hen that is not having issues - they will likely spit up. Chickens do not have a gag reflex, so putting pressing on the crop will push the contents up the esophagus.

Check first thing in the morning before she eat/drinks and has had a full nights sleep.

Water Belly is a Symptom called Ascites. Generally the abdomen will fill very bloated and tight like a drum, not squishy.

That's good to know about water belly, I guess. I read that it felt like a water balloon, which is what she feels like. It definitely feels different than the rest of the flock though.

I'll give her back the water tomorrow. Her crop just looked so pendulous and she seemed like she felt bad. Like, she's been pretty lively since I cleaned the flystrike out, including through the 24 hour fast, but this evening she seemed bad and had no interest in food.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Flystrike in itself can be deadly, this may be what's causing her to feel so bad.

Are all the maggots gone and the wound healing up? Do you have photos of the wound?

 

[Lord_Maren]

Flystrike in itself can be deadly, this may be what's causing her to feel so bad.

Are all the maggots gone and the wound healing up? Do you have photos of the wound?

Her crop wasn't empty this morning, but not full either. She still has diarrhea.

The wound looks really good. It's dirty from her diarrhea in this picture but I use providone to clean it (which stains it red) so I had to take this before cleaning.

This is a view of the water belly situation. It looks like pictures of ascites I've seen, but not as severe. It feels like a water balloon.

 

[Lord_Maren]

This is what she looks like having eaten. I feel like it doesn't look as pendulous as the Google images of pendulous crop.

Also she makes gurgling squirting noises like I do when I have a bellyache.