This morning there was one hen hiding in a corner of the coop, looking miserable. I picked her up to examine, and she started vomiting, so I obviously assumed sour crop. The liquid smelled sour, the crop was squishy but in one way this was different than my previous sour crop experiences. The liquid was dark reddish brown, with no visible "texture". Anyway, I isolated her in a hospital cage, and drug out the monistat from the medicine bin, and confirmed no food or water for a day, just the monistat and some coconut oil.
Her crop filled back up, and I tipped her gently again, to get some cleared out. Still a reddish brown liquid, without food/visible chunks but there was quite a bit of what looked like sand, but smaller. Silt? It "could" be from a new feed I was trying, an organic feed that has some grains but a lot of powdered incredients- not crumbles, smaller. Sometimes I ferment some for them, but it's been more than a week since the last time they had it fermented-- she could have eaten a bunch of the powdery bits? Don't know.
Seeing no food, makes me think I'm not catching this early-- I've been crazy busy, so perhaps not as observant of slight clues the last couple days. But in the past, any liquid that's expelled has not been this dark, and has had some chunks of food-- and smelled more strongly sour.
The hen is 3 years old, has not been laying for a few months, and her comb used to be upright, but for at least 4-6 months, it slops over. Still she eats, drinks, and is active. When her comb first flopped over back in the summer, I isolated her for supportive care but she was fine, other than not caring to eat while she wasn't with her friends. She's resting comfortably, and is strong enough to fight about taking anything orally. No poop, but some white/pale yellow fluid excreted. When I brought her in her butt was caked in normal green poo, so I cleaned her up. the floor of the cage is lined with paper towels, so I can easily see anything that she excretes.
Am I missing anything? Planning to do monistat for 7 days, and tomorrow offer electrolyte water, and some moistened pellets with crushed up egg yolk. I don't like to make them vomit, but if the crop fills to where it's coming back up, I typically help them empty. Once her crop will stay reasonable, and she eats well, I like to turn them back with the flock unless the weather is nasty-- and just continue the monistat without keeping her isolated.
Would be grateful for any ideas on her dark liquid vomit, and any advise or corrections to my plans.
Her crop filled back up, and I tipped her gently again, to get some cleared out. Still a reddish brown liquid, without food/visible chunks but there was quite a bit of what looked like sand, but smaller. Silt? It "could" be from a new feed I was trying, an organic feed that has some grains but a lot of powdered incredients- not crumbles, smaller. Sometimes I ferment some for them, but it's been more than a week since the last time they had it fermented-- she could have eaten a bunch of the powdery bits? Don't know.
Seeing no food, makes me think I'm not catching this early-- I've been crazy busy, so perhaps not as observant of slight clues the last couple days. But in the past, any liquid that's expelled has not been this dark, and has had some chunks of food-- and smelled more strongly sour.
The hen is 3 years old, has not been laying for a few months, and her comb used to be upright, but for at least 4-6 months, it slops over. Still she eats, drinks, and is active. When her comb first flopped over back in the summer, I isolated her for supportive care but she was fine, other than not caring to eat while she wasn't with her friends. She's resting comfortably, and is strong enough to fight about taking anything orally. No poop, but some white/pale yellow fluid excreted. When I brought her in her butt was caked in normal green poo, so I cleaned her up. the floor of the cage is lined with paper towels, so I can easily see anything that she excretes.
Am I missing anything? Planning to do monistat for 7 days, and tomorrow offer electrolyte water, and some moistened pellets with crushed up egg yolk. I don't like to make them vomit, but if the crop fills to where it's coming back up, I typically help them empty. Once her crop will stay reasonable, and she eats well, I like to turn them back with the flock unless the weather is nasty-- and just continue the monistat without keeping her isolated.
Would be grateful for any ideas on her dark liquid vomit, and any advise or corrections to my plans.
