Doughy stubborn slow crop

[AggieKat]

Well, @azygous
Here I am again with the same sour crop forming with Henrietta. I think I let her back into her “normal” routine with the other two too soon. Last week her crop was like a giant water balloon each day and morning. I would push on it and get a really gassy burp. So I restarted the routine…tried the Epsom salt flush but I’m afraid I’ll aspirate her so I just did 2 doses of that. Tried the lemon juice and spices mixture also. All the girls got their 2nd dose of Safeguard paste last night.

Now I’ve got her in her cage in the run with the other girls and made a batch of water with the acidified copper sulfate solution. I’ll do that for 5 days right? Just the treated water?

Should I be trying to get the fluid out of her crop? It’s not smelling nearly as bad as the first go round. This time it’s more sweet smelling like it’s the start of sour crop.

Can she eat while I’m treating her with the ACS? I’ve been doing the chicken feed with some water in it twice a day in smaller meals. (The other girls also get twice a day feed and they hate it haha. They’re used to having access to a full feeder 24/7)

Thanks again y’all

 

[azygous]

Let them all have access to dry feed. I've found that sour crop patients prefer their feed dry during treatment.

No, do not try to vomit her. You may, however, insert a tube into the crop and try sucking out the crop fluid.

Copper sulfate should be offered as the sole water source.

 

[Beaker99]

Any update on your hen? I'm struggling with a similar crop issue.

 

[Marie2020]

Hi all! Worried about my Australorp hen, Henrietta. She has always had a more difficult time when eating things than the other two girls, but it has recently gotten much worse. Her crop was very saggy and full looking and then about 2 weeks ago, I noticed liquid coming out of her mouth when she bent over while free ranging in the yard at dusk. I figured out it was sour crop and treated according to the post by @azygous I think? that is mentioned for help with crop issues.

Well, I think we got the yeast infection under control (because the awful, nasty yeast smell is gone) but her crop is still a mess. Very slow and doesn’t empty at night. Tonight it was literally like Playdough. I could mold everything inside it and it stayed put. She is drinking water and wants to eat EVERYTHING. She seems so hungry but then she overeats or eats weird stuff like broken acorn shells and grass, which I think the grass is what stopped her crop up in the first place.

Her poop is still mostly water with dark brown lumps in it. She is definitely smaller now than the other two, so I feel terrible that I didn’t notice this all sooner and see she was having issues. She is also missing the feathers on her crop area, so I don’t know if she plucked them out herself or what. The other two girls are perky, eating fine and laying eggs almost daily, even in this hot hot Texas summer heat. They are missing some feathers also, one on the breast area and one on the front of her neck right under her beak/waddles.

Things I’ve done:
*checked them for mites and lice…didn’t see any obvious evidence but went ahead and
*cleaned out the coop and run and sprayed with Permethrin
*treated Henrietta with the Epsom salt flush (and that temporarily seemed to help) while only feeding her scrambled eggs and some plain yogurt for probiotics for 2 days
*gave Henrietta coconut oil at night and done crop massages
*tried to fashion several crop bras to help Henrietta’s seriously sagging crop

*added electrolytes and probiotics to extra waterer in the run for all the girls


She was laying along with the other girls but hasn’t laid an egg in weeks. Before all of this I had found some cracked eggs or shells only in the run, but I didn’t know who it was. Now, I know it was her I just ordered acidified copper sulfate but I don’t know what else to do. She isn’t lethargic or anything, but I’m afraid I’m just watching her die eventually because she can’t digest everything she’s eating.

Any ideas what to do next? Should I worm all 3 of them? Do they have coccidiosis and I just don’t know it?

I feel defeated and like a terrible chicken mom. Any help is greatly appreciated. Pic of my sad Henrietta girl and her saggy crop. Thanks y’all

If you were a bad chicken mom you wouldn't care. I hope you can find a solution.

I'm trying too find answers to crop problems to

 

[Becky Pate]

How did this turn out? I have one I am treating right now for doughy crop. The lemon and spice mixture is helping, but not completely emptying the crop by the morning. I have Acidified copper sulfate that is supposed to get here by tomorrow evening.

 

[AggieKat]

How did this turn out? I have one I am treating right now for doughy crop. The lemon and spice mixture is helping, but not completely emptying the crop by the morning. I have Acidified copper sulfate that is supposed to get here by tomorrow evening.

Unfortunately, Henrietta couldn’t get over her crop issues last summer, so I had to put her down. I had another hen this spring with the same stubborn sour crop but hers was due to internal laying. I’ve found that it’s usually linked to an underlying cause somewhere in their system. So if you can identify that, it helps get rid of sour crop. Have you treated with miconozole for 7 days yet?

 

[Becky Pate]

Unfortunately, Henrietta couldn’t get over her crop issues last summer, so I had to put her down. I had another hen this spring with the same stubborn sour crop but hers was due to internal laying. I’ve found that it’s usually linked to an underlying cause somewhere in their system. So if you can identify that, it helps get rid of sour crop. Have you treated with miconozole for 7 days yet?

Yes I am on my four day of that in addition to the lemon juice mixture. She is more energetic and eating more. Her crop was hard every morning, but soft this morning. I hope that is a good sign.

 

[Becky Pate]

I am pretty sure it started with grass. I let them out about an hour a day. She has a mis-shaped beak. Her bottom beak doesn't connect well with the top one, so I think she just swallows blades whole. It's also thinner on one side than the top beak. Anyway I guess I will just have to watch her closely when I let her out. Or maybe only let them out every other day to give more time for the grass to pass through.

 

[AggieKat]

I am pretty sure it started with grass. I let them out about an hour a day. She has a mis-shaped beak. Her bottom beak doesn't connect well with the top one, so I think she just swallows blades whole. It's also thinner on one side than the top beak. Anyway I guess I will just have to watch her closely when I let her out. Or maybe only let them out every other day to give more time for the grass to pass through.

Yes, my girl that had the most trouble with her crop would eat grass blades whole like that too. I made sure to keep the grass cut pretty short to help out with that. But good sign that your hen’s crop was soft this morning! Keep working on the miconozole and massaging the crop throughout the day, and keeping her off grass. I’d say maybe even for a good week or two after her crop heals up just to be safe.

 

[Becky Pate]

Her crop was empty yesterday morning! Yay! I have not checked yet this morning. One thing is, she is not eating much. She would not eat her wet food, but wanted it dry. After that is when her crop emptied. But after that she wouldn't eat much. Any suggestions. She turns her nose up at eggs. She will eat a little oatmeal, but really only wants meal worms.