Mother hen weak, distended crop - it is sour crop??

[verlaj]

I posted yesterday about my Barnie hen that is weak - see: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=345584 -

This morning discovered bumblefoot in a second Barnie hen.

This evening I thought my 1 yr old Speckled Sussex hen that hatched out eggs 12 days ago seems weak. I have her and the 3 chicks in a broody pen inside the open air coop (see link above for the housing and flock info.)
I thought she had not eaten much today - most of the food was still in the feeder. I am feeding her and the chicks Blue Seal chick starter exclusively. The hen doesn't seem to have gained much weight back since hatching the eggs. She seemed a bit weak to me, although she can run around. Her crop was full, but soft and fluctuant - like it is mostly liquid in there. I took her out of the broody pen and she pecked around a bit, but then settled down next to the wire by the chicks. I took her out of the coop and she naturally she made a beeline back to be near the chicks. I haven't seen much poop in the broody pen and today when I had her our I saw one squirt of poop - not formed.

Recap: 1 yr old SS hen with 12 day old chicks
seems weak and not regaining weight
distended, fluidy crop
2 other hens in flock with problems - one with bumblefoot, one simply weak
every other chicken seems fine (includes 33 adults, three 12 day old chicks, and 10 juveniles housed separately

Please offer advice -

 

[emys]

Check them over VERY carefully for any signs of mites/lice.

 

[verlaj]

I have checked - but will again, and again. Plan to clean the coop this weekend and spray with Oxine.

 

[emys]

no mucus, no wheezing?

When were they last wormed? They free range, so may have round worms - you can't see them until they are loaded with them.

You could try mixing a little water soluble vitamin and electrolytes powder into their eggs and feeding it to them while adding Wazine to their water. You might also feed a little beef liver on the side.

 

[verlaj]

No mucus, no wheezing. I wormed the older hens last spring with ivermectin paste, but haven't wormed the majority of them. Of the 35 adults, 7 are 6-8 years old, and 28 are 1 year.

Any thoughts about the liquidy crop?

 

[verlaj]

Have been reading and reading threads here to try to find an answer - Now I am wondering if the problem is sour crop in the mother hen? Still can't see a connection between her problem and the weak hen because the mother hen has been separated from the others and fed different food for weeks while sitting on the eggs and tending the chicks. Nevertheless, doesn't it seem like it could be sour crop in the mother hen? Could I put ACV in her water, which the chicks are also drinking?

I think I will start putting Oxine in the water for the rest of the flock. Would that be better than ACV for sour crop?

 

[emys]

I think sour crop has a bad odor to it. You have to get up close to tell - gently open beak.

Olive oil and tomato with only a little regular feed mixed in for that.

 

[emys]

Since you have more than one case of it, check your feed - did some of it get damp, or is there somewhere they could be eating damp/moldy feed off ground?

 

[verlaj]

I was out of town for several days - it's possible the feed could have gotten wet in the hanging feeder if there was a hard blow, but I wouldn't have known about it. The mother hen was in a dry broody box and fed scratch. Now she is getting only chick starter.

The others free range, so they can find lots of things, but there is never chicken feed outside of the coop.

I just checked over the other weak hen, who is in our den. She now has little white spots scattered over her wattles and comb. They look dry and pretty flat. They are much smaller and not crusty like fowl pox. I had an outbreak of fowl pox last year, and all the adults have either had the disease or were vaccinated for it.

 

[emys]

got a magnifier?

could they be lice? see pic

http://entweb.clemson.edu/cuentres/cesheets/poultry/ce216.jpg