Impacted or sour crop in chicken

[Dorothyn]

Hi,

One of my Australorp crosses turned up ill late yesterday. These are my first chickens, and this is the first time one has been unwell. She'd been standing in the same place for some time, so my husband let me know when I got home. Her bottom was all crusted with poop, her wings drooping and her comb shrunken and dark.

I brought her in the house and cleaned up her bottom in a warm bath. In the process, I found lots of greenish liquid was dripping from her mouth, and when I tipped her over, A LOT came out.

After doing a bit of research I thought she may have an impacted crop, so I carefully and slowly got some water down her, massaged her crop and gently upended her off and on to get more the green stuff out. A lot came out, and it got thicker and more gooey, then finally like a thick paste.

I slowly got more water down her and did it all again, with less stuff coming out this second time. Her crop has never felt hard.

I put her in a dog crate with towels and a heater in a quiet room. In the morning she seemed a bit more chipper, but was still lying down. This afternoon I offered her an egg yolk, yogurt, oatmeal, honey, olive oil applesauce mixture. She took about a dozen bites, but I had to gently push her head down toward the food most times, where she would see it and take the bite on her own. And sometimes she wouldn't take a bite at all.

I also slowly put a little water down her, and when I put her back in the crate, her head went down and out comes a glug of goopy green stuff again.

Her crop feels soft and squishy, and I hear intermittent gurgley noises like you would hear from your own upset stomach. She has not pooped at all in the 18 hours she's been in the dog crate.

Any ideas for my poor girl?

Thanks,

Dorothy

 

[chickcrack]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/impacted-slow-and-sour-crops-prevention-and-treatments

This is an excellent article with several suggestions for treatment.
Does your girls "vomit" smell sour? Does the green seem to be grass/vegetation or more like rotten food?
I have used the epsom salt treatment described in the article very successfully several times. Let us know how she is doing.

 

[Dorothyn]

Thank you for the article. Her "vomit" smelled poopy at first, but after I got the thick pasty stuff out of her, it has smelled sour, somewhat similar to human or dog vomit. The green would be rotten food, as she doesn't have access to grass.

She finally pooped a little today for the first time since I put her in the crate, about 40-48 hours, and she had changed position when I got home which she hadn't done before since bringing her in (I work full time, so am not able to tend to her during the day on work days), but her comb looks really bad, and she didn't touch any of the food I left for her this morning.

I'll try the epsom salts tonight and tomorrow, and see what happens.

 

[Dorothyn]

She was doing OK last night - she didn't eat anything all day, but was a bit more feisty when I tried to get water down her, and she moved back into the crate from where I left her just outside it for a short time, and stood up - both for the first time on her own. I slowly got about 40ml of water with dissolved Epsom Salts down her last evening.

this morning she seemed pretty out of it, but I'm not sure if that was because it was still fairly dark in her room. She was lying with the front of her chest in the water dish. Good news is that she pooped in the night, so the Epsom Salts seem to be helping.

I got about another 25ml down her this morning and offered food which she wasn't interested in. I left that in her crate. She dribbled a bit of liquid from her beak as I was putting her back in her crate, but not the deluge like it was at first.

Do you think I should try some Monistat on her?

 

[casportpony]

She was doing OK last night - she didn't eat anything all day, but was a bit more feisty when I tried to get water down her, and she moved back into the crate from where I left her just outside it for a short time, and stood up  - both for the first time on her own.  I slowly got about 40ml of water with dissolved Epsom Salts down her last evening. 

this morning she seemed pretty out of it, but I'm not sure if that was because it was still fairly dark in her room.  She was lying with the front of her chest in the water dish.  Good news is that she pooped in the night, so the Epsom Salts seem to be helping.

I got about another 25ml down her this morning and offered food which she wasn't interested in.  I left that in her crate.  She dribbled a bit of liquid from her beak as I was putting her back in her crate, but not the deluge like it was at first.

Do you think I should try some Monistat on her?

Welcome to BYC! Any chance you can get her to a vet?

-Kathy

 

[Dorothyn]

Thanks Kathy! I wish it were under better circumstances.

I could take her to a vet, but with what I've read of people's experiences, I'm feeling like I'll get better advice here.

 

[casportpony]

Thanks Kathy!  I wish it were under better circumstances.

I could take her to a vet, but with what I've read of people's experiences, I'm feeling like I'll get better advice here.

Crop problems are almost always secondary to something further in, which is where the expertise of a vet would come in handy.

She needs no less than 5% of her body weight per day in water to hydrated, but if her crop isn't clearing, that will be very hard to do unless you can give subcutaneous fluids. Again, this is something a vet could help you with.

I really think taking her to a vet is your best option.

-Kathy

 

[Dorothyn]

I came home early from work to take her to the vet, and found that she had died. The only comfort I can take is that she was comfortable, warm and safe in a quiet place for her last days.

 

[casportpony]

I came home early from work to take her to the vet, and found that she had died.  The only comfort I can take is that she was comfortable, warm and safe in a quiet place for her last days.

So sorry for your loss.

-Kathy

 

[Dorothyn]

Thank you Kathy. I really appreciate your advice and support.