Is this really sour crop? *UPDATE* - warning stool pic

[lsg1007]

I have a ~12wk old EE pullet who I noticed was looking thin an not eating well ~3days ago. Yesterday morning, however she seemed to be eating better. But when I picked her up to put her in the coop last night I noticed a gurgling in her chest and her crop felt like it was full of water. I was hoping it was full of water due to the heat wave. I checked her crop first thing this AM and it was as I had feared, like a water balloon. I turned her upside down, gently milked her crop and water and a scant amount of food poured out of her mouth. Then nothing else... The food itself looked poorly digested and there wasn't anything else in the crop contents...except lots of air. I righted her and air continued to gurgle out her mouth. I can't completely empty her crop. This morning she won't eat - maybe because of me emptying her crop, but more likely because of the illness. Some questions...
1. Her breath doesn't smell, the stomach contents didn't smell...is this really sour crop?
2. The amount of air is unbelievable, within 5-10min her crop feels full again without her eating and when I press on it air comes out her mouth. Is this normal? Should I be giving her gas-x (simethicone)?
3. I can't completely empty the crop. Is this okay or will it prevent her recovery?
4. How many times a day should I attempt to release the air from her crop? I am worried that besides emotionally traumatizing her that I may physically injure or irritate the crop.

Thanks in advance for all your advice and wisdom. This is the first time I have had to deal with this phenomenon.



UPDATE:
This morning her crop felt back to normal!!!! I had been giving her ACV, 1.5days worth of clotrimazole and withheld the yogurt from her yesterday. I massaged her this morning as I was walking her to her crate, went in to get her water and when I came out this massive stool was hanging from her. At first I thought she must be bound with worms as I could see fibrous tissue, but instead it looks like dried grass. We are in a drought right now. It looks like a "hairball" for chickens. I gently pulled it out of her, but there still may be more. I'm afraid I will jinx things, so I will finish the course of clotrimazole. I so badly want to feed her, but just giving her yogurt for now to let her intestine recover. Here's a pic of her stool (for educational purposes only). I had also held off on deworming because of the extreme heat, but will do it this am... just in case. I didn't see anything moving in the stool, but I'm sure they're in there. Thanks to everyone for all your advice and I hope this thread can help someone else in the future...Hopefully, she continues to recover.

 

[lsg1007]

P.S. I fed her about 5ml of yogurt with a syringe because when I attempted to give her yogurt and crumbles she just placed her beak in it, but wouldn't open her mouth. She is drinking, but just a little. I have Braggs ACV, but am a bit nervous about using it as I had added it to the chickens' water when they were younger and she had loose stools until I stopped it. It always seems that your favorites get sick or eaten

 

[FlyHigher]

What color is her poop? Is it green?（if so, it may be Newcastle disease）
Any other symptoms？

 

[lsg1007]

No one else is ill (..yet). I haven't seen a poop yet today (or yesterday for that matter). But the last one I saw looked normal color just very watery. I thought it was due to the 100+ temps we have been having and that perhaps she had been drinking more. She doesn't act ill. I know they pretend. As of yesterday she was still running around the yard, pretending to eat and eating some, and playing leap frog with her sister. Today she seemed a bit less energetic to me...likely from lack of food. I will read about Newcastle though.

 

[lsg1007]

I really don't think it's Newcastle.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Sounds like she might be in the process of developing sour crop. Please be aware that I have never dealt with sour crop myself- just read about it on BYC. So keep that in mind but here are some links that might be of assistance:

(Yes you can damage the crop by overmanipulating it. Doing very gentle massage is good.)

Sounds like it might be candida (yeast) but I don't know. I have read that the yogurt and ACV is good.

http://poultry.allotment.org.uk/advice/chicken-health/sour-crop
This link recommends inverting the chicken to make it regurgitate, but I feel that this can cause aspiration and would reserve it for emergencies myself.

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/vm031
This link discusses yeast infections and treatments.

http://www.avianweb.com/slowcrop.html
this mentions gas but is geared toward all birds

 

[lsg1007]

Thanks so much. She just looks at food like she wants to eat, but can't or shouldn't, just standing there with her beak touching the food. She is drinking like crazy and has had a few white stools. Since she is drinking, I started Braggs ACV this am - unsure how much to give...right now just a bit in her water. She has gotten a total of 8 ml of yogurt over the last ~8hrs. I just purchase some clotrimazole and I think the websites have given me the courage to try it. Every time I pick her up, her crop is so ballooned that I can't help compress it and air escapes from her mouth. I saw clotrimazole 1% 2x day so this is what I will try. I don't know whether to continues massages of the crop in a downward motion or attempts at regurgitation in the AMs only?

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Thanks so much. She just looks at food like she wants to eat, but can't or shouldn't, just standing there with her beak touching the food. She is drinking like crazy and has had a few white stools. Since she is drinking, I started Braggs ACV this am - unsure how much to give...right now just a bit in her water. She has gotten a total of 8 ml of yogurt over the last ~8hrs. I just purchase some clotrimazole and I think the websites have given me the courage to try it. Every time I pick her up, her crop is so ballooned that I can't help compress it and air escapes from her mouth. I saw clotrimazole 1% 2x day so this is what I will try. I don't know whether to continues massages of the crop in a downward motion or attempts at regurgitation in the AMs only?

"In addition on a monthly basis add apple cider vinegar (acv) to the water supply and make sure your birds are fully wormed as this also helps to keep the bird healthy and prevent health problems generally.
Don't use the apple cider vinegar you buy from the supermarket - the right sort is the type sold for horses. Just put about 5ml (a teaspoon full) into a litre of water. "

This above info. is from the first link in my post above. I hope this helps.

 

[FlyHigher]

I'm pretty sure now It's Salmonella infection!
Try Neomycin Sulphate or Florfenicol.
If her poop has something red like rotten meat, then she must has coccidiosis too. (Toltrazuil maybe the best treatment for coccidiosis).

 

[lsg1007]

Thanks, Chickensaresweet. I had held off deworming my chickens given the severity of the heat and now with the crop issue I won't with my one hen (unless that's the cause of her problems). I don't know if I need to hold off feeding her or not. By last night, I had decided I would just let her drink, but I wouldn't feed her unless she looked like she was on death's door. However, she gobbled up a tablespoon of yogurt on her own before "bedtime." I don't know if I should remove food from her crate. For the most part, she looks pretty good, preens herself, flies, walks around...is just terribly underweight and her crop is boggy. It makes giving her clotrimazole hard as she is still strong enough to fight. No foul odor from her mouth or crop contents, no lesions in her mouth, no sneezing, coughing, no blood in stool, etc