Crop Issues for Weeks on End Despite Treatment

[slukeplass22]

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

She already has those things

 

[CherNooch]

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

I lost a hen to sour crop. I didn’t recognize the symptoms and start yogurt quickly enough. Yogurt has always worked for me in the past for all of my other hens with sour crop. To prevent it make sure your feed is fresh, clean, and don’t feed spoiled foods or grains to your chicken. I buy only 2 weeks worth of chicken feed at a time and clean their feeder regularl.

For impacted crop I gave olive oil and did crop massage and it cleared.

 

[slukeplass22]

I lost a hen to sour crop. I didn’t recognize the symptoms and start yogurt quickly enough. Yogurt has always worked for me in the past for all of my other hens with sour crop. To prevent it make sure your feed is fresh, clean, and don’t feed spoiled foods or grains to your chicken. I buy only 2 weeks worth of chicken feed at a time and clean their feeder regularl.

For impacted crop I gave olive oil and did crop massage and it cleared.

I’ve been giving yogurt for the past week or so. Some days they’ll eat it more than others.

The feed I use is produced by a farm a couple hours from me. They grow the grains themselves. Feed is always fresh. It’s whole grains, split legumes, seeds, also contains probiotics and other basic stuff. When I used a feeder they would empty it out and leave most of the feed on the ground. So nowadays I just put the feed on the ground, and they have to eat most of it before getting more. Lately I’ve been a bit lax due to these two hens weight issues, so I’ll put extra feed out just so they have enough.

They have access to grit in different places inside and outside. I’ll probably put a little more out just in case.

I’ve been administering coconut oil and gently massaging when I can. It’s an odd back and forth thing that’s confusing me. None of my other hens show signs of ill health.

 

[nurse mama]

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.

I bought Fluconazole from the farm store, 100 mg, crushed it up, added 20 tsp water (pharacist help) and give 1 tsp a day which equals 5 mg for a chicken of 4-5 lbs, for 7 days.
Keep cracked corn or anything with sugar out of her diet until the 7 days are over.

 

[mama23]

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).

@slukeplass22 what ended up getting rid of it in your opinion? Was it the ACV or the miconazole? I've got a yeast infection coming back on a hen after crop surgery three weeks ago and debating whether to go back to copper sulfate (which I think she had issues with and really don't want to) or to do your method of straight ACV, as well as adding it to water, or the miconazole, (which I did the miconazole for multiple days before her surgery and didn't have good luck, but nothing was draining, hence the surgery). Thanks for any info.

 

[slukeplass22]

Final Update

I really need to update when things resolve.

Both of the hens ended up healing with the yogurt. I mainly gave them plain regular or Greek yogurt first thing in the morning, that way the bacteria would be with them whenever they ate. I'd let them have some in the afternoon also if they wanted to, normally they would just take a few bites and be on their way. I decided to stop using ACV and other things around this time also.

My younger hen is still around, however, my older one (who was almost nine) died of unknown causes shortly before the new year.

Thank you all for the input!

 

[mama23]

Final Update

I really need to update when things resolve.

Both of the hens ended up healing with the yogurt. I mainly gave them plain regular or Greek yogurt first thing in the morning, that way the bacteria would be with them whenever they ate. I'd let them have some in the afternoon also if they wanted to, normally they would just take a few bites and be on their way. I decided to stop using ACV and other things around this time also.

My younger hen is still around, however, my older one (who was almost nine) died of unknown causes shortly before the new year.

Thank you all for the input!

Hey thanks for your kind PM and update on here as well. I’m sorry for the loss of the older hen. I’m glad the yeast issue has resolved. It’s nothing to mess around with for sure. My hen wouldn’t eat yogurt so I did research on natural remedies since pharmaceuticals have failed me countless times. I ended up using a specific dosage of diluted oregano essential oil orally every three hours during the day only for 6 days and it knocked it out. I already only use oregano and kyolic garlic for “antibiotics” for bacterial infections and it has worked so much better than baytril for example. So when I saw oregano could work for yeast too I already knew dosing amounts and it was just a no brainer for me. She’s doing well and is already back to laying eggs again. Thanks again and hopefully we can both stay yeast free but if I ever get it again I’ll start oregano ASAP