Help! Crop problem?

[Anapsid]

Hi, everyone. Thanks to everyone for all their suggestions and help with reintroducing a hen to the flock. Everything worked out great!

Now I have another issue. I'm beginning to think I'm cursed. My black sex linked was acting lethargic this morning. No discharge, no rales, no runny butt.

Further inspection revealed a mushy crop that felt like a water balloon. I was able to get some really gross smelling black sludge and grain out of the crop. She's now isolated without food and water. What else should I do?

I'm really discouraged by my recent run of bad luck and am starting to wonder if I'm just a bad chicken owner.

Please help...

 

[Alaskan]

http://www.fresheggsdaily.com/2012/02/sour-crop.html?m=1

The article above went over some treatment plans.

Good luck!

 

[CharB]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...d-sour-crops-prevention-and-treatments.67194/
Sorry - I am not sure yet how to link to an article here but the one above is an excellent article explaining all stages of crop issues and some solutions. It was written by @TwoCrows and helped me a lot when I went through a similar situation. It sounds like sour crop. This article is dense. My suggestion is to read the article all the way through as it explains a lot about the crop at various stages. Then you can go back to the area that most fits your bird's current condition. It will evolve so it is good to know all the things possible as explained in the article. I had to reread sections several times to assure myself I was doing it right.
My hen had sour crop as the blockage had moved already. Believe it or not, Monostat worked to clear up the yeast infection. Some of what you may have seen in her discharge was not grain but yeast. I did find it hard to measure and inject in her beak so since she would eat a scrambled egg, I mixed a dollop in it. I only fed her a small quantity of the egg as to assure she ate the entire amount that was dosed. If she was still hungry I would then give her more egg.
Best of luck, my friend. May your hen have a speedy recovery.

 

[Eggcessive]

Water should be available at all times, so the crop can be flushed. She may have sour crop, which is difficult to treat. It can occur after a bout of impacted crop, or it could be from fungal or bacterial infection in the digestive tract. You might try giving only water with electrolytes for the first day, with massaging the crop several times a day. Then on day 2, a little plain yogurt for probiotics mixed with some raw egg, but no whole grains. A vet familiar with chickens might be best. Here are a couple of good links to read as well:
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/04/answers-from-chicken-vet-on-impacted.html
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...d-sour-crops-prevention-and-treatments.67194/

 

[Anapsid]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...d-sour-crops-prevention-and-treatments.67194/
Sorry - I am not sure yet how to link to an article here but the one above is an excellent article explaining all stages of crop issues and some solutions. It was written by @TwoCrows and helped me a lot when I went through a similar situation. It sounds like sour crop. This article is dense. My suggestion is to read the article all the way through as it explains a lot about the crop at various stages. Then you can go back to the area that most fits your bird's current condition. It will evolve so it is good to know all the things possible as explained in the article. I had to reread sections several times to assure myself I was doing it right.
My hen had sour crop as the blockage had moved already. Believe it or not, Monostat worked to clear up the yeast infection. Some of what you may have seen in her discharge was not grain but yeast. I did find it hard to measure and inject in her beak so since she would eat a scrambled egg, I mixed a dollop in it. I only fed her a small quantity of the egg as to assure she ate the entire amount that was dosed. If she was still hungry I would then give her more egg.
Best of luck, my friend. May your hen have a speedy recovery.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

 

[Anapsid]

Good morning. Here's an update. I actually saved the vomit from yesterday for examination purposes (I'm weird, yes?). It was grain, but very soft old and stinky. I didn't see any cottage cheese like stuff. Based on that wonderful article (thank you CharB) I think the hen has slow crop.
When I came home from work I found the bird with an mostly empty crop and she was pooping again. I will "vomit" her again this morning, offer her prebiotic and mash.
As for the cause....??? She's only 6 months old. I can find anything obviously wrong. We live in dry Southern California, but it's been really humid (for us). Such weather wimps! I'm wondering if some of the feed didn't mold???
What do you guys think?

 

[coach723]

Feed gone bad usually has a strong chemical odor and color will be off, usually green, gray or white tinged, sometimes clumpy, sometimes more gone to powder. Usually the smell is pretty strong.
Symptoms don't really sound like mold toxicity, but better safe than sorry. Sometimes a feed change can cause digestive issues, and may not affect all birds. Some feeds are harder for some birds to digest. If you have recently changed feeds I would suggest trying going back to what they were on before. Also could just be that bird, ate something she shouldn't have or just got imbalanced somehow internally. If you have never wormed i would suggest having a fecal float test done to rule that out as an issues. Internal parasites can also cause issues like this. Also would wonder if she was laying before she got ill? Internal laying issues can cause crop problems also, along with other illnesses which can slow down the digestive tract. Just some ideas.

 

[Anapsid]

No feed changes, but there was a slight black powder at the bottom of bag. She's been laying fabulously delicious eggs almost every day.
I will take poop to vet on Monday. Or should I just worm now without fecal float?

 

[Anapsid]

Another thought...lots of construction in the back yard recently. I've been pretty dilegent at keeping stuff away from the birds, but I have found plastic wrap and weed cloth fragments blown into chicken zone?
The birds crop was completely empty this morning and there was an obscene amount of poop in the crate she slept in. She's also very, very hungry.

 

[coach723]

Sounds like she is doing better. She may have had an obstruction or partial obstruction that she was able to pass. I would keep an eye on her to make sure it's really cleared up.
When parasites are suspected it is always better to do the fecal float test if possible. That way you know for sure, know exactly what parasite you are treating for, and treat with the correct medication and dosage. And if there are no parasites you don't needlessly treat. As for the feed, could have been going bad at the bottom of the bag, perhaps sitting on moisture or condensation? Also feed that is going bad will often cause condensation inside the container it is in. I always empty my bags into a large plastic bin for this very reason. Water tight, rodent proof, and I see the whole bag before I start feeding it to my birds. I have on occasion bought feed that was questionable or obviously bad. I'd rather not feed it first and find out later.