Emergency!!! Fluid coming from beak, gurgling, need treatment

[Wyorp Rock]

Okay, how would I do a flush? Also, what are the possible causes of a slowed down crop?
thanks

I see that Carol recommends either a Molasses or Epsom Salts flush. Hopefully she will chime in and tell us if she thinks it would be suitable to flush and which one to administer.

My previous posts in your thread mentions some common underlying conditions/causes of a crop to slow.

Sometimes older hens can start having reproductive problems and they start to feel bad. Peritonitis, cancer, etc. are a few things common in laying hens.

As for how severe the case it - that's really hard to know. It's possible that she may have developed a sour crop due to partial blockage somewhere else in the digestive system. Inflammation/swelling from reproductive disorders can also slow the process.
Basically - there is generally an underlying condition/cause that makes the crop slow/not empty and it sours. Some other causes are worms and infection.

 

[Chicken❤️er]

Okay- @azygous here are my questions after doing a brief reading on flushes: in addition to what Wyorp Rock said, how would I administer the flush? I’m doubtful that Rosie would drink much of it, so I’m assuming I would have to do it via syringe. Also, it sounds like a good idea to use electrolytes in the water. Finally, is there anything else I can try? Crop massages? Yogurt/probiotic?
Also, @Wyorp Rock, as mentioned previously we don’t have a vet, is there any way to test for /diagnose underlying conditions at home? I assume not, but I guess it’s worth asking.
Here are the poop photos:

Thank you everyone so much for all your advice so far.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Molasses flush is 1 teaspoon molasses mixed into 1/4 cup warm water.
If she won't drink it, then syringing it would be needed.
This may or may not help.

You would only use the flush once, but it could be dehydrating, so afterward offer plain water and see that she's drinking. If she's not, then you can periodically syringe fluids into her, just be careful that she doesn't aspirate.

You can offer electrolytes as well. It may be best to alternate between plain water and electrolytes because of the salt content.

If the crop is fluid filled, you wouldn't want to massage the crop - chickens have no gag reflex, so fluids can be pushed into the airway - they can aspirate or worse.

As for underlying conditions - even sometimes it's difficult for a vet to know much unless extensive tests/x-rays are performed. It can be hard to know what's going on unless you lose the bird and investigate further. Ime, reproductive disorders have been the common cause of a crop condition in my flock. Sadly, I have not found a solution to "cure" a hen that has one of these common conditions. For some, have been able to treat symptoms, make them more comfortable and they have lived for a good while longer. Unfortunately for a few others, their condition seemed to be more advanced and they continued to decline, even with supportive care, so I put them out of their misery.

I so wish I had better answers for you. Some folks do an all in and administer antibiotics, de-worm, treat for Coccidiosis and Sour crop all at the same time - it would be up to you to decide if that's the course of action you want to take. Antibiotics could make the sour crop worse, so it would be a good idea to add probiotics if you decide to do that.


I'm sure this was probably already shared with you, but here's how to syringe meds
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...dications-to-all-poultry-and-waterfowl.73335/

 

[Chicken❤️er]

Hi, I have an update. We finished Rosie’s miconazole treatment rather sloppily- we forgot to do 2 doses a day and only did one dose a day for a couple of days at the end so we gave her a couple more rather irregularly after the seven supposed days of treatment. She was looking pretty decent and we left on vacation for a week. We came back and she looks terrible, pale, and lethargic. I felt her crop and it is not filled with fluid- it’s fairly hard and just a little squishy. However, I felt it later in the day rather than the morning so she may have eaten something even though she seems to have no appetite. I’m tempted to do either a molasses or epsom salt flush but I’m not sure if that’s the right treatment or which one to do. Should I try another round of miconazole? I’m doubtful that’s the problem because she had nothing to vomit and the crop is not fluid-filled. Also, we are leaving again on vacation less than a week and my friend, who is 15, is taking care of the chickens. I don’t want to ask her to do anything with Rosie but I don’t know what to do while we are away.

 

[azygous]

Following sour crop treatment, the digestive system is often depleted of healthy microbes as the miconazole picked those off along with the with the yeast. This can make the digestive system sluggish.

You can start by offering her grit and giving her probiotics. They make a tablets you can buy where you get vitamins. You can also feed non-flavored Greek yogurt.

It won't hurt to do a quick Epsom salt flush. You need to get her to drink it all. One teaspoon Epsom salts to one ounce water.

 

[Chicken❤️er]

okay, I gave her the flush. Upon further feeling of her crop, I don’t know what I was happening yesterday, but today it felt filled with liquids rather than solids, and stinky yellow fluid was coming out again. I’m afraid the miconazole treatment was not effective and the yeast came back, but I don’t know what to do! She is obviously extremely underweight and weak, and deprived of probiotics. I don’t know what course of action to take because either way there is a problem. Thank you so much for your help, this has been quite the long journey.

 

[azygous]

The stinky yellow fluid in her crop means the yeast is still ongoing. Because it's defying the treatment it may indicate a more serious issue. A tumor may be blocking her reproductive tract which can affect the movement of food through the body.

Or it could indicate a slow crop caused by the crop hanging too low to drain properly. It's called pendulous crop and it's treated with a crop bra. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

Don't give up. Restart the miconazole, fill her mouth with it twice a day. I squirt it directly into the mouth from the tub like whipped cream. Quick and easy. Do that morning and evening for seven more days. But rig up a crop bra and have her wear it at night. Adjust it so the crop is riding high and smart. You can also buy them from MyPetChicken.

 

[Chicken❤️er]

Ok- I’ve got a crop bra in the making for tonight, and I restarted the miconazole. Rosie is severely underweight- is there any way that I can or should force feed her without burdening her crop, such as something like electrolytes or blended food to give liquid calories? Or should I stay away from any sort of force feeding?

 

[azygous]

Tube feeding isn't a good idea while the crop is struggling to empty. But once it looks empty come the morning crop check, then you can begin tube feeding her. Do you have the tubing?

 

[Chicken❤️er]

I put the crop bra on Rosie but I was afraid to tie it too tight in case it restricts her breathing and I can’t watch her overnight. I don’t know what the perfect tightness is and I feel more comfortable doing it during the day when I can watch her. It’s not like she’s introducing more food into her crop anyway. We have tubing (for humans) and my mom, as a doctor, has the experience of putting it in, but flat-out refuses because she fears causing trauma to the esophagus and other digestive organs (I myself don’t know anything about tubing but she assumes it is going directly into the stomach (gizzard)). Is there any other way we can feed her?