Help chicken won't eat or drink at all!!

[HeatherlovesherBirds]

Hi everyone! I have a chicken who has a bad crop...I'm postive she has a impacted crop that turned sour. I have pretty much freed up the impacted...and have been treating the sour crop...it is almost flat now...she won't eat at all she has no and I mean no meat on her bones. I syringe feed her water and vitamins her crop actually feels doughy so I have been doing the recipe I got off here for that I'm treating her with Monistat for the yeast infection I have put vinegar in her water I also make up and give to her rooster boost and just plain water... honestly I don't know how she still alive... When I first brought lovey the hen in the house she had a squishy crop. The crop was the size of a baseball. I managed to get it down to the size of a plum... But that is when I noticed that it was feeling doughy.. the first few nights I treated her with Dulcolax....which did help , but I don't believe she could handle that now. she had weight on her then she has none now she is literally skin bones and feathers. I tried doing water and crushed up a hard-boiled yolk and tried to syringe feed it to her, but now she fights me and tips her beak and dumps it all out every time she will not swallow I've tried rubbing her throat I've tried it all... I have massaged her crop quite a bit eight or nine times a day ... Sometimes I do it for an hour it just doesn't seem to be working I don't know why she's not eating or drinking how much water can chickens drink in one setting. I really think if she started eating again and drinking like she's supposed to she would get better... I've tried to give her easy to digest foods. Lovey the hen does not want any of it. it's almost like she wants to die. I even let her walk around my living room and kitchen area and she does talk a lot like a happy chicken not a destrssed chicken while she walks around. How should I treat her I am so worried she is going to die from being malnourished. When I brought her in she had a purple comb...that don't happen anymore. I feel like I have made good progress...but she is not helping by not drinking and eating. I have done acv in water. I have done rooster booster I have her on Monistat..i have Done the recipe on here that calls for 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon of ginger one tablespoon of water and a squirt of lemon juice that has helped break up the doughy crop she has little doughy feeling left....now it's the fact that she won't eat or drink at all. Thank you in advance for advice. Sorry if I repeat myself I have slept only a couple of house a day for a very long time. thanks

 

[fldiver97]

Try some scrambled egg, bits of tuna or soften some chicken feed with water to make a mash.... One of my gals started eating bits of cottage cheese and scrambled egg after some crop issues, I tried a few other things first but was just happy she ate anything

 

[Ebony Rose]

Sounds like you've been battling this problem for some time. Has she been in the house all this time? Does she have access to grit? Plain yogurt is almost irresistible to my chickens and would be a great way to get some good gut bacteria back into her digestive tract. Sounds like Lovey is sick and tired of being sick and tired... Does she / has she been out in the yard lately? Just trying to think of things that may help perk her up.

 

[HeatherlovesherBirds]

I have tried almost all the above except tuna...and it's almost been two weeks with her not eating and I do syringe feed water but I only do 30 ml at a time and 4 times a day plus I'm always mixing up stuff...I gotta go see if she is still alive...I have to get brave to go in and check. Also no she hasn't been in the yard I will definitely try today. If she is still with us... I love my girl :'(

 

[HeatherlovesherBirds]

She's still with us..if I can get her to eat something it would look a lot better for her. I will definitely try I will have to take her out in run today and see if she will eat outside. yesterday we had down pours all day...I am sure something else is going on...just don't know yet..we don't have a chicken vet here...we should they are pets too :'( Thank you all for all of your advice.

 

[Shadrach]

Hi everyone! I have a chicken who has a bad crop...I'm postive she has a impacted crop that turned sour. I have pretty much freed up the impacted...and have been treating the sour crop...it is almost flat now...she won't eat at all she has no and I mean no meat on her bones. I syringe feed her water and vitamins her crop actually feels doughy so I have been doing the recipe I got off here for that I'm treating her with Monistat for the yeast infection I have put vinegar in her water I also make up and give to her rooster boost and just plain water... honestly I don't know how she still alive... When I first brought lovey the hen in the house she had a squishy crop. The crop was the size of a baseball. I managed to get it down to the size of a plum... But that is when I noticed that it was feeling doughy.. the first few nights I treated her with Dulcolax....which did help , but I don't believe she could handle that now. she had weight on her then she has none now she is literally skin bones and feathers. I tried doing water and crushed up a hard-boiled yolk and tried to syringe feed it to her, but now she fights me and tips her beak and dumps it all out every time she will not swallow I've tried rubbing her throat I've tried it all... I have massaged her crop quite a bit eight or nine times a day ... Sometimes I do it for an hour it just doesn't seem to be working I don't know why she's not eating or drinking how much water can chickens drink in one setting. I really think if she started eating again and drinking like she's supposed to she would get better... I've tried to give her easy to digest foods. Lovey the hen does not want any of it. it's almost like she wants to die. I even let her walk around my living room and kitchen area and she does talk a lot like a happy chicken not a destrssed chicken while she walks around. How should I treat her I am so worried she is going to die from being malnourished. When I brought her in she had a purple comb...that don't happen anymore. I feel like I have made good progress...but she is not helping by not drinking and eating. I have done acv in water. I have done rooster booster I have her on Monistat..i have Done the recipe on here that calls for 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon of ginger one tablespoon of water and a squirt of lemon juice that has helped break up the doughy crop she has little doughy feeling left....now it's the fact that she won't eat or drink at all. Thank you in advance for advice. Sorry if I repeat myself I have slept only a couple of house a day for a very long time. thanks

