Hen near death then quick recovery, in same day?? UPDATE-threw up now

She was fine the night before, then near death the next morning. This happened yesterday, then later that afternoon (after massaging her crop several times throughout the day) she was suddenly and miraculously 80% better and readily eating/drinking again, with pink skin again. And she laid her typical egg today (no egg yesterday), and is eating/drinking & acting broody like her normal self (she tries to sit everyone's eggs but gets up to eat/drink). Her eyelids are still a tiny tad slower but otherwise open and bright/clear. She's a great layer and lowest in pecking order.

They have ACV water now. Was this sour crop alone, could there be a gizzard issue...or could something else be going on? I couldn't tube her but did get her to drink a little ACV water before massages. She was so lethargic that I hesitated to try syringe fluid without a tube or trying to get anything up. Even though her crop was soft and pliable I was ready to do crop surgery as a last resort since I couldn't think of anything else causing it. Details are below. Thanks for any input, oh, and should she be getting meds in the water if there's something bacterial?

1) What type of bird , age and weight....EE, 9 months, slight build, thin
2) What is the behavior, exactly....Grey skin & comb, pale mouth, lethargic, sleeping on ground, eyes closed, near death (previously was broody but laying regularly, she's molting, clear eyes when open
3) How long has the bird been exhibiting symptoms?....Less than 1 day, was fine then next morning stayed sleeping on roost, then on floor (was cool here that day)
4) Are other birds exhibiting the same symptoms?....No, but others have off & on loose stool, otherwise robust & vibrant
5) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma....No
6) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation....Nothing
7) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all....Did not eat/drink for most of day, is now eating/drinking, normal feed is layer crumbles, fresh or frozen veggies, routine variety of leftovers, scrambled eggs & shells, grit
8) How does the poop look? ....none at first, then some loose, then thick yogurt-like, normal color
9) What has been the treatment....ACV (not tubed), crop massage 5x yesterday, bagged & dusted w/DE...no evidence of mites but tx'd all later in day, vent good, soft pliable crop w/small content when massaging was started, no odor at mouth
10 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? For example, do you want to treat completely yourself....Yes
11) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help.
12) Describe the housing/bedding in use....closed flock from hatchery, 3 side open-air covered pen with 5 total hens, no previous chickens in area, no other chicken owner traffic, dirt floor, low roosts, no bedding used

 

Quote:That's what I'm trying to find out here by listing all her symptoms.

 

Quote:That was my first thought, too...eggbound...yet her vent and pelvic area felt all good. Then I thought maybe an egg broke inside...internal check was good, or at least I didn't feel anything unusual. She had laid late day the previous day but I thought maybe she had a backed up egg.

Hmm, you know, she has been "crowing" for many weeks but I figured it was just a crowing hen. When she was sick yesterday, no crowing. And still no crowing today. Is it possible the "crowing" wasn't hen crowing, but from pain instead?? Oh, I hope not, that'd be awful!

 

Quote:That's what I'm trying to find out here by listing all her symptoms.

I was just confused as to why you would do surgery if you were not sure it was a crop problem.

Impacted crop would be very firm and big and a sour crop will be big also but feel more like a water filled balloon. It can make them go off balance and they do not move around much.

She could have been egg bound as the previous poster had said. Is it hot where you are? The heat can really take a toll on them too?

Ah, gotcha. Thanks. I would have done crop surgery as a last resort if she was going to die anyway, since nothing else made sense.

Her crop was not big, but your description is better than mine in that it felt like a semi-full water balloon. It's been our typical hot here, 110+ some days (in AZ), yesterday was very cool compared. They're in full shade with a large area soaked down every day, and they get misted as needed. Our summers are tough on everybody but I've never lost one to heat, yet.

 

Update...she drank some water just now and then threw up fluid a little thicker than water and not clear. She stretched out her neck lower than her body, and threw up the amount of a big watery poo. ETA: a few hours ago I saw her yawning, neck outstretched, and would slightly shake her head after the big yawns. Yawned 10x maybe.

 

Quote:Thank you. And thanks again for each reply I've received so far.

The feed isn't moldy at all, fresh bag not quite 1/2 gone. I've never used that to worm...do you think I should just go ahead and worm them? She's active, preening, her crop is almost full (she's had crumbles only today) and she's been drinking normal amounts of ACV water. I can put her on a liquid diet if needed. The egg she layed today was smaller than normal, otherwise fine.