HELP ASAP CHICKEN IS VERY ILL

[EggSighted4Life]

Awesome sauce!!

Hope she continues to thrive.

 

[Donna R Raybon]

Please read the article on BYC about crop issues. You got through it OK, were lucky because you were feeding her, which is not good with crop problems. A chicken won't starve to death over a couple days, but they will dehydrate. Pushing the fluids helps with crop problems. Putting more food in a digestive tract that's got problems makes it worse.

Now, you want to really keep an eye on birds to catch crop issues. Full crop at night, empty crop coming off the roost. Sounds like doughy crop from overgrowth of bad bacteria. I would add probiotics to water a couple times a week.

I have to really scrub my waterers to get 'biofilm' that builds up quick. I try to keep water fresh daily and make sure it is in the shade to stay cool. Get a bird a bit dehydrated and crop problems can pop up.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Please read the article on BYC about crop issues. You got through it OK, were lucky because you were feeding her, which is not good with crop problems. A chicken won't starve to death over a couple days, but they will dehydrate. Pushing the fluids helps with crop problems. Putting more food in a digestive tract that's got problems makes it worse.

Now, you want to really keep an eye on birds to catch crop issues. Full crop at night, empty crop coming off the roost. Sounds like doughy crop from overgrowth of bad bacteria. I would add probiotics to water a couple times a week.

I have to really scrub my waterers to get 'biofilm' that builds up quick. I try to keep water fresh daily and make sure it is in the shade to stay cool. Get a bird a bit dehydrated and crop problems can pop up.

Agreed, what you say makes a lot of sense, if a person were vomiting they don't want food... especially if they've had to wipe to many times...

And it's sound advice to not just chalk it up to luck in case you face the issue again.

I am here to learn, can you tell me what you mean by full at night & empty in the morn? Is that supposed to be the good way (logically) or the bad sign to look for?

Thanks.

 

[Donna R Raybon]

Full crop at night and empty in morning coming off roost is good thing. Chickens are prey animals, so they are about eating all they can as quick as they can and then getting to cover to digest. Use that to advantage of feeding birds before they roost. I like having birds hungry coming off roost so i can feed and water. That gives me chance to do a head count and see everyone interacting and catch anything bad.

Personally I have never had anything worse than doughy crop that responded to fluids and massage. You can do everything right and some stressor cause digestive upsets. Here we can have in winter a day in upper seventies and in twenty four hours it can be ten degrees. That can really stress bird.

When you do have a sick bird that needs something to eat, but not solid food, use veggie/fruit baby food. Or just puree your own.

 

[TayLuvChicken]

Another update: chicken now has very fowl smelling liquid that comes out of her crop and her crop feels like a squishy water balloon. This sounds like sour crop to me... she also has very watery droppings and she looks droppy again. I've heard live yogurt and feed with some apple cider vinegar in her water helps. Would adding a probiotic solution in her water be just as good as apple cider vinegar? I dunno if this is sour crop for sure but she doesn't match any of the other things I've read about. But if it is I know you're supposed to give them liquid foods and different water, but how do I know for sure? Also, can it be contagious? I've never really had a sick hem before so I'm kinda lost. Anything else I should be doing? I need some real help. I feel like I've been making it worse. I'm not the expert on this and I don't even know if what I read was correct. Help me get some answers for the poor babe!

 

[TayLuvChicken]

Another update: chicken now has very fowl smelling liquid that come out her crop and her crop feels like a squishy water balloon. This sounds like sour crop to me... she also has very watery droppings and she looks droppy again. I've heard live yogurt and feed with some apple cider vinegar in her water helps. Would adding a probiotic solution in her water be just as good as apple cider vinegar? I dunno if this is sour crop for sure but she doesn't match any of the other things I read about. But if it is I know you're supposed to give them liquid foods and different water, but how do I know for sure? Also, can it be contagious? I've never really had a sick hem before so I'm kinda lost. Anything else I should be doing? I need some real help. I feel like I've been making it worse.

 

[TayLuvChicken]

Uh oh. She looks 10x worse now. She is really droopy and looks like she is on the edge of death! (Almost in tears right now) I need to know if a probiotic solution will help. I can't stand to lose the poor babe, she was always the one to come running up to me and chirp and tell me how she was and I can't stand to see her like this! The poor thing cowers and looks awful and it breaks my heart. I don't want her to die from dehydration but she keeps refusing water and every time I get her to drink she'll lie down and it

 

[TayLuvChicken]

Continued(I accidentally clicked post) and it comes running out her mouth. Really need some thoughts or ideas on what to do. I love her soooo much! I just can't image having a Flock without her. Please give me some suggestions!

 

[Hishigata]

Have you tried reading the BYC article on Crop Issues? It does sound like sour crop so massaging out the liquid and giving her clean water and probiotics is a good idea. You may be doing all you can do already. I know it is hard when a favorite hen is ill. My favorite girl is recovering from injury this evening. I very much hope your hen feels better by morning.

 

[TayLuvChicken]

Where do I read about crop issues? I got an account not to long ago (month maybe, probably not even a month) and I can't seem to find out where that would be. At this point I'm begging that she makes it to the morning. I don't want to give her the wrong thing! I have massaged most of the liquid out but I don't know what to do about food for her.