** Please help with sour crop or worms with sick hen***

[Loving My Peeps]

Honey is a 24 week old RIR hen. She started laying eggs about 4 weeks ago. Most of her eggs that she layed were without a shell. Occasionally she would lay a large egg (double yolker) with a very rough shell. She has only layed about 5 "normal" eggs so far. About 4 days ago she started to show signs of sickness. She didn't eat just drank lots of water. Her poop had become all clear water with a little bit of white...no greenish/greyish color to it. She held her head low, back arched, and tail feather down....very depressed looking. I separated her from the other girls, she didn't walk or fly to roost at this point so I knew something was up.

Day 2..... I noticed her crop was still large in the morning and she had not eaten the day prior, just drank lots of water. I fed her some yogurt and water with ACV in it. I had to syringe feed the yogurt but she didn't have the energy to refuse or fight back. She had very clear eyes, bright red and erect comb, no discharge from eyes or nose, a little bit of a sour smell when breathing. I decided to make her vomit to clear the crop. I was only to bring up fluids and the yogurt. Not a great smell but not really sour either. Put her by herself in the basement in the dog crate with water (ACV treated).

Day 3......She is so boney, I can still see a medium crop but all she has eaten was the yogurt that I have syringed into her beak.
she can stand but doesn't walk much. Wings are extended outward to keep her balance. I decided to syring feed the yogurt along with some antifungal medicine that I had for myself (flucanozole) She still is bright eyed and comb still looks normal. She started to have a little color back in her poop. I offered her bread but she refused. Again she slept in the garage, in the dog crate away from the others.

Day 4......I offered pieces of bread and she actually ate it. She drank lots of water again, crop doesn't seem as full, she is walking and seeking out food. I made her some scrambled eggs and she ate about 10 small pieces then sat down and rested. I moved her out with the other girls and she started to make small happy noises again. She was eating pieces of grass and a small amount of layer crumble again. The feather around her vent are full of sticky gooey poops, but I don't want to stress her by bathing her just yet. She is moving slow but trying to keep up with the other girls.
I'm not surprised to see that she has stopped laying eggs, honestly we love her as a pet and get enough eggs from the others that she never has to lay again if she want it that way.

I'm hoping that Honey is on her way to a full recovery. I have never dewormed my girls, they all free range. I do not see and bugs on her nor do I see broken feathers. PLEASE, PLEASE offer me some advice on how to care for her from this point. Everyone i talked to tells me to put her out of her misery, I feel like she's trying to pull through and I want to do everything I can to help.

 

[beachchickie]

Sounds like you are doing about all you can do. I am not super experienced but it sounds like she may have gotten something that she could not digest. Keep feeding her the yogurt and soft boiled eggs and plenty of electrolye liquids. Let her rest as much as she wants and see what happens. I am sorry that I can't help more. Maybe Cynthia will see this and respond she is VERY knowledgeable. Best wishes

 

[PunkinPeep]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=224315&p=2
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=3097930#p3097930

Here are links to a couple of older discussions about impacted and sour crop. There's a lot to read. I hope it will be helpful to you. You need to get her moving again so she can absorb nutrition.

I am wondering if she might have a problem with her egg production inside. If she does, there isn't a lot you can do for that part, so i hope it's just her crop and that you can quickly solve it.

All the best!

 

[PunkinPeep]

I almost forgot.

If you will change your topic title to something naming the problem - like "sour crop," you will likely get more hits - and thus more advice.

 

[Smoky73]

I would treat her for worms just in case. Feeding her anything she will eat at this point is a good thing. I have a few young pullets who seem to be anorexic, so have been having to syringe feed them. I feed Exact Bird rearing formula. Anyway, I would not have put her back with the others so soon, I would wait till I see a marked improvement.
Even though she is not showing signs of illness yet, I would treat for Worms and Cocci for sure. iits a good start. I always keep on hand Foys All-In-One, its a general treatment for pretty much everything.

The problem with impacted crop is a large mass of grass or other stuff is not likely to be dispelled the same way it came in, so likely surgery. I would keep her away from the grass for a while and give her soft food easily digestible and offer some grit in case she might need some, and , if she has been eating grass and other stuff she might.

Pull the poopy feathers form around her vent. Keeps the flies from getting attracted to it.

 

[beachchickie]

How is Honey today?

 

[Loving My Peeps]

Day 5....Honey has made it through another night. She slowly walked out of the coop this morning with the other girls and ate a few pieces of grass. She has been drinking the ACV water I have out for her. I fed her a few grapes and scrambled eggs. Again she ate some but not a huge amount. She still seems very depressed, I have not seen her poop but she has wet feathers covered in greasy greenish (normal color) poop. She mostly stands in the sun and lowers her head and closes her eyes and just stays in the same spot. I am feeling horrible for letting her suffer.
I will be heading out to Adams supply and Paris Farmers Union to seek out supplies. I think it would be a good idea to treat all my hens for worms, and start on a medicated feed. I have a very respectful flock. They all are giving Honey her space, nobody has bullied or picked on her through all of this! I am so happy about this. I did find a paper thin shelled egg in the coop this morning. I don't think Honey has layed it but, so far she is the only "soft shell layer" I have. I don't believe she has the energy to fly up onto the laying boxes and that is where I found the egg. I will narrow it down as the day goes on and I can see who has layed.
What is the best wormer to get? What is the best medicated feed or medicated water supplement? I have oyster shell grit in the coop for them as well as a quality layer crumble. They all free range so I think get enough grit naturally but I could be wrong.
I will be doing a thorough coop cleaning later today so any advise on that is helpful as well.

 

[PunkinPeep]

I found another link i think you should read. https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=378303&p=1 Very basic and simple instructions on what to do with a sour crop.

All due respect to Smoky73, i disagree that you should start medicating for all these different things. The chances that she has cocci at this point in her life is almost nil, and your medicating her for it will keep her from absorbing important vitamins.

If her crop is sour, (i have been doing more reading about sour crop this morning), then she needs you to isolate her, withdraw food, and get that crop flushed out. Start with organic Apple Cider Vinegar in her water - and only that. Get some plain (no sugar no fruit) yogurt to follow up after you've been flushing with ACV for a while. Keep her