Enlarged crop and skinny bird; death of bird

[sweetpea9180]

The last of Red Production hens died yesterday from a mixed flock. Her crop was enlarged and she expelled fluid with a foul odor. She was also very skinny. She ate but it never filtered through the crop to the stomach. I had suspected disease from a rat infestation next door. Most of the rats are gone, the city cleaned up the mess. But, I have been loosing birds one by one. I've dewormed the flock (not when they were sick), used Corrid, apple cider vinegar, and poultry probiotics, greek yogurt with oregano (they won't eat that too often). Not all at the same time, but over the course of a year.

I need to figure out what this is and prevent it from taking the rest of my birds. All I have left is a rooster and 2 hens.

 

[Lauren Kim]

Do you give your chickens grit?

 

[sweetpea9180]

Do you give your chickens grit?

Yes, it is scattered through out the yard.

 

[Lauren Kim]

Here, I found this article. It might help:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/skinny-chickens.555068/

 

[rebrascora]

If the crop is enlarged and the chicken is skinny, it is most likely an impacted crop and gone sour by the sound of it. She will have literally starved to death because of the blockage. There are various options to treat this from massaging, using dulcolax and acidified copper sulphate, through to vomiting or even surgery as a final option, but clearly it is too late now for this girl.

How old are the chickens that are dying and did they all have the same symptoms or have some been different. A tumour in the abdomen can also cause them to lose weight and the digestive tract to get backed up, making the crop full. Tumours can be caused by Marek's disease or Lymphoid Leukosis. Marek's affects mostly juvenile and adolescent birds, LL tends to affect older ones.

What do you feed them and did they have access to grit? Long grass, straw or hay can cause crop/gizzard impaction.

 

[sweetpea9180]

Thank you, I had been massaging her crop every day as well. She was at least 4 years old. Unfortunately, there is not a vet in Hunt county that will even talk to you about a chicken. They free range in the yard, and get 16% lay pellet. Another symptom I forgot about was she had the runs.

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry for all of your losses. Your state poultry vet could do a necropsy on a refrigerated body to look for a cause of death if you should lose another. Sometimes, you can get an idea of the cause by doing one yourself at home, but the pros maydo a better job with lab testing and expertise.

 

[sweetpea9180]

Sorry for all of your losses. Your state poultry vet could do a necropsy on a refrigerated body to look for a cause of death if you should lose another. Sometimes, you can get an idea of the cause by doing one yourself at home, but the pros maydo a better job with lab testing and expertise.

Thank you