Many crop problems are symptomatic of other problems, often reproductive issues.
Unfortunately there isn't much you can do about reproductive issues. Some may respond for a period with antibiotic treatment if there is an infection.
If a chicken here will not eat at all for more than three days then ime they are not going to survive and I help them on their way.
The way to get nutrition into a chicken who refuses to eat at all is by tube feeding.
Here is an article on how to do this.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...dications-to-all-poultry-and-waterfowl.73335/
There comes a point when force feeding just increases the life of the chicken with no addition to it's health or quality of life.

 

[HeatherlovesherBirds]

Sounds like you've been battling this problem for some time. Has she been in the house all this time? Does she have access to grit? Plain yogurt is almost irresistible to my chickens and would be a great way to get some good gut bacteria back into her digestive tract. Sounds like Lovey is sick and tired of being sick and tired... Does she / has she been out in the yard lately? Just trying to think of things that may help perk her up.

I took her out she didn't eat but did drink for 25 minutes ...but she looks very ill and all my other chickens where trying to fight with her. Then I took her out of the run and just walked around my yard with her and threw some tuna down and she went to go pick it up and all the water that she drank just poured out of her mouth so that tells me that she still has a block crop somewhere or she drank way too much water... Thank you for the advice.

 

[HeatherlovesherBirds]

Many crop problems are symptomatic of other problems, often reproductive issues.
Unfortunately there isn't much you can do about reproductive issues. Some may respond for a period with antibiotic treatment if there is an infection.
If a chicken here will not eat at all for more than three days then ime they are not going to survive and I help them on their way.
The way to get nutrition into a chicken who refuses to eat at all is by tube feeding.
Here is an article on how to do this.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...dications-to-all-poultry-and-waterfowl.73335/
There comes a point when force feeding just increases the life of the chicken with no addition to it's health or quality of life.

I think she maybe laying internally :'( she is skinny as she can get, but in between her legs she is swollen and it's hard as a rock.

 

[HeatherlovesherBirds]

Many crop problems are symptomatic of other problems, often reproductive issues.
Unfortunately there isn't much you can do about reproductive issues. Some may respond for a period with antibiotic treatment if there is an infection.
If a chicken here will not eat at all for more than three days then ime they are not going to survive and I help them on their way.
The way to get nutrition into a chicken who refuses to eat at all is by tube feeding.
Here is an article on how to do this.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...dications-to-all-poultry-and-waterfowl.73335/
There comes a point when force feeding just increases the life of the chicken with no addition to it's health or quality of life.

I think u are 100% right her dying is inevitable and I am just prolonging her suffering... Thank you for screwing my head on straight...and making me realize that in away I am being selfish to her because I don't wanna lose her. Again thank you..for reminding me of who matters in this situation... chicken woman tend to only focus on the love they have for the chicken..

 

[Shadrach]

I think u are 100% right her dying is inevitable and I am just prolonging her suffering... Thank you for screwing my head on straight...and making me realize that in away I am being selfish to her because I don't wanna lose her. Again thank you..for reminding me of who matters in this situation... chicken woman tend to only focus on the love they have for the chicken..

Strangely chicken men can be much the same. I have a nine year old hen here who would seem to have internal problems and is very lethargic and generally looks unwell. I cleared her crop with massage and water but it doesn't function properly. My problem is, is she does eat and drink on her own, but not enough. I am currently tube feeding her at night and giving a course of antibiotics. I doubt she is going to get better. When the antibiotics are finished if she doesn't improve I'm going to have to kill her. I've known her eight years, watched her hatch 3 clutches, seen her life long partner die.