Hen not responding to treatment. Gape worm? Link to video please help assess.

[genesis1981]

Her crop has just stayed full of fluid for the past few days. I went out to feel it first thing this morning and it was still full of fluid ☹

I think I am starting to smell something around her breath. Im going to get in closer in a minute she was having a really bad gasping episode first thing when she came out of the coop this morning so I let her calm down since they are almost like spasms and seem to calm down after a bit.
My big question is- If she has simply had sour crop this whole time, will the dewormer be making her worse???

 

[Eggcessive]

I would suspect that her crop is becoming sour, which can happen after some time with a slow crop due to pressure and swelling in the abdomen from some other problem. Sour crop also can happen after a long term crop impaction as well. I really am not the best person to advise anyone on crop disorders. @azygous and @TwoCrows are the crop experts who have good articles on crop problems.

 

[genesis1981]

I would suspect that her crop is becoming sour, which can happen after some time with a slow crop due to pressure and swelling in the abdomen from some other problem. Sour crop also can happen after a long term crop impaction as well. I really am not the best person to advise anyone on crop disorders. @azygous and @TwoCrows are the crop experts who have good articles on crop problems.

As it turns out we had already been reading their articles.
Our hen took a very bad turn the last couple hours. She was struggling to breath at all and we could tell she was in an enormous amount of pain at this point, whatever it was.
I figured as a last ditch effort I would try what many had recommended and again turn her down and massage the crop to relieve some of the fluid fullness. When I had tried a couple days ago nothing happened but this time what came out smelled nothing like "sauerkraut" or something fermented or even vomit. It was true black and beyond rancid. After getting much of it out she stayed in the same bad way so we decided to put her down.
I'm sad but I am more angry that I couldn't even get an answer about what it was for next time. I want to keep raising hens and I feel pretty discouraged.

 

[TwoCrows]

I am so sorry you had to put her down.

 

[genesis1981]

I now have another hen showing the gaping symptom. This hen doesnt have an abnormal crop yet. I will check it first thing in the morning obviously.
What is the first course of action I should take?
Should I administer the panacur I was given for the other bird? They are all of similar size- all the same age and breed got them together.
We are about to do the tip swab to check for gapeworm now but I understand that is not always conclusive.

 

[TwoCrows]

I now have another hen showing the gaping symptom. This hen doesnt have an abnormal crop yet. I will check it first thing in the morning obviously.
What is the first course of action I should take?
Should I administer the panacur I was given for the other bird? They are all of similar size- all the same age and breed got them together.
We are about to do the tip swab to check for gapeworm now but I understand that is not always conclusive.

If the first bird tested positive for worms, no doubt the others have worms as well. An overload of worms will cause impactions in the intestines causing crops to back up and go sour.

All this being said, if the second bird is exhibiting the same symptoms, and you have enough wormer, I would worm that one too.

 

[Eggcessive]

I am sorry that you had to put her down. Would you be interested in getting a necropsy on her body by your state poultry lab? That would be a good way to get an answer. With the ones I have lost to crop disorders, I have done home necropsies, and sometimes have found posible reasons. Reproductive infections, cancer, fatty liver disease, and ascites have been some of the reasons that mine were sick. Here is a list of poultry vets that will perform necropsies, but you need to keep the body refrigerated in plastic bags in a cooler, and contact them Monday morning:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/PoultryLabs.cfm

 

[genesis1981]

I am sorry that you had to put her down. Would you be interested in getting a necropsy on her body by your state poultry lab? That would be a good way to get an answer. With the ones I have lost to crop disorders, I have done home necropsies, and sometimes have found posible reasons. Reproductive infections, cancer, fatty liver disease, and ascites have been some of the reasons that mine were sick. Here is a list of poultry vets that will perform necropsies, but you need to keep the body refrigerated in plastic bags in a cooler, and contact them Monday morning:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/PoultryLabs.cfm

We already buried the bird sadly. But I will certainly do that if god forbid this gets out of hand.

My favorite hen Pris started gaping slightly yesterday. We only saw it once or twice. She also didnt want to be held by me like she usually does.
I took the food out of the coop and run last night after my other 2 hens went to bed. I went out first thing this morning to check their crops because the hen we had to put down had had hers very swollen and full of fluid by the time we realized there was a problem. The favorite hen's crop still felt full and a bit hard if not small.
I hadn't ever had cause to feel around the chickens crops before because they have always been healthy happy birds. So I am not 100% sure what I am looking for.

Is the full crop definitely indicative of a problem if she was gaping a bit yesterday?
Do you all think I should give my hens the leftover Panacur wormer I had for Zelda? It was given to us in syringes of .3ML each. All the birds are similar size and the same age and breed. I could easily get more from the vet. They had said to give Zelda this dose every day for 7 days.

I also mixed a small amount of DE into their food yesterday. I always avoided it but many people wrote to me and told me they give their hens a small amount in food and it really does help with worms if theyre not given the chance to kick it up and breathe it in.

I would like to start trying to attack this ASAP. I am bringing Pris into a hospital pen today so I can try to get a poop sample for her and get her off of food in case the crop is impacted. I would love any and all advice about actions to take now while she is still happily pecking around and breathing fine. How late is too late with worms?? DO I have a chance??

 

[genesis1981]

If the first bird tested positive for worms, no doubt the others have worms as well. An overload of worms will cause impactions in the intestines causing crops to back up and go sour.

All this being said, if the second bird is exhibiting the same symptoms, and you have enough wormer, I would worm that one too.

Please see my reply to eggcessive above. I would really like your opinion on whether to worm them and the rest.
Thanks to everyone for the help. I really wish the vet we had seen had more experience with chickens, you guys have been very kind!

 

[TwoCrows]

Please see my reply to eggcessive above. I would really like your opinion on whether to worm them and the rest.
Thanks to everyone for the help. I really wish the vet we had seen had more experience with chickens, you guys have been very kind!

I have always felt that it never hurts to worm them, even if it's to know that you can rule worms out. In times of emergency, try what makes sense. So yes. I would worm them all. And if this isn't the problem, it won't hurt them at all.

And because you also have seen sour crop too, it never hurts to keep some Acidified Copper Sulfate on hand.