Help!!!! Please

[2907 Chicken]

I need help i have recently came into a huge problem where eight of my twelve weeks old chook are dying now all the symptoms pointed me to sour crop and i started treating them for it but they aren't getting better and I've already lost three of the eight and what looks like another about to but i want to i have to save the rest
Symptoms
Lethargy
Not eating
Throwing up water
then essentially dying

I don't know what else to do please help

 

[darkbrahmamama]

I keep the over the counter brand of Monistat on hand for sour crop issues. All 27 of my chickens free range, so they're often getting into more of something than they should, or something they shouldn't. Especially this time of year when everything's producing seeds/berries/etc. It doesn't help when someone gives them a lot more fruit than what they should have. I have one hen that seems to always get sour crop this time of year. Are you sure that's what it is? What does the crop feel like? Is there a really nasty smell coming from their mouths? Whenever I have one that seems to be sour, I just put a good amount of the Monistat cream in their mouths 2 times a day for 3 to 5 days (however long it's needed). Mine are all adults, & I put about 4 pea size globs in their mouth (not at the same time, I'll let them "eat" one before giving another). Morning is best, when they haven't ate anything fresh, & I'll massage the crop afterwards. Did yours get into something? Maybe too many snacks, like crack corn or fruit?

 

[Beer can]

I'm not a vet and this might not help. I had a young hen that was crop bound. Her crop was huge. She puked some when I picked her up. I held her upside down and gently massaged her crop until some more come out. I did this a few times, each time after getting some out I held her up to let her get some air and rest. I ended up squeezing on the crop harder and massaging it out of her throat, a lot of hay and grass. At one point I had a bunch of hay grass puke and couldn't get it pulled out of her throat. There was no going back, I kept pulling slowly the wad finally made it out, she did a death flop and went completely limp. I squeezed her kinda like chicken cpr and she came back. I fed her lots of olive oil and greek yogurt hoping that if there was any more (I couldn't tell,her crop was stretched out)it would make its way out. I didn't think she would ever recoup, but a few weeks later her crop went back to normal and she is now doing as good as the rest of my chickens.

 

[Eggcessive]

I would treat them for coccidiosis with Corid (amprollium) since it can cause most of those symptoms, and a puffy slowly-emptying crop can be a symptom. They are also at the age where it is common. Corid is found at feed store in the cattle section, and dosage is 2 tsp of the liquid, or 1.5 tsp of the powder to each gallon of water. Treat for 5-7 days as the only source of water. Afterward, give them vitamins and probiotics for several days. I hope this helps.

 

[darkbrahmamama]

I didn't even think about coccidiosis, I assume most feed a medicated chick starter. You know what they say about assuming!

 

[Eggcessive]

There are quite a few cases of coccidiosis here on BYC with chicks who have been on medicated feed.

 

[darkbrahmamama]

That's good to know, but a bummer too. I figured with the same active ingredient in the medicated feed, they'd be fine for a while after unless new chickens were introduced.

 

[Beer can]

I guess it's good I've been reading BYC and many other sites. I have never heard of coccidiosis and have never wormed a chicken. Is worming necessary? My father raised many chickens for many years and we have never had any problems, until my crop bound one. I talked to a guy at work that keeps around a hundred hens, he said he has never had a crop bound one live, so I guess I got lucky. We have always kept pretty much a closed flock though, with occasionally new ones from nearby neighbors or farms. Should I worm my flock?

 

[darkbrahmamama]

A LOT of people recommend deworming. I've been using Rooster Booster multi-wormer a couple of times a year, & am trying to figure out the best & easiest way to dose them with safeguard dewormer as well. Contact Kathy: casportpony. She's really good at figuring out de-worming information! I don't think that animals need to be de-wormed nearly as much as some people think. Most people say to de-worm horses every 6 to 12 weeks - depending on the dewormer, only quest really lasts the full 3 months. But I only de-worm my horse 2 times a year, & get a yearly fecal done, & the test has always come up clean. My vet once said "If you're not doing anything right now, you don't need to - but if you are keep up with whatever you're doing" ...... you have to think that de-wormers are a pesticide, so if I were to de-worm my horse as often as most people think you have to, he would always have that poison in his system. Why do that when it's NOT needed? Is de-worming necessary? Yes. But as with everything, in moderation .... just enough to be effective, but not too much to harm.

 

[mrsc1951]

There are several threads that deal with worming on here. Just type in worming and search. Dawg53 is excellent at explaining what, when and how when it comes to using wormers. Casportpony (Kathy) is also very good and has all the math worked out about weights and measurements. It's great to know that there are so many folks who are willing to share their time and knowledge.