Fowl pox, slow or sour crop?

[Sallyhens]

1) What type of bird , age and weight (does the chicken seem or feel lighter or thinner than the others.)

• I have a Speckled Sussex pullet, Thelma, who is feeling very poorly. She’s about 10 months old. I don’t think she’s lost much weight.

2) What is the behavior, exactly.

• My flock caught fowl pox a couple weeks ago. Thelma has it the worst, the rest just had a few spots. Around the time the first sores appeared, she was laying down in the run all day, not eating or drinking, and limping when she walked. Her crop wasn’t emptying, either, it felt like doughy crop. I isolated her, gave her mash, gave her half a baby aspirin, some home remedy to clear her crop, and she was fine in a couple of days, back to her usual self. I put her back out with the flock, assuming she just hurt herself doing something silly (she’s kind of a spaz).
• Her fowl pox then exploded and took over her wattles within a week. She hasn’t laid an egg since she was injured and inside, but was otherwise behaving normally despite the pox, for several days. 2 days ago, I noticed she was puffed up and just standing around. She was drinking water but not eating. Her crop felt like a water balloon this morning (albeit a smaller balloon last night), leading me to think it might be the beginning of sour crop. (I isolated her without food for 24hrs, just ACV water, and restricted water overnight for 12hrs, her crop was smaller this morning but still water balloon-like).

Her symptoms now:

• Puffed up and not moving, but alert and drinking water (she just stands and dozes or tucks her head in her wing- not sitting or laying down at all)
• Feathers falling out (mostly the downy feathers underneath- she is not picking them out)
• Not eating (though she did eat a teaspoon or two of yogurt when I offered it)
• Shaking her head more than usual
• White poops (her overnight poop 2 days ago when symptoms appeared was solid white, like toothpaste squeezed out of the tube, now they are very watery and white)
• I was checking the inside of her mouth last night, and she was struggling and put pressure on her crop, and water came out of her beak.
• No discharge from eyes or nostrils. No lesions or discoloration in mouth. No weird smells in her mouth.

3) How long has the bird been exhibiting symptoms?

• 2-3 days

4) Are other birds exhibiting the same symptoms?

• no

5) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma.

• no

6) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation.

• see above

7) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all.

• excessive drinking of water (ACV added)
• Will pick at yogurt when offered. I mixed some mash in with it. She ate maybe 2tsp.

8) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc.

• Started solid white, now watery with white

9) What has been the treatment you have administered so far?

• isolated inside
• ACV water
• Small amounts of yogurt/mash
• Have given one dose (~0.5cc) Monistat 7 ~ 30min ago

10 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? For example, do you want to treat completely yourself, or do you need help in stabilizing the bird til you can get to a vet?

• treat myself, but I do have a vet I can see

11) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help.

• pics included of Thelma, poops, and feathers that she dropped in 24hrs

12) Describe the housing/bedding in use

• coop with pine shaving litter, run is dirt (I mix pine pellets in occasionally to help with moisture)

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Around the time the first sores appeared, she was laying down in the run all day, not eating or drinking, and limping when she walked. Her crop wasn’t emptying, either, it felt like doughy crop. I isolated her, gave her mash, gave her half a baby aspirin, some home remedy to clear her crop, and she was fine in a couple of days, back to her usual self. I put her back out with the flock, assuming she just hurt herself doing something silly

Her fowl pox then exploded and took over her wattles within a week. She hasn’t laid an egg since she was injured and inside, but was otherwise behaving normally despite the pox, for several days. 2 days ago, I noticed she was puffed up and just standing around. She was drinking water but not eating. Her crop felt like a water balloon this morning (albeit a smaller balloon last night), leading me to think it might be the beginning of sour crop. (I isolated her without food for 24hrs, just ACV water, and restricted water overnight for 12hrs, her crop was smaller this morning but still water balloon-like).

Shaking her head more than usual

Poor girl!
O.k. Feather loss - is she molting? Do you see new pin feathers emerging?

Shaking the head - no infection in the ears(?), no lesions, canker or pox inside the beak(?)
no lice or mites (?)

I agree, she does have Dry Form of Fowl Pox on her wattles. Hopefully that will clear up soon. If you wish, you can paint the scabs with Iodine to help dry them up, just don't disturb the scabs too much.

Crop - sounds like sour crop to me. Work on giving her the Miconazole 2X. Provide food and water during waking hours. You don't want her dehydrated. For food, offer her normal feed (wet or dry whichever she likes) and/or soft foods like scrambled egg.
This article is what I follow when treating crop problems:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/