Impacted crop ——-> Sour crop

All of this, the crop issue and soft egg is likely connected. Obstructions in the reproductive tract can affect movement of material through the digestive tract.

Was the egg without a shell or was it a very thin shell? If it was shell-less, there may be another egg right behind the first one making her feel rotten. In my experience, very often there are two eggs involved when a hen shows symptoms of egg binding, as your girl is now.

Keep up the miconazole to keep the yeast under control. But give her a calcium citrate tablet right now to stimulate contractions to expel a second egg that could be causing her to feel unwell. This is what you want to give her. One whole pill directly into her beak, or break it in half and give her both halves one right after the other.
F57D4B6B-216D-49EC-A92C-3DFAF3C5915E.jpeg
 
You are amazing for being so prompt to reply. I appreciate you so much. It was shell less, just a squishy covering. She also pooped all over my lap, but it was pretty runny and yellow. Yesterday I had given her just a few mealworms, and they were in the excrement. I will get that calcium citrate in her ASAP. Poor girl. She feels rotten!
 
Only for as long as there is a reproductive emergency and intervention is necessary. This is a highly concentrated form of calcium that works extremely fast. Most often, one tablet is all it requires to do its job. But give it once a day as long as the patient is behaving unwell and you suspect an egg is involved. It's not meant as a regular supplement.

A little known fact about oyster shell quality is that when it breaks down into powdery crumbles, it's not effective as a calcium supplement. When all that a hen has access to is this powdery stuff, reproductive issues can start up because a hen's body just passes the small particles on through her system without having time to absorb the calcium into her blood stream.

Oyster shell needs to be offered in large particles so it remains in the digestive tract for a long period so it can be absorbed. The small powdery stuff, and even calcium powder a lot of people add to feed is of little use.

Oyster shell in the proper size is still the best calcium supplement you can give laying hens to prevent reproductive issues.
 
@azygous She was a little perkier this afternoon, still not interested in eating. I ordered the CaCitrateD3, but it won’t be here until tomorrow. So I went to the Amish site and they had powder CaCitrate and separate D3 drops. I mixed a dose of each of those together with a little olive oil and water and fed her some with a syringe. Then I massaged her crop. I let her walk around the dining room for a while. She pooped, runny yellow with more brown solid pieces, then another poop shortly after. Pics are below. Is that all part of this process? It doesn’t stink anymore than the norm. She was a little feistier, vocal, and was preening herself. Later I let her out for a bit longer and massaged her crop. She pooped pretty much yellow liquid with, what looks like, chunks of yeast. Just checking in to see if we are on the right path.
 

Attachments

  • BCF06071-E7B2-424E-9764-77146F7E4E2D.jpeg
    BCF06071-E7B2-424E-9764-77146F7E4E2D.jpeg
    613.4 KB · Views: 4
  • 20C0553F-05DB-4E93-9CF9-BA44C4EFD031.jpeg
    20C0553F-05DB-4E93-9CF9-BA44C4EFD031.jpeg
    590.1 KB · Views: 5
That's pretty normal poop for having crop yeast. It's a very good sign that she's perking up. Behavior is your barometer. Improvement in behavior is a very good sign.
 
Let her out just a bit ago and she had an even better poop AND she ate her egg that she has been refusing all day. She is walking around, doing some preening and squawking at the other animals. Definitely more her little bossy self. (Never thought in a million years I would be rejoicing over chicken poop and taking photos to share.)
 

Attachments

  • 7AC7B171-D354-4F8E-9289-C9EAE0D5B74C.jpeg
    7AC7B171-D354-4F8E-9289-C9EAE0D5B74C.jpeg
    560.1 KB · Views: 4
  • 13FF395D-DA4E-4012-9E0A-09BCFE9B65D5.jpeg
    13FF395D-DA4E-4012-9E0A-09BCFE9B65D5.jpeg
    550.8 KB · Views: 4
The sour crop definitely seems to be better this morning. And she was standing on her little roosting bar (where she actually roosted last night instead of laying in the ground). But she has an impaction again today. We noticed yesterday that she was pecking into her bedding (pine shavings), probably eating it, possibly out of boredom? We took all the bedding out. I imagine that is why she is impacted again. I am continuing with her yeast meds and will now treat for impacted again. We are moving in a week and in their new coop we are going to put hemp bedding down instead of pine. Any better suggestions?
 
Bedding should not be an issue as long as a chicken's crop is functioning normally, they are drinking plenty of water and can keep their crop flushed.

I'm unfamiliar with hemp bedding, but what I do know of the fibers, it's stronger and tougher than wood or anything else. If anything, it will be worse for a chicken that tends to have crop issues.

Personally, I use sand in both my run and coops.
 
That’s good info on the bedding!! Thank you! Sand would work really well in their new coop! They will range during the day in the fenced backyard. She is definitely much better today. She does have a doughy ball, but it’s malleable. Treating with oil and massages. Continuing yeast med. she gobbled up her scrambled eggs this morning and had good, solid, normal poops overnight.
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom