Impacted and/or Sour crop treatment

[azygous]

Yes, one inch two times a day for the remainder of the treatment regimen.

 

[Winderdear]

Yes, one inch two times a day for the remainder of the treatment regimen.

Thank you! Sorry, I just wanted to make sure I had the right dosage.

As for today’s update, she pooped a lot overnight, all watery with urates, but with a good amount of solids too. Since we gave her the stool softener yesterday, perhaps this is why.

What worries me is that there were bits of undigested egg in the poops, and earlier this afternoon she had another poop with a bit of undigested egg.

We gave her another stool softener this morning, and the 1” of miconazole. She was initially extremely thirsty and didn’t want to eat anything, but after we gave her the medicine her appetite came back. I assume the yeast levels were high in her crop and making it irritated, so she had a manic need to drink, and the miconazole must have helped.

She has had 1.25 eggs so far today. I weighed her first thing in the morning and she was 4.02lbs. We’ll weigh her again tomorrow and see if the number goes up or down.

We had a fecal test done at our local vet and it came back negative.

Overall her crop feels smaller than yesterday, but doughy. She is less stinky today, but clearly her crop is still sour.

 

[Winderdear]

Thought I’d keep going with the daily updates!

Her crop was significantly smaller and softer this morning. Not fixed by any means, still quite smelly and doughy, but I was encouraged to see the size reduction. Also, her weight went up slightly, to 4.07 from 4.02, which was heartening.

Overall her behavior, energy levels, appetite and poops are pretty much the same.

My husband wanted to try feeding her kefir for the probiotics, and had read elsewhere that it can be helpful fighting sour crop. We have given her about 1.5 teaspoons today. She drank a few sips on her own but most of it we had to syringe into her mouth.

We’re going to do one more day of miconazole, but are considering driving her to an exotic vet about 2 hours away if there isn’t marked improvement tomorrow morning.

 

[Winderdear]

We were unable to go to an avian vet. Even the vet clinics 2 hours from us don’t have an avian vet in at this time. It seems like it’s this way whenever we’re in need of one.

We went to our local vet (who always gives the disclaimer that they don’t know much about chickens) to ask for a prescription for nystatin. They gave us a prescription for the mouth rinse used for humans, nystatin oral 100,000 units per ml, and prescribed that we give her 2ml twice a day. She didn’t say for how long. I would love to know your opinion on dosage and how to administer it @azygous, because the only kind I’ve seen recommended online for chickens is a powder added to a liter of drinking water. Also, how long should we give it after a week of miconazole treatment? Maybe we shouldn’t use it, or should wait a while before starting? I just wanted to get the prescription and have it on hand in case we needed it over the weekend when the vet isn’t available.

Overall, she is the same today, but her weight was 3.94, so lower than two days ago. The crop was a little larger overnight than yesterday. I’ve been packing her full of egg in case she hasn’t been eating enough, so far we’ve had 4.5 tablespoons, which is about 2.25 eggs (we use freeze dried, so it’s easier to make small amounts fresh).

 

[azygous]

I've used the Nystatin powder and have not have very good results. The miconazole has worked much better for yeasty crops. The only benefit Nystatin has over miconzole is that the powder in the drinking water makes treating multiple chickens much easier.

I give Nystatin for as long as it takes to clear up the yeast.

When treating a yeasty crop for seven days doesn't clear it up, we can do an Epsom salt flush which both neutalized the yeast while flushing it out of the system. This flush requires tube feeding and is given two times a day for three straight days.

 

[Winderdear]

I've used the Nystatin powder and have not have very good results. The miconazole has worked much better for yeasty crops. The only benefit Nystatin has over miconzole is that the powder in the drinking water makes treating multiple chickens much easier.

I give Nystatin for as long as it takes to clear up the yeast.

When treating a yeasty crop for seven days doesn't clear it up, we can do an Epsom salt flush which both neutalized the yeast while flushing it out of the system. This flush requires tube feeding and is given two times a day for three straight days.

Thank you for the advice! Can you link to how the tubing process and epsom flush is done please?

I appreciate you having held my hand through all this, it’s so reassuring to have someone knowledgeable to consult about treatment!

 

[azygous]

I don't need to link. Here are my instructions. Epsom solution instructions are at the end.

Tube feeding a chicken is about the safest most fool-proof things a chicken keeper can do. There is pretty nearly nothing that can go wrong. Even a child can do it, and this past spring, two kids on this forum successfully saved the lives of several hens in their flock by tubing a life-saving solution over three days.

First, obtain the small animal kit from a vet or from Amazon. You can fashion your own from oxygen tubing or aquarium tubing. You would need to find an oral syringe to fit the tubing that holds about one to two ounces. A slender one millimeter syringe is too small to do much good.

