Crop Issues for Weeks on End Despite Treatment

[slukeplass22]

Hi,

I have two hens who have been having crop issues on and off for the past two weeks. Their crops have gone from impacted, to doughy, to sour, then better, to then having issues again. I’m at my wits end with this and I don’t understand what’s going on.

Hen 1: Impacted -> Sour -> Better -> Impacted

Hen 2: Impacted -> Sour -> Better -> Sour to Doughy

Is there a really stubborn yeast infection here? Hen 1 has lost a lot of weight (I do feed her in order to prevent weight loss). She is molting so that’s part of it. Hen 2 has lost some weight but isn’t in as bad of shape.

I’ve been treating the crops as I see them but I’ve never had this issue before.

Thanks

 

[Eggcessive]

@azygous and @TwoCrows have articles about crop disorders. Articles are below. Many times crop disorders may occur in middle age hens with reproductive or other illnesses. I treated a few in 4-5 year old birds. Nothing helped long term. When they were opened up after death, they have things like egg yolk peritonitis, ascites, cancer, and fatty liver disease. Here is some reading:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...ntion-and-treatments-of-crop-disorders.67194/

 

[azygous]

What has your treatment consisted off? Please be precise as to what and how much and how often.

 

[slukeplass22]

@azygous and @TwoCrows have articles about crop disorders. Articles are below. Many times crop disorders may occur in middle age hens with reproductive or other illnesses. I treated a few in 4-5 year old birds. Nothing helped long term. When they were opened up after death, they have things like egg yolk peritonitis, ascites, cancer, and fatty liver disease. Here is some reading:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...ntion-and-treatments-of-crop-disorders.67194/

Thanks for the reply, I'm familiar with both of those articles.

Hen 1 is 3 1/2 years old, Hen 2 is 8 1/2 years of age. The second hen has a bumblefoot case, though the bumblefoot is receding due to daily application of coconut oil.

 

[slukeplass22]

What has your treatment consisted off? Please be precise as to what and how much and how often.

Since the crop cases vary between chickens, I can't say what I have precisely done each day.

But here's a general outline of what I've done in the past and what I do now.

Sour

- Apple Cider Vinegar (either straight, or in coconut oil, or mixed with food), 1-3x daily. What I do depends on the hen's tolerances, some will take it straight and others need something else.
- Colloidal Silver (this fixed a sour crop issue I had once, so I administer no more than 1/4 tsp once daily in some cases)
- Coconut oil, 1/2 tsp. or so, normally once daily.
- Garlic cloves in water

Sometimes I 'vomit' the hen but only if I believe I can do it safely.

Doughy

- Recipe as per this article, 1-2x daily
- Apple Cider Vinegar

Impacted

- Extra water
- Coconut Oil
- Olive Oil

All of these multiple times daily, as much as I can get out there. Gentle crop massages to break up the impaction.

I also feed hard boiled eggs, yogurt, and other protein-rich foods to help the hens get nutrients. I don't withhold food or separate my hens.

 

[slukeplass22]

Hi,

I have two hens who have been having crop issues on and off for the past two weeks. Their crops have gone from impacted, to doughy, to sour, then better, to then having issues again. I’m at my wits end with this and I don’t understand what’s going on.

Hen 1: Impacted -> Sour -> Better -> Impacted

Hen 2: Impacted -> Sour -> Better -> Sour to Doughy

Is there a really stubborn yeast infection here? Hen 1 has lost a lot of weight (I do feed her in order to prevent weight loss). She is molting so that’s part of it. Hen 2 has lost some weight but isn’t in as bad of shape.

I’ve been treating the crops as I see them but I’ve never had this issue before.

Thanks

UPDATE

I've been working on Hen 1's crop and right now. When I massage her crop, I hear and feel the water flow from the top to the bottom of the crop, while whatever is in her stays up at the top. It sounds like a gurgling noise.

Her crop is more doughy at the end of the day than it was before.

Hen 2's crop is sour, but not as watery as usual.

Both hens eat and digest some of their food based on their poops and their crops in the evening vs. the following morning. Their poops have liquid and solid parts in equal quantities from what I've seen.

I might try to administer that mix of spices tomorrow to see if that helps dissolve the mass, at least once if not more.

 

[azygous]

The main issue with your treatment protocol for sour crop is that there isn't anything you are using that will kill yeast, Candida albicans. It requires a medication easily obtained over the counter - miconazole, women's vaginal yeast cream.

I bet you would see improvement if you tried some. It must be given at least twice a day by mouth for a full seven days.

 

[slukeplass22]

The main issue with your treatment protocol for sour crop is that there isn't anything you are using that will kill yeast, Candida albicans. It requires a medication easily obtained over the counter - miconazole, women's vaginal yeast cream.

I bet you would see improvement if you tried some. It must be given at least twice a day by mouth for a full seven days.

Apple Cider Vinegar has been shown to reduce Candida populations in vitro. There are also lots of accounts from chicken keepers who have used other things to end sour crops. To say that miconazole is the only thing that kills Candida yeast is simply incorrect.

I will look into miconazole for my own situation however.

 

[slukeplass22]

UPDATE

Their crops have improved overall. At one point they were completely better but right now both crops are small, hard balls in the morning, and they both are a bit less active than usual (being poofed out, more still).

 

[azygous]

Following treatment for crop yeast, a probiotic can be very beneficial in restoring crop and digestive function. Be sure access to grit is provided.