Help please! Possible sour crop/worms??

[Cristyloks]

Backstory - my 3.5 yo hen was low energy and passing small lash eggs. Hasn't laid since the fall. We don't have access to an avian vet. Regular vet prescribed amoxicillin/clavicillin and a de-wormer (can get that drug name if needed.) we started ABX last week and almost immediately her appetite disappeared. Tried to stay the course for 5 days but she was getting worse and worse in the appetite/energy department. She seemed nauseated. I discontinued that about 36 hours ago. She is drinking (how much I'm unsure) but eating basically nothing. Crop didn't feel huge to me yesterday but also wasn't flat. Today she's expelling liquid from her beak (twice that I witnessed, decent amount when head is down.) it's brown/green tinged and watery. Poop is pasty and green/yellow tinged.

Important info - we never started the oral dewormer because we were struggling enough to get antibiotics in her and I worried about adding more reason to be nauseated.

Regular vet says there's nothing more she can provide. I have two choices here - either try to treat her for sour crop myself or administer the de-wormer I was prescribed - or both I suppose. I don't know which is the right answer. Scared of adding more discomfort by giving de-wormer (haven't seen signs of worms but also could be missing those.) she also has been breathing hard, especially when lying down but was doing that before antibiotic treatment. She was eating and drinking fairly normally before ABX treatment.

 

[Cristyloks]

Adding additional info - we've been offering wet feed mash, wet bread, boiled noodles, etc and none interest her despite her loving wet bread typically. Tried mixing probiotics in water in addition to her water but can't confirm she's drank any of that. Also yesterday she was doing the whole stretch her neck out and retch kind of thing off and on.

 

[myvwpt1]

Backstory - my 3.5 yo hen was low energy and passing small lash eggs. Hasn't laid since the fall. We don't have access to an avian vet. Regular vet prescribed amoxicillin/clavicillin and a de-wormer (can get that drug name if needed.) we started ABX last week and almost immediately her appetite disappeared. Tried to stay the course for 5 days but she was getting worse and worse in the appetite/energy department. She seemed nauseated. I discontinued that about 36 hours ago. She is drinking (how much I'm unsure) but eating basically nothing. Crop didn't feel huge to me yesterday but also wasn't flat. Today she's expelling liquid from her beak (twice that I witnessed, decent amount when head is down.) it's brown/green tinged and watery. Poop is pasty and green/yellow tinged.

Important info - we never started the oral dewormer because we were struggling enough to get antibiotics in her and I worried about adding more reason to be nauseated.

Regular vet says there's nothing more she can provide. I have two choices here - either try to treat her for sour crop myself or administer the de-wormer I was prescribed - or both I suppose. I don't know which is the right answer. Scared of adding more discomfort by giving de-wormer (haven't seen signs of worms but also could be missing those.) she also has been breathing hard, especially when lying down but was doing that before antibiotic treatment. She was eating and drinking fairly normally before ABX treatment.

Hi, I just had the same problem, watched a ton of you tub stuff on chickens and tried a couple of things plus one my feed store gave me. First, I would rub her crop at least three times a day. Then I added Cayenne pepper to her water and an energizer the feed store recommended. I only used the energizer for a couple of days and the pepper for a week. I saw results within a few days. Now our problem is keeping the others from bullying her. I ended up taking one out for a few days,but will try to reintroduce her. Hope this helps.

 

[nuthatched]

She likely has a reproductive issue, as indicated by the lash material, and its backing up her whole system.
What Worming meds were you given?
What's her normal diet?
Cayenne will not help this.

 

[Cristyloks]

She likely has a reproductive issue, as indicated by the lash material, and its backing up her whole system.
What Worming meds were you given?
What's her normal diet?
Cayenne will not help this.

Definitely worried about exactly what you mentioned but also saw a huge change in her demeanor and appetite within 24 hours of starting ABX, so figured I might not be able to fix the reproductive issues, but if it is a secondary crop fungal situation I can perhaps treat that and hope for the best on the rest.

Just looked and the de-wormer is Panacur. 5 prefilled syringes for oral use (once daily x 5 days.)

I kinda kick myself for trying ABX for the lash eggs as I know that's hit or miss on doing anything to help, but we've been through all that with a previous hen and this time I wanted to at least try ABX early on to see if we got a little more time out of her. The ones she was passing were very small. Largest was maybe the size of a grape.

Since regurgitating this morning, she has an appetite again. Currently just have wet feed in there with her but she ate a couple bites of scrambled egg also. Should I withhold food for a bit?

 

[nuthatched]

Definitely worried about exactly what you mentioned but also saw a huge change in her demeanor and appetite within 24 hours of starting ABX, so figured I might not be able to fix the reproductive issues, but if it is a secondary crop fungal situation I can perhaps treat that and hope for the best on the rest.

Just looked and the de-wormer is Panacur. 5 prefilled syringes for oral use (once daily x 5 days.)

I kinda kick myself for trying ABX for the lash eggs as I know that's hit or miss on doing anything to help, but we've been through all that with a previous hen and this time I wanted to at least try ABX early on to see if we got a little more time out of her. The ones she was passing were very small. Largest was maybe the size of a grape.

Since regurgitating this morning, she has an appetite again. Currently just have wet feed in there with her but she ate a couple bites of scrambled egg also. Should I withhold food for a bit?

I'm sorry, what is about?
What is her normal diet? Unfortunately, theres likely not much we can do if it's reproductive infection.

 

[TillyPeeps]

I would deworm and treat for impacted/sour crop immediately. Here is how to treat impacted/sour crop: https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

Since you don't know if it's reproduction issue, you can try to solve the impacted/sour crop and deworm. Give her olive oil or coconut oil and massage her crop for 5~10 minutes to start. You can mix probiotics in water and syringe feed her or just give her yogurt.

 

[Cristyloks]

I would deworm and treat for impacted/sour crop immediately. Here is how to treat impacted/sour crop: https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

Since you don't know if it's reproduction issue, you can try to solve the impacted/sour crop and deworm. Give her olive oil or coconut oil and massage her crop for 5~10 minutes to start. You can mix probiotics in water and syringe feed her or just give her yogurt.

Thank you! So deworm would still be okay and effective orally if she were having impacted/sour crop? (This was a worry of mine, didn't want to waste treatment if she's going to regurgitate it or not absorb it properly.)

 

[Cristyloks]

I'm sorry, what is about?
What is her normal diet? Unfortunately, theres likely not much we can do if it's reproductive infection.

Her normal diet is layer feed with occasional table scraps, but we tried to offer a variety of things when her appetite disappeared.

I do believe these are two separate problems. Yes, she's having some reproductive issues (evidenced by the lash eggs) but shortly after starting antibiotics she started with these symptoms (lack of appetite, adjusting her crop often, lethargic, and then regurgitating crop contents this morning.) I personally believe the new symptoms are due to the antibiotic, not whatever reproductive issues she has, though that's obviously not impossible also. Trying to treat what I have the power to treat.

 

[LaFleche]

my 3.5 yo hen was low energy and passing small lash eggs. Hasn't laid since the fall.

Since she has not laid since last fall and has been passing lash eggs/pus for quite some time, I think that the antibiotic treatment was given too late and the only thing that can be done now is to keep her comfortable.

Try the deworming, but it will not help with salpingitis.

How does her lower abdomen look and feel? Is it swollen and hard or rather feeling like a waterfilled balloon? Can she walk normally or does she have problems moving about, is she waddling?

In case she suffers from ascites/water belly, there is a way to help her breathe and feel more comfortable, although it does not help with the underlying cause which will lead to her death.

This is how to drain water belly: