Lathargic rooster with large mushy gullet

[CookFarm]

I posted yesterday about the sudden death of my Lakenvelder rooster, and today I have another rooster acting very lathargic. I did notice on my Lakenvelder that he had a large and mushy (not gritty) gullet. I felt the other chickens gullets and found them to be much smaller and gritty feeling. This rooster has what seems like a very watery sack where his gullet is. I feel the area and he belches. The gas he belches out stinks to high heavens. Has anyone else ever had this weird experience? I just want to make sure that this isnt going to spread throughout the flock.

 

[kellysmall87]

Could be sour crop.
Sour Crop

This condition can develop when food remains in the crop or gullet for more than 24 hours due to a blockage, and begins to ferment and go rancid. Your bird may have a large, squishy feeling crop with a bonus of bad breath. You might be able to smell it just by holding your chicken, or try to open the beak and take a sniff; you'll know right away. Same remedies apply, massage and some oil. You can also try to turn your chicken upside down and rub the crop in the direction of the mouth to get them to vomit up the contents. This is best done under the supervision of a veterinarian to help prevent the contents from entering the lungs.
Gently massage the crop with your fingers. This can help loosen up the food and help it move down the digestive tract. Olive oil can help move things along as well. Use a few teaspoons in an eye dropper and carefully insert it about an inch or two down the bird's throat. Enlist a friend, as you don't want to push the oil into the lungs if the bird struggles. Massage the crop to distribute the oil, and wait until the next morning to see if the crop empties. If it's still very hard or your chicken is very listless or losing weight, a veterinarian can surgically remove the contents. Offer water only; chickens can live about a week without food.

 

[ChickensRDinos]

x2

Sounds like sour crop. Great advice above. I would isolate and stop feeding solid foods until you can determine that this is in fact the problem. If the crop is not empty in the morning, after not having eaten all night, this is likely the case.

 

[CookFarm]

Thank you so much for the advice. As it turns out my second rooster died this afternoon. I do believe it was sour crop. I have made sure that I put out plenty of poultry grit (I wasnt before) to try to avoid any further problems with any others in the flock. I have felt the others' crops, and they seemingly feel normal yet somewhat hard. Although there are none that feel watery or bloated. Is there anything else I should do for the remaining birds to ensure that they dont suffer the same fate?

 

[CookFarm]

Also, I have read that to help avoid sour crop you should limit the bread intake. I was feeding them a decent amount of scraps, including bread. I hate that my ignorance of this potential problem has caused the deaths of these 2 beloved birds, but hopefully I can learn what is necessary to avoid this in the future.

 

[ChickensRDinos]

You could try giving them a little yogurt every so often (plain, no sweetener added) to help promote healthy bacteria in the crop.

 

[kellysmall87]

No dont blame yourself, I fed mine bread until i read it was bad for them. Cut out their carbs if poss. Good luck x

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Sometimes long grasses and hays binding and plugging the crop and digestive tract are problematic. I'm subscribed to two sour crop threads on here with on going Sour Crop issues in which hay and straw are the culprits. It's so hard in the winter when so many are using it for nesting or litter. I think those chickens must crave a little green in their diets this time of year too. I've been giving my spinach or kale in bits every other day at least so they ease off the hay that I have my Run fluffed out in. Next winter I'm getting a pile of wood chips from our local tree trimmer instead or lots of leaf litter. We're cold here so I want it pretty fluffy out there for their feet.

Exactly as Kelly said--Dont blame yourself. Those boys were lucky to have you for their time. Most chickens never dare to dream what they most likely had. Every day I learn something new about these chickens and I've more than once bonked my head against the wall wishing I would have done something different. sorry you lost your Roos. That's tough.

 

[Michael Apple]

Yup. Very sorry about your rooster. I recently lost mine (Mareks). If you can, buy some Nystatin and crop bound capsules to keep in your med cabinet. It's good to have certain meds on hand when future problems arise.