My hen is sick. I picked her up and yellow slime is pouring out from, her mouth

[liz1]

Shes hot and lathargic. I just separated her from the rest of the flock. She has not been looking very well for some time now. I have been way too busy with other things to notice how bad she is till now.Does anyone have a clue ? these are free rangers.. I wonder if she got into something or what??

 

[MrsBrooke]

Sounds like sour crop.

Search the top of the forum, and you'll find a billion posts on identifying and treatment.

If that's NOT it, yellow goo is usually indicative of an infection, and we'll need more info.

Is she eating? Drinking? Losing weight? Lethargic? Can you feel her breastbone easily?

Any other information you have would be helpful!

MrsB

 

[liz1]

yes, lathargic.. just stands there puffed, dont think she is eating, breast bone easily found.. What type of infection could this be ? Thank you for your response.

 

[MrsBrooke]

As I said in my above post, this sounds like sour crop. If you run your hand down the front of her chest where her neck meets her breast (on the right side), you'll feel her crop. If it's sour crop, it'll feel too full and squishy/spongy.

It's likely that she's eaten something that has preventing her crop from emptying into her gizzard for processing... A long piece of string, hay, or grass can cause this. It turns into a tangled ball and blocks her crop, essentially starving her slowly.

Bring her inside and put her someplace calm, dim and warm (80-85 degrees is ideal). There are various treatments for sour crop, but since it's a yeast infection, Monistat is actually a good remedy.

You will need to start this as soon as possible for your girl. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/630307/sour-crop-cured-with-monistat

You could also try aspirating her, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you've done it several times before. A chicken can inhale some of that goo upon being righted, and you will have a BIGGER mess on your hands.

I would also tube feed her some olive oil and massage her crop to break up any masses and see if that works.

If that DOESN'T work, the mass may need to be surgically removed to save her life (if she's a pet and not utility).

Keep us updated.

MrsB

 

[liz1]

thank you for the reply.. I will try some thing, and I will let you know how it goes.

 

[liz1]

Well , hen departed last night : ( Maybe I didnt catch it in time..

 

[Watermelon123]

I'm so sorry for your loss. Don't blame yourself.

 

[MrsBrooke]

I'm very sorry to hear your girl passed. Sometimes, Mother Nature needs them back.

MrsB

 

[liz1]

Rooster wables when he walks.. his voice is raspy,... unstable.. not proud like he used to be

 

[MrsBrooke]

Check him thoroughly for lice and mites, especially around his ears.

Ear infections can cause balance issues, too.

Has he been eating and drinking normally?

MrsB