Hen losing weight, crop impacted?

[smott]

This is Daphne. She is a Black Australorp, about 9 mo old. She is very thin, isn't eating very much, and is having loose stools which are mostly white with some pieces of grass mixed in. I am suspecting she has an impacted crop, but I was late arriving at this guess.

To provide some history, I have had her since she was about 3 weeks old and she has been healthy until now. She was laying briefly, but isn't now. I give my flock Purina Flock Raiser crumble as desired, offer oyster shell calcium on the side, and I provide treats like scratch, scrambled eggs, etc every evening. My flock is allowed to free range several hours almost every day with supervision. I noticed about a week ago that one of my babies in my indoor brooder had a bloody poop. They all appeared healthy, but I began Corid treatment on them the same day. The next day I noticed a bloody poop in my pen outside, and began Corid treatment on all of my outside chickens that day also. I have no idea who the culprit was, as they all appeared healthy and active, but I zeroed in on Daphne because her bottom looked a little nasty. She isn't a touchy-feely girl, so I am sad to say I don't pick her up that often, and I was shocked to find that she is very thin. I began watching her closely, and noticed her acting a little stand-offish, not eating as voraciously as the others. Sometimes she stays with the flock, and sometimes she just stands off alone with her eyes closed.

So, to summarize, I have dusted her with Poultry Dust just in case it was mites/lice, although I didn't see any on her. I have treated with topical Ivermectin just in case it was worms, although I have never seen any worms in any of their poop (I have roost trays with PDZ in them, so I get up close and personal with their poop daily lol). I gave her Corid drench dosage by mouth 3 days in a row, since her appetite appears to be lacking and I wasn't sure how much she was drinking. I have given her Poultry Cell vitamins by mouth every day.

This morning I checked her when I opened the coop and found that her crop was full, not hard or warm, but firmly full. I have massaged it and given her a little vegetable oil by mouth. I do not smell any sour smell. She is still active, and eating a little, but I'm worried for her to be as thin as she is, and afraid that this has been going on a little while. What else can I do for her? I feel like she is slowly starving to death and I just noticed .

This is a pic of her poop from yesterday.

(edited to add the reddish brown stuff isn’t part of her poop)

 

[azygous]

So far, what you've done is good covering bases that should be covered. This will clarify any questions about crop disorders, how to identify and how to treat. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

Is that a grass blade in her poop? Does her crop feel like it has grass stems in it? Have the chickens been gorging on grass?

Has she been laying? If so, when was the last time you got an egg from her? Any problems with shell quality?

How about compost? Any chance she came into contact with anything rotten or moldy?

 

[smott]

Is that a grass blade in her poop? Does her crop feel like it has grass stems in it? Have the chickens been gorging on grass?

Yes, it is undigested grass in this sample. They free range some every day, and they always eat grass. I have not fed them grass clippings, though, so any grass she has consumed would be pieces that she bit off herself.

This morning her crop was quite full again, and the squishy consistency of play-doh or putty. I massaged it for a couple of minutes, and it actually seemed like some of the mass diminished and the crop flattened out some. It felt grainy, like maybe some grass and the crumble that I feed them, but no hard lumps.

Has she been laying? If so, when was the last time you got an egg from her? Any problems with shell quality?

I thought she was laying back during the winter, but I have several hens who lay eggs that are similar in appearance. I honestly can't say when she may have stopped, but I don't think I have got an egg from her lately. Haven't seen her in the nest box area.

How about compost? Any chance she came into contact with anything rotten or moldy?

No, no compost nearby and nothing rotten or moldy that I am aware of.

 

[azygous]

Probably impacted crop. Over indulgence on grass can do it.

I suggest starting both oil and miconazole and offer grit in addition. If you could go out and sift some gravel from your soil, that will help her with this impaction.

 

[smott]

Probably impacted crop. Over indulgence on grass can do it.

I suggest starting both oil and miconazole and offer grit in addition. If you could go out and sift some gravel from your soil, that will help her with this impaction.

Thank you!

 

[smott]

@azygous

I thought I was able to resolve the "impacted" crop, however the next morning it was obvious that she had developed sour crop. The crop is no longer firm, but is squishy with fluid/gas bubbles and I can smell the sour odor escaping from her mouth when I massage it. I began treatment with the miconazole cream by mouth on Friday evening, but I don't see any improvement yet. Just wondering what else I could be doing?

I have left her in with the other chickens, because she won't take any food I offer her when I bring her inside. I'm not sure how much she is actually eating. They do free range some every day, and I see her pecking around and have felt at least some solids in her crop during the day. It's obvious she is weak, because I find her resting often. I have been trying to give a little bit of plain yogurt mixed with Poultry Cell vitamins after each dose of miconazole, but she shakes her head and flings a lot of it everywhere rather than swallowing it. I have not seen any more loose stool where she has been roosting. Any further advice you could offer?

Thank you so much!

 

[azygous]

When a crop refuses to empty after a couple days on miconazole, it often is due to pendulous crop. It may be time to try a crop bra to help the crop to empty.

Other reasons for the crop not to improve are cancer as an obstruction farter down preventing the crop from emptying or an impaction of material in the crop that refuses to dissolve. If the latter, you will feel solid material in the crop and may even be able to determine, by feel, what it is, such as grass stems.