Impacted Crop or Sour Crop?

[ChickensRsmart]

I've been looking at similar threads and I don't see exactly what I'm dealing with (probably not anyway), so I decided to post a new thread.

I have an older hen and her crop hasn't emptied for the last couple of days (maybe 3 days). It's not full (maybe a bit more than half full), but there's a lot more in there than she usually eats before going to bed on any given evening. I can feel the grains in her crop and they make a fairly tight ball at the bottom of the crop and it will break apart with soft massaging. But her crop continues to fail to empty the next morning.

She's produced a few smaller (and drier) looking poops today - so something must be getting through her. She will also infrequently extend her neck and "shiver" as if her there is some discomfort - and sometimes while gently messaging her crop, she will do it as well - I would estimate that she does this perhaps 1 or 2 times per hour...

She's had all food withheld today (and she wants to eat). I've only supplied her with garlic water. Has anyone had a similar problem? I also don't smell any bad breath, but it's not always easy to smell a chicken's breath.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Can you post some photos?
Is her crop pendulous?

In the meantime, read this.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/impacted-crop-or-sour-crop.1492500/

 

[ChickensRsmart]

Can you post some photos?
Is her crop pendulous?

In the meantime, read this.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/impacted-crop-or-sour-crop.1492500/

I don't think it's pendulous. There is more in there than normal, but it's not sticking way out or hanging down. Yesterday while massaging her crop, I did try just holding up the bottom of her crop with my hand - applying lite pressure to see if it made her feel more comfortable...how to tell if a chicken is more comfortable...lol. But it did seem to make her more comfortable...her head jerking while messaging her crop appeared to stop...but then again, she hasn't been stretching her neck out and jerking her head more than maybe 1 or 2 times per hour...I interpret this behavior as discomfort.

 

[Aunt Angus]

How is her behavior otherwise? I don't have a ton of experience, but I have had experience with a slow crop that ended up being a symptom of an internal infection. The inflammation caused her crop to slow. What you're describing is very similar to what I experienced.

 

[ChickensRsmart]

How is her behavior otherwise? I don't have a ton of experience, but I have had experience with a slow crop that ended up being a symptom of an internal infection. The inflammation caused her crop to slow. What you're describing is very similar to what I experienced.

I will post pictures of her later tonight - she's a cute little bird! I will try to get pictures of her crop - side profile.

Her behavior is normal otherwise - hungry. I am leaning towards something being wrong further down too. Her poops were dry until yesterday, and then there was more moisture (less fecal matter and more urates?). And the urin part of the poop has a yellow tinge to it...normally it's white with her. It's not watery poop (at least not yet), but there is now more moisture - I take this as a sign that I've succeeded in getting enough water into her...hopefully she will not start up with diarrhea.

I suspect she has some kind of bacteria (or a virus) in her gut (I suppose parasites are possible too). Or she could have ingested something she should not have...there is no long grass in her habitat, but she could have eaten a large piece of straw or a leaf or a bit of twig... But I am still leaning towards infection further down because these birds (bantams) have never had a case of sour crop or impacted crop before - and they're old birds.

 

[Aunt Angus]

Have you withheld food overnight yet? I know you did during the day.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

She's had all food withheld today (and she wants to eat).

I would not withhold food for more than 24hrs.

Keep her drinking and get some coconut oil unto her twice a day. Massage the crop lightly.

 

[ChickensRsmart]

I would not withhold food for more than 24hrs.

Keep her drinking and get some coconut oil unto her twice a day. Massage the crop lightly.

Thanks Aunt Angus and Wyorp Rock.

I gave her a little bit of layer crumble soaked with warm water - she ate maybe a 1/4 tsp. She is pooping, so I've read that you can feed them any kind of food that dissolves in water. It's still hard to say if her crop is emptying (judging from the food I can feel in her crop), but it must be because she is pooping...and there is definitely fecal matter in her poops.

She's still drinking garlic water and I've been putting a little bit of olive oil into her 2 or 3 times a day - 2 times if I can get a reasonable amount into her. I also added some probiotics and a bit of electrolyte-vitamin powder to her water.

Does anyone know if it's relatively low risk to give her a dewormer - just in case it's from worms - large or microbial? I've read that I can use a pea sized blob of Safe Guard for horses - it's got fenbendazole in it, and this is supposed to be the stuff that works for chickens?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thanks Aunt Angus and Wyorp Rock.

I gave her a little bit of layer crumble soaked with warm water - she ate maybe a 1/4 tsp. She is pooping, so I've read that you can feed them any kind of food that dissolves in water. It's still hard to say if her crop is emptying (judging from the food I can feel in her crop), but it must be because she is pooping...and there is definitely fecal matter in her poops.

She's still drinking garlic water and I've been putting a little bit of olive oil into her 2 or 3 times a day - 2 times if I can get a reasonable amount into her. I also added some probiotics and a bit of electrolyte-vitamin powder to her water.

Does anyone know if it's relatively low risk to give her a dewormer - just in case it's from worms - large or microbial? I've read that I can use a pea sized blob of Safe Guard for horses - it's got fenbendazole in it, and this is supposed to be the stuff that works for chickens?

I apologize, I thought I gave you the link for treating crop issues. I didn't. That link I gave you was to your own thread. Chalk it up to a Geezer moment
Here's the correct article link for you to read through -very good info and what I use as a guide to treat my own birds
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

A crop issue is often caused by an underlying condition - reproductive disorders, worms, coccidiosis and infection are a few.
De-worming can be done to see if that helps with crop problems, however, I've found that reproductive disorders are an extremely common cause of crop symptoms.

Safeguard Equine Paste or Liquid Goat Dewormer can be used to treat poultry. Dose is 0.23ml per pound of weight given orally once a day for 5 days in a row. "Pea Size" is not good info.

 

[ChickensRsmart]

Have you withheld food overnight yet? I know you did during the day.

Yes by the way. She doesn't eat at night - none of my chickens eat at night (unless there is one who is sick and then I provide a light to keep it warm...low hanging light bulb (heat bulb).

Here are some pictures of my old girl. I included a side profile so you can see her crop bulge. It's bulging more now in the pictures because I let her eat some soaked layer crumble - about a 1/4 tsp at a time - 3 times today. She's been pooping a lot today. At least 10 times since this morning. And her poops were DRY. 3 or 4 would come out dry (a couple of them pretty good size for such a little chicken). Then another would come out looking wet - only to be followed by another much dryer poop.

In any case, all the poop has to be a good sign...I am now starting to think that her little intestines might have been blocked up...