I'm pretty sure my hen has sour crop, need advice

[Chicken15]

She's still about the same, her behavior hasn't changed, stool looks the same, and still has trouble eating and drinking. Today I have vomited her numerous times throughout the day and her crop is always flat, she doesn't eat enough for it to be noticeable so it's very hard to tell if its emptying every morning.

 

[Chicken15]

She's getting weaker by the day, I fear she doesn't have much time left. Tonight I got her to vomit LOTS, so I'm hoping it'll help some. Lots of pieces of grass came out this time, they were black in color. She has been eating strictly later feed this whole week. I sure do hope things change tomorrow.

 

[casportpony]

I don't mean to be rude, but she needs to be tube fed fluids, then fluids and food or she will die.

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

And I would probably add some corn syrup to her water, 'cause I bet she's a little hypoglycemic from a week of not eating properly.

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...cken-and-give-subcutaneous-fluid#post_9910754

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

Curiously, why haven't you tried tubing her? It's funny to me that so many people will vomit their chickens, do crop surgery, but they won't tube feed, go figure... Find a vet office, get the supplies, and if the link above isn't clear enough, PM me your number and I'll call you and tell you how to do it.

Can you bring her inside? That's where she needs to be.

-Kathy

 

[TwoCrows]

Chicken15, if grass is still coming up, this tells me that there is some sort of impaction deep in the crop stopping up the works. There may be a small ball of grass deep down and it is now starting to come up now that you are doing more vomiting.

However because she is still pooping, something is still getting thru, but not much. She probably is getting dehydrated and starving. If you are afraid of the tube feeding, you can get some fluid and food down her throat a bit easier. When I have a sick bird that I need to medicate and need to get it down the throat, I use baby food. It makes a good medium for medications, it is less likely to gag the bird, full of nutrients and also contains some fluids. I use a syringe, without the needle of course, and load up 1 or 2 cc's. I squirt this down the throat a little bit at a time. This might help her keep going a bit longer.

And because she may have an impaction deep in the crop, you might start using the olive oil again. It will help break up the ball of grass that must still be lodged down in the crop. Massage her crop for about 10 or so mins after you administer the oil. Then give her the baby food. You can even put some oil in the baby food, but don't make the food too liquid so it stays thick. You don't want to be squirting liquids down the beak as it could aspirate her. Squirt the food right on the middle of the tongue while holding her head up. It is not that hard to do.

I am so sorry you and your hen are having to go thru this. I truly am.

I surely hope she pulls thru. Keep trying.

 

[Chicken15]

Yeah I am afraid to tube feed her as I'm sure I'll make a mistake. And she wouldn't let me, any time I even try to open her beak she squirms and shuts her beak and manages to slip it out from my hands. Getting a tube even in her mouth is difficult. I DO have a dropper however, that I used to use to feed her yogurt and veggie oil by dropping it in the tip of her tongue and let her take her time to eat and breath. Also, I'm not sure how much to feed her, I filled up the dropper completely and fed it to her several times, but she spills a lot with her squirming so maybe 3-4 of those servings actually make it down to the crop.

As far as vomiting should I keep trying until I get a lot more grass out? Would it be a good idea to give her the oil again? And should it be olive or veggie oil? Should I also put her back on the yogurt? It's probiotic..

What's hypoglycemic? And what type of syrup should be added?

Thanks.

 

[casportpony]

Hypoglycemia is low blood sugar and it can cause seizures, coma and death. I have personally seen it in cats, kittens and in poultry as recently a three weeks ago. That was a rooster that hadn't been eating or drinking, and when i found him him, he was having seizures that looked like the ones they do when they die. He's a bog boy, so he got about 5cc of corn syrup and 120cc of Pedialyte via a tube. Once hydrated and stable, he was tube fed 120 cc of 30% crumbles mixed with Pedialyte. It's a miracle, but he lives.

Hydration must always be corrected before force feeding, FYI, your hen needs 30cc per 2.2 pounds every 6-8 hours, that is just way too much to safely syringe into her. Tube feeding is much easier than you think and it's way safer than vomiting a bird, IMNSHO.

Kathy

 

[casportpony]

Once she starts breathing through her mouth, death will probably happen in 24-48 hours.

-Kathy