Next, cut the bottom off at around nine or ten inches to make it easier to manage. You will prepare a solution of raw egg, a little yogurt, maybe a little soy protein powder and enough warm water to make it flow through a tube. I add a squirt of poultry vitamins such as Poultry Nutri-drench. Or you can buy baby bird formula from a pet store. This is to feed a weak or starving chicken. Other uses would be to give electrolytes to a shock victim or a flush solution to an impacted chicken. For an average chicken, about half a cup of solution will be how much to tube in.

Now, what most people fear most - the part where you insert the tube. But this is very easy as the chicken has a direct channel going from the right side of the throat right into their crop, by-passing the airway so there is zero chance of aspiration.

After wrapping my chicken securely in a towel to confine wings, I hold my chicken on a work bench with my weak arm. With that hand I pry open the beak holding it open, and with my strong hand, I insert the tube in her right side of the beak, going slightly under the right side of the tongue. This channels the tube right into the esophagus which goes directly into the crop. You can see this in the photo below, only it will be the tube and not the syringe.

I measure the tube from the beak to the bottom of the chicken's crop and make a mark so I'll know when the tube has reached the lower part of the crop. The first time if you hit the wrong hole your chicken will start to cough. It's okay, no harm, just back out and try again. Once the tube is in, the chicken will be calm and comfortable. Then you can begin feeding. It feels pleasant to the chicken, and most are very cooperative throughout the process.

If the chicken struggles and bucks all of a sudden, it's not because of anything you did. They get bored and tired of the process like a toddler would. Pause until the chicken settles down again and finish. The whole process takes no more than five minutes. Each time you do it, it gets easier and quicker.

Learning this can save the life of your chicken, and it can save you so much time and frustration. And it's very, very safe. Anyone can do it.

Epsom salts flush:

Mix I/2 cup warm water with one teaspoon Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate unscented). Tube into the crop two time a day for three consecutive days. Tube before the chicken eats. May have food and water in between flushes.

 

[Winderdear]

I don't need to link. Here are my instructions. Epsom solution instructions are at the end.

Tube feeding a chicken is about the safest most fool-proof things a chicken keeper can do. There is pretty nearly nothing that can go wrong. Even a child can do it, and this past spring, two kids on this forum successfully saved the lives of several hens in their flock by tubing a life-saving solution over three days.

First, obtain the small animal kit from a vet or from Amazon. You can fashion your own from oxygen tubing or aquarium tubing. You would need to find an oral syringe to fit the tubing that holds about one to two ounces. A slender one millimeter syringe is too small to do much good.

Next, cut the bottom off at around nine or ten inches to make it easier to manage. You will prepare a solution of raw egg, a little yogurt, maybe a little soy protein powder and enough warm water to make it flow through a tube. I add a squirt of poultry vitamins such as Poultry Nutri-drench. Or you can buy baby bird formula from a pet store. This is to feed a weak or starving chicken. Other uses would be to give electrolytes to a shock victim or a flush solution to an impacted chicken. For an average chicken, about half a cup of solution will be how much to tube in.

Now, what most people fear most - the part where you insert the tube. But this is very easy as the chicken has a direct channel going from the right side of the throat right into their crop, by-passing the airway so there is zero chance of aspiration.

After wrapping my chicken securely in a towel to confine wings, I hold my chicken on a work bench with my weak arm. With that hand I pry open the beak holding it open, and with my strong hand, I insert the tube in her right side of the beak, going slightly under the right side of the tongue. This channels the tube right into the esophagus which goes directly into the crop. You can see this in the photo below, only it will be the tube and not the syringe.

I measure the tube from the beak to the bottom of the chicken's crop and make a mark so I'll know when the tube has reached the lower part of the crop. The first time if you hit the wrong hole your chicken will start to cough. It's okay, no harm, just back out and try again. Once the tube is in, the chicken will be calm and comfortable. Then you can begin feeding. It feels pleasant to the chicken, and most are very cooperative throughout the process.

If the chicken struggles and bucks all of a sudden, it's not because of anything you did. They get bored and tired of the process like a toddler would. Pause until the chicken settles down again and finish. The whole process takes no more than five minutes. Each time you do it, it gets easier and quicker.

Learning this can save the life of your chicken, and it can save you so much time and frustration. And it's very, very safe. Anyone can do it.

Epsom salts flush:

Mix I/2 cup warm water with one teaspoon Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate unscented). Tube into the crop two time a day for three consecutive days. Tube before the chicken eats. May have food and water in between flushes.

Thank you! I’ve called around locally and no one carries the tubing kit. I bought one from amazon but it won’t be here until tomorrow.

I had made a long post the day before yesterday with updates on her situation, but I guess I never posted it.

We had a bit of a breakthrough over the weekend. Her crop size is much reduced this morning, and her weight has gone up!

The key thing that has helped was giving her papaya with digestive enzymes sprinkled on top. My husband read about it elsewhere, and since all we could do was wait for the tubing kit, we figured we’d give it a shot.

I gave her 1 Tbsp chopped papaya with half a capsule of these digestive enzymes sprinkled on top:



I did so just once before roosting time on Saturday, after making sure she’d eaten all 7 Tbsp of egg (what my husband and I determined would cover her caloric needs) throughout the day, so her crop was really large before bed. In the morning it was half the size it normally was and soft. A huge improvement!

I fed her this same papaya mixture three separate times yesterday (8am, 12pm, 4pm), and let her eat as much extra papaya as she wanted from the communal plate I gave the other hens. Throughout that day, she pooped more solids than any previous day since getting sick, though her poops were still loose and milky. The smell of her crop seems to have gone away as well, though after eating egg she sometimes has a mildly smelly yawn.

We had set up a vet appointment for today with an avian vet, but as they are 2 hours away, we decided to cancel it for now because not only is her crop even smaller and softer this morning, she has gained a 1/4 lb! She is 4.25lbs now! She was under 4lbs just last week, and her crop is now is much smaller, so I think it must be more than just food or water weight.

I’m so encouraged, and I hope things continue to improve! I still can’t sleep at night due to worrying about her, but I’m pretty sure she’s not suffering at the moment and we aren’t going to lose her. I’ll keep updating, so that we can see how long it takes to heal her completely.

Here is a comparison of her poop from a few days ago to now that she’s had the papaya treatment:

Saturday morning before papaya:


Monday morning after papaya:


P.S. I can’t wait until she’s all better so that things can go back to normal for her and for myself, but also so that I can finally delete all these poop photos from my phone!

 

[azygous]

Yeah, those poop pics on your phone could appear subversive to law enforcement peeking at them.

Glad that papaya is improving her crop. I haven't tried it, but have heard nothing but positive things about it.

You may do the Epsom flush any time. It may seem to be a radical thing, but it's actually a very gentle way to clean out the digestive tract. Chickens tolerate it well.

Here are the tubing instructions:

Tube feeding a chicken is about the safest most fool-proof things a chicken keeper can do. There is pretty nearly nothing that can go wrong. Even a child can do it, and this past spring, two kids on this forum successfully saved the lives of several hens in their flock by tubing a life-saving solution over three days.

First, obtain the small animal kit from a vet or from Amazon. You can fashion your own from oxygen tubing or aquarium tubing. You would need to find an oral syringe to fit the tubing that holds about one to two ounces. A slender one millimeter syringe is too small to do much good.

Next, cut the bottom off at around nine or ten inches to make it easier to manage. You will prepare a solution of raw egg, a little yogurt, maybe a little soy protein powder and enough warm water to make it flow through a tube. I add a squirt of poultry vitamins such as Poultry Nutri-drench. Or you can buy baby bird formula from a pet store. This is to feed a weak or starving chicken. Other uses would be to give electrolytes to a shock victim or a flush solution to an impacted chicken. For an average chicken, about half a cup of solution will be how much to tube in.

Now, what most people fear most - the part where you insert the tube. But this is very easy as the chicken has a direct channel going from the right side of the throat right into their crop, by-passing the airway so there is zero chance of aspiration.

After wrapping my chicken securely in a towel to confine wings, I hold my chicken on a work bench with my weak arm. With that hand I pry open the beak holding it open, and with my strong hand, I insert the tube in her right side of the beak, going slightly under the right side of the tongue. This channels the tube right into the esophagus which goes directly into the crop. You can see this in the photo below, only it will be the tube and not the syringe.

I measure the tube from the beak to the bottom of the chicken's crop and make a mark so I'll know when the tube has reached the lower part of the crop. The first time if you hit the wrong hole your chicken will start to cough. It's okay, no harm, just back out and try again. Once the tube is in, the chicken will be calm and comfortable. Then you can begin feeding. It feels pleasant to the chicken, and most are very cooperative throughout the process.

If the chicken struggles and bucks all of a sudden, it's not because of anything you did. They get bored and tired of the process like a toddler would. Pause until the chicken settles down again and finish. The whole process takes no more than five minutes. Each time you do it, it gets easier and quicker.

Learning this can save the life of your chicken, and it can save you so much time and frustration. And it's very, very safe. Anyone can do it.

Epsom salts flush:

Mix I/2 cup warm water with one teaspoon Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate unscented). Tube into the crop two time a day for three consecutive days. Tube before the chicken eats. May have food and water in between flushes.