Help with Verde, my male Australorp

[Australorp94]

Hi everyone! My male Australorp, Verde, is sick. He's still young; barely 5 months old. His condition seems to be quite serious and I'm wondering how his passing (if it comes to that) will affect his flockmates? They are inseparable it's really cute. When he calls they come and when he leaves they follow. I'm doing my best to get him some help, but this is my first time owning a male and I would like some advice and support if you can offer any. I thought I had all hens and then those tail feathers came in almost overnight! It was a surprise but a welcome one. Thank you for listening ❤

 

[DobieLover]

Sorry your boy isn't doing well.
Can you describe the symptoms your cockerel is exhibiting?
Is he eating, drinking?
How is he walking?
What does his poop look like?
Is his crop full at night, empty in the morning?
Any foul smells coming from him?
Have you carefully examined his body and inside his mouth?
What are you feeding the flock exactly?
Are any of the pullets acting similarly?
You will need to provide a lot more information in order for anyone to offer some advice.

 

[Australorp94]

Sorry your boy isn't doing well.
Can you describe the symptoms your cockerel is exhibiting?
Is he eating, drinking?
How is he walking?
What does his poop look like?
Is his crop full at night, empty in the morning?
Any foul smells coming from him?
Have you carefully examined his body and inside his mouth?
What are you feeding the flock exactly?
Are any of the pullets acting similarly?
You will need to provide a lot more information in order for anyone to offer some advice.

Thank you DobieLover. His crop is not emptying. It does get smaller, but it never completely empties. His poop is very runny. The only foul smells I can smell are from his poop. He is still eating and drinking, but since his crop isn't emptying properly he's not getting many nutrients. He also regurgitates some of what he's eaten. He's a little on the thin side as a result. I'm focusing on keeping him hydrated. He walks slowly with his head tucked in. I've taken him to a vet and we're both pretty sure it is sour crop. Though the vet thinks there may be an underlying problem causing the sour crop. He's being taken care of as best we can afford. I've tried massaging his crop to no effect. His ladies exhibit no sympotms other than missing his presence. I feed them grower feed and they occasionally get chopped up watermelon. I'm worried about him and also what this is doing to my girls. Will they be okay without him? I've never had this problem with any of my chickens before.

 

[DobieLover]

Thank you DobieLover. His crop is not emptying. It does get smaller, but it never completely empties. His poop is very runny. The only foul smells I can smell are from his poop. He is still eating and drinking, but since his crop isn't emptying properly he's not getting many nutrients. He also regurgitates some of what he's eaten. He's a little on the thin side as a result. I'm focusing on keeping him hydrated. He walks slowly with his head tucked in. I've taken him to a vet and we're both pretty sure it is sour crop. Though the vet thinks there may be an underlying problem causing the sour crop. He's being taken care of as best we can afford. I've tried massaging his crop to no effect. His ladies exhibit no sympotms other than missing his presence. I feed them grower feed and they occasionally get chopped up watermelon. I'm worried about him and also what this is doing to my girls. Will they be okay without him? I've never had this problem with any of my chickens before.

Has he been free ranging? Do you have grit available?

I had a pullet about the age your cockerel is that had a slow crop and I got it to clear using the treatment below.

I would put him in a crate inside the coop with water but no food and start treating him to clear the crop.

You can get 100 mg softgels of stimulant free stool softener, Docusate, from Walmart. Also get a jar or two of veggie based baby food and a 3-5 cc syringe with no needle.

Snip the end off one softgel and squeeze the contents into a small container then add about 1 tsp of baby food and mix it up. Draw the baby food up into the syringe. Carefully give him the Docusate in the baby food by squirting no more than 1/4 to 1/2 cc into his beak avoiding the choanal slit and letting him swallow. Repeat until he's taken it all. In order to ensure he is getting enough liquids and all the meds, I would then add about 10 cc's water to the container and maybe 1/4 cc poultry nutri-drench and mix that up and slowly give him that, again, a little at a time until he gets all 10 cc's of water. Then give him a crop massage to help loosen up the contents and put him back in the crate.

Every 60-90 minutes you will want to give him more fluids and crop massages. For these treatments I would dilute about 1 tsp of baby food with enough water to make 10 or 15 cc's and give him that followed by a crop massage. Continue throughout the day until roost time. At roost time, he should have another dose of 100 mg of Docusate and fluids followed by a crop massage.

Hopefully by morning, the crop will be much smaller. Repeat the same treatment all day tomorrow. Do not give him any food other than the baby food and a little PND to keep up some nutrition. If his crop is empty after two days of treatment, offer him a very wet mash made from his food.

What are you feeding him?

Hopefully the crop is just partially impacted and hasn't gone completely sour.

 

[Australorp94]

Has he been free ranging? Do you have grit available?

I had a pullet about the age your cockerel is that had a slow crop and I got it to clear using the treatment below.

I would put him in a crate inside the coop with water but no food and start treating him to clear the crop.

You can get 100 mg softgels of stimulant free stool softener, Docusate, from Walmart. Also get a jar or two of veggie based baby food and a 3-5 cc syringe with no needle.

Snip the end off one softgel and squeeze the contents into a small container then add about 1 tsp of baby food and mix it up. Draw the baby food up into the syringe. Carefully give him the Docusate in the baby food by squirting no more than 1/4 to 1/2 cc into his beak avoiding the choanal slit and letting him swallow. Repeat until he's taken it all. In order to ensure he is getting enough liquids and all the meds, I would then add about 10 cc's water to the container and maybe 1/4 cc poultry nutri-drench and mix that up and slowly give him that, again, a little at a time until he gets all 10 cc's of water. Then give him a crop massage to help loosen up the contents and put him back in the crate.

Every 60-90 minutes you will want to give him more fluids and crop massages. For these treatments I would dilute about 1 tsp of baby food with enough water to make 10 or 15 cc's and give him that followed by a crop massage. Continue throughout the day until roost time. At roost time, he should have another dose of 100 mg of Docusate and fluids followed by a crop massage.

Hopefully by morning, the crop will be much smaller. Repeat the same treatment all day tomorrow. Do not give him any food other than the baby food and a little PND to keep up some nutrition. If his crop is empty after two days of treatment, offer him a very wet mash made from his food.

What are you feeding him?

Hopefully the crop is just partially impacted and hasn't gone completely sour.

He was free ranging. I took him inside a couple of days ago. He's resting in an old dog crate now. Thank you so much for your detailed instructions! I will get on this right away. Is slow crop a genetic disorder? Or does it just happen sometimes? Will he grow out of this or will I have to take precautions with him for the remainder of his life? I'm very willing to look after him and give him all the care he needs.

 

[DobieLover]

He was free ranging. I took him inside a couple of days ago. He's resting in an old dog crate now. Thank you so much for your detailed instructions! I will get on this right away. Is slow crop a genetic disorder? Or does it just happen sometimes? Will he grow out of this or will I have to take precautions with him for the remainder of his life? I'm very willing to look after him and give him all the care he needs.

He may have eaten too much of something that isn't breaking down. That is what the stool softener is there to help with. I think that is what my pullet did. And this is also why it is important to take his food away and only give him liquid food. If you get it to clear I would feed only wet mashes for a few days to the entire flock to give him time to fully recover then go back to your regular feeding. This means to free ranging for them for a few days after he comes out of the crate.

 

[Australorp94]

So it turns out he ate a piece of metal. The vet said he should fully recover. I moved him back outside last night and went to check on him this morning and noticed he smelled kind of funny. Almost like after a day at the beach when you smell of salt water and sweat. The smell isn't coming from his mouth it's just all over his body. I checked his vent and it is clean. He doesn't have mites or lice and he is still a vibrant red with no swelling of the face or discharge from the nose or eyes. He just recently started to crow. Is this a normal smell? I cleaned the coop too. Any thoughts on what's going on?

 

[Australorp94]

I think it might be the hay I'm using...can that make them smell? How can I reduce the odor if this is true?