Drunk wobbly and low hanging crop. Marek's or pendolous crop or both?

[Eggcessive]

It's good to hear that you are getting her to empty the foul contents of her crop. She must have sour crop. I had a hen pig out on sunflower seeds last year, and while the others had no problem, she died. When I did a necropsy, her gizzard was blocked with sunflower kernals. Keep her on liquids, egg, and yogurt, and no grains for now.

 

[teampenninglady]

GREAT NEWS!

She is ALLLLLL better today!

I am shocked at how wonderfully tone and normal her crop feels.

After my son and I got that nasty stuff up and saw the cantalope seeds out of her...she was on the mend ever since.

Just now I popped into the coop and did a crop check on everyone on the roost:

I felt all the other hens and even the roo...then hers....

completely like theirs in every way.

It is not pendulous and she is not wobbly or unbalanced.

I am still giving her her 'MEDS" morning and night for another few days and antibiotics for a week...just for good measure.

I want to lend this experience to anyone who may need help in their future with their chickens:

I am gonna present it as if I was reading it in a medical chart for animals ( I am a retired VET TECH so it is what I know to do):

4 month old pullet. Unvaccinated,dewormed in April 2015 ( ivermectin Gold), hatched from egg on property. never left property. Lives with 6 other chickens ( including egg brother hatched and raised on property as well), cooped at night, free ranges daily but only in a suburban backyard, fed crumbles, melon rinds and bread daily. given many other various treats daily. Largest appetite of all in flock and is greedy.

pendulous crop observed and hen wobbly when moving around but was eating and drinking normally, color good and not in a confused state of mind. No temperature. Still roosted fine at night.

Began treatment by isolating in cage inside house and administering antibiotics ( doxycycline from feed store) suspended in h2o by mouth/beak and provided in water. Also administered electrolyes (feed store again) in h20 in same manner as the antibiotics.

That evening chicken was started on Poly-Vi-Sol ( baby vitamins) and selenium mixed ( pill crushed and mixed in the poly-Vi_sol) one dropper full ( dropper provided in package) and more antibiotics ( 2 droppers full) and more electrolyes ( also 2 droppers full). Chicken was given an over easy made egg and yogurt ( Activia vanilla) Chicken was 'flipped over and massaged ' frequently thru the day but to no avail.

Crop remained large swollen balloon like and swinging by her knees like a pendulum. She was placed back into the coop at night to roost with the others. No food in coop.

Next day she was roosting fine although her crop remained just as swollen and swinging as night before and her balance seemed even more affected than day before. Suspected Marek's disease and began to treat accordingly for that as well. She was also being allowed to eat a soup like feed mixture and yogurt in electroyte water....hardly any feed in it other that the taste.
In addition to the antibiotics 9 2 droppers full) and the electrolytes ( 2 droppers full) and the Poly- Vi- Sol and selenium mixture 9 1 dropper full) for that morning, St. John's wort in distilled h20 was added ( one dropper full) and that was given each time as well. Chicken was still being flipped and massaged but nothing would come up. NO FOUL SMELL so sour crop was not suspected. POOP was always normal so blockage was also not suspected. That afternoon apple cider vinegar was given. Three droppers full and massaged well...gurgling was heard deep in crop but nothing would come out when flipped over and massaged.

That evening, apple cider vinegar was given and chicken began to spit up a tan colored fluid as it was being given.

She was immediately flipped over and a GUSH of liquid and contents of her crop came out.

After she finished, and her crop was calm...the rest of her medicines was given...and sodium bicarbonate was also given ( baking soda in water) and mineral oil (one dropper full each). No more apple cider vinegar was given that night.

Crop still seemed to have a balloon in it...chicken still walked unbalanced. Food in yard was picked up so she was allowed to run with the others before nightfall...few minutes left...and they all went to roost. She roosted without problems.

Next morning her crop was 50% smaller than night before and her spirits was noticeably improved. She was allowed to eat her soup mixture in the coop and while the others ate their feed and then she was allowed to run free with them after her meds/vitamins was given to her and the feed was picked up. She was picked up a few times thru the day so the others can eat feed she was not allowed to eat. By the end of the evening, her crop was back to normal and felt no different than that of the others.

Medicine/vitamin routine will continue for one more week for good measure.



I hope this helps anyone who is going or may go thru what I just experienced.

I learned not to panic....it will take a while....be proactive with how many times a day I give her meds and massage her.... and when in doubt ...just know that all those vitamins and medicines and oils and etc. don't hurt the chicken AT ALL...

I have a suspicion which one was the one that DID IT for her...but if I ever go thru this again....you bet I am gonna make sure I start right away with each...skipping none...covering my bases is good and the hen is Alive and well!

That is what matters to me.

Thanks for the help to those who helped me...I learned soooooo much form each of you!