Help! My first chicken illness...

[ADKChickenChick]

Hi all,

I'm new to BYC and a new chicken mother. I ordered chicks - 28 hens and 2 roosters - last June. Smart to jump right into "chickening" with 30 chickens...probably not, but they all have stolen my heart. Here in the Adirondacks the winter has been tough - darn Polar Vortex! Anyway...I currently have my first real chicken illness and I need your help.

I've scanned BYC and The Chicken Chick's blog for answers, but want to make sure I'm doing all I can. I have a barred rock hen that wasn't eating or drinking 3 days ago. I let her go for half a day and monitored her behavior. She would sit still, humped up in a ball in the corner of the coop and not really do much. I checked on her that night and she appeared to have a full crop. I let her sleep the night (not roosting, which is not like my girls) and checked on her bright and early. She still appeared to have a full crop in the morning so I checked her out and it was distended and squishy. I followed procedure for emptying a sour crop. The smell was horrible, so I took that as a sign that this was her ailment. She started to perk up immediately - scratching at the floor, etc. She seemed fine for the rest of the day. Come this morning, she was laying on the floor of the coop kind of sprawled out, eyes closed, breathing slowly. I scooped her up and brought her into the house. I have given her sugar water and some olive oil with an eye dropper. Maybe she has a blockage that led to the sour crop?? What else should I be doing for her? I have her in a basket wrapped up in a towel. She is still laying, eyes closed, breathing slowly. She did swallow on her own once given water, but just seems like she has absolutely no energy. Any advice would be much appreciated. I have come to BYC for other minor chicken ailments and this group hasn't let me down! I thank you all in advance....

 

[marndan444]

I am still new as well and am having issues with a lathargic chicken myself. I don't have any answers but wanted to ask how you noticed the coop was full. My hen is sleepy and just stands there with her feathers a bit ruffled, almost like she has to poop. We have her inside with apple cider vinager water but I am still at a loss to what to do...I am interested to see the replies you get.. Good Luck!!!!

 

[marndan444]

I forgot to mention mine was laying and fine yesterday..

 

[ADKChickenChick]

Thanks, Marndan444. I noticed my girl wasn't feeling well based on her inactivity and her stance. She was standing with her head tucked into her shoulders, all puffed up. Every time I walked to the coop to check on her she was standing in the same spot. The morning I noticed her crop was full I picked her up and her chest was puffed out. I knew she hadn't been eating or drinking much, so this seemed strange. When I felt her chest it was squishy and spongy. I had read Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens cover to cover when my girls were chicks and I remembered reading about crop issues. Her crop is no longer distended or spongy, but she is still under the weather to say the least. I've still been feeding liquids and olive oil about every 30 minutes. She seems a wee bit better...will open her eyes shortly when I pick her up and fight a little when I try to open her beak. This is a slight improvement from this morning. Going to keep up my regimen and hope for some more suggestions.

 

[Sarevan]

I would stop the sugar water as you are feeding the problem for the sour crop. Plain water, or probiotic / electrolytes in water, with crop massage. The following are what people here in forums have been using for sour crop, they are the same meds women use for yeast infections. Will be over the counter, come in creams, suppositories,

Can also be used for vent gleet by rubbing around the vent and inserting some into the vent.

Monistat (miconazole nitrate)
Gyne-Lotrimin or Mycelex (clotrimazole vaginal)
Femstat (butoconazole vaginal)
Vagistat-1, Monistat-1 (tioconazole)

I use a tube feeding kit to get it into the crop, with other mush food to make sure it gets into crop as you lose what ever is in the feeding tube. Some put it in syringe and put syringe down throat, then massage it down and in crop. The suppository can be cut in pieces and have hen swallow it. Up to 5-7 days of treatment, I have had luck at 3 days treatment. Besides the meds the massage is very important to coat the crop interior, don't use oil while using the antifungal, the oil can coat the crop interior making it less effective of a treatment.

Others flush with water, no vomiting to get it to pass through. Can make the bird have funny, strange, runny weird looking poo from the water. Also the med can have a strange looking poo too, waxy looking.

After the treatment and it is cleared up I would give poultry vitamins, probiotics, and electrolytes as it would have caused some stress to the bird. Good luck!

 

[marndan444]

Glad she is doing a bit better.. Mine doesn't have a coop issue I don't think as she doesn't have any swelling but her feathers are all puffed out and she just wants to sleep...They free range during the day so I thought maybe she got into something. We are doing the sugar water and olive oil just in case...

 

[ADKChickenChick]

Thanks, Sarevan. I'll stop the sugar and go to plain water. I have a package of QuikChik electrolytes I used in the water when they were chicks...could I use a little of this or should I not? Even though I was able to empty the crop, would this still be leading to the problem I'm having now? I've had her inside since this morning - at least 6 hours - and no poop. I don't know if she's been going as I can't tell in the coop. I'm more concerned she has a blockage which is why I went to the olive oil. Wondering if she was blocked up to begin with and that led to her being unable to pass the food in her crop on...causing a sour crop. Once I emptied her crop I assumed she was good to go...now I'm wondering if she had a blockage all along. Would a blockage lead to a sour crop issue at all? She seems a bit more responsive than she did this morning. Opening her eyes a bit more, stretching...but still pretty inactive. Eyes are closed the majority of the time.

 

[ADKChickenChick]

After feeding her water with electrolytes and some olive oil throughout the day her crop is not large, but feels full of liquid. Is this normal (I mean she's been drinking all day) or am I still having a crop issue? Still in a basket, wrapped up, eyes closed. Still no poop yet. I have been thinking of every scenario I can and looking for symptoms. My girls have recently began laying...no swollen belly and feel nothing - egg bound is out. Just wish I could help the poor little girl...

 

[marndan444]

I hope she pulls out if it and I wish I had more advice. My lady finally is eating, drinking and pooping so I think she might have gotten into something yesterday. I hope your girl is alright!!!

 

[ADKChickenChick]

Thank you for you kind thoughts. She is still the same tonight - resting with eyes closed. Hoping to find her well in the morning and make some progress tomorrow.