Not sure what to call this?? I have a sick black chicken?

[Stephen1152]

I thought having chickens was going to be easy but it seems like I am constantly worried about one of them. I have a black chicken. Can't remember off hand the breed, but it might start with an A. I noticed last week she was making funny noises like she had the hiccups. Shortly after, she stopped eating and laying eggs. For a few days she just stood still. Now when I let them out at night, she stays with the group and shows a bit of interest in picking at the weeks and grass. I thought everything was fine last night. She even ate some small bits of carrots. This morning after cleaning the coop, I threw a bit of scratch in there. She ignored it. She is still not squatting so I assuming she is not going to lay an egg anytime soon. Trying to get her to eat something I put in some more little bits of carrot and she ate some. But then she shook her head and slime came out of her beak. Saliva??? She seems to be getting better, but she is still not well. What could it be? Overall she still looks healthy. No diarrhea or anything. I also added apple cider vinegar to their water last night for the first time.

 

[Smuvers Farm]

Asia black or Astralorp?

Any ideas @azygous

 

[LadyRed76]

Possibly she has sour crop.
Check her crop for it to be swollen,or hard. Smell her beak,is there a fowl odor coming from her?

 

[azygous]

Yes, crop issues likely. If it's hard like a roast shoulder, it's impacted. If it's soft and squishy, sour crop (yeast infection) or both.

Treatment for impacted crop is oil and massage. Treatment for sour crop is withholding food and treating with miconazole for seven days.

 

[Stephen1152]

Yes, crop issues likely. If it's hard like a roast shoulder, it's impacted. If it's soft and squishy, sour crop (yeast infection) or both.

Treatment for impacted crop is oil and massage. Treatment for sour crop is withholding food and treating with miconazole for seven days.

I was a wildlife rehabilitator for many years and know most things about animals but never had chickens. How do I oil message a chicken? What kind of oil? I am unable to isolate her. I simply do not have a place to put her. But anyway, where do I get miconazole? From my local feed store? How is it administered? In the water? Already not eating for a few days, can she go a week without eating? Thank you so much for getting back to me. Again, I thought having a few chickens was going to be easy! Man!

 

[azygous]

The oil goes inside the chicken, and the massage is outside on the crop.

If you have coconut oil, stuff about two teaspoons into the chicken's beak, and then gently massage the crop. This is if the crop is stone-hard. You'll need to do this every few hours for the rest of the day to get the mass to break up. If it doesn't break up, you can use a stool softener without a stimulant such as Dulcolax. One pill should do it.

If the crop is soft and squishy, you don't need oil. Miconazole is also call Monistat. I get the store brand of miconazole since it's cheaper. It's in the feminine hygiene products section. It's an anti-yeast medicine. You will give it twice a day for seven days, about half a teaspoon of the cream each dose. You can use the suppositories, but I get just the cream. Miconazole 7 at Walmart.

 

[LadyRed76]

Once she starts eating better try giving them Plain Yogart.
They LOVE yogart and its very beneficial.

 

[azygous]

Yes. Yogurt is one of the best things to restore the crop to proper flora in it, as well as in the gut.

 

[Stephen1152]

The oil goes inside the chicken, and the massage is outside on the crop.

If you have coconut oil, stuff about two teaspoons into the chicken's beak, and then gently massage the crop. This is if the crop is stone-hard. You'll need to do this every few hours for the rest of the day to get the mass to break up. If it doesn't break up, you can use a stool softener without a stimulant such as Dulcolax. One pill should do it.

If the crop is soft and squishy, you don't need oil. Miconazole is also call Monistat. I get the store brand of miconazole since it's cheaper. It's in the feminine hygiene products section. It's an anti-yeast medicine. You will give it twice a day for seven days, about half a teaspoon of the cream each dose. You can use the suppositories, but I get just the cream. Miconazole 7 at Walmart.

Thank you for your response. When I got home on Friday I was all prepared to do what I had to do. But she looked pretty good. I compared her crop to the others and it felt only slightly larger. I can feel all the grain and food in it. It was not hard at all. I massaged all the food around for a while. When I put her down, she joined the flock and ate and ate and ate. She is totally back to normal. I don't know what was wrong with her, but she is fine now. Thank you again. I am sure the info you provided me will come in handy one day.

 

[azygous]

Good to hear she feeling her old self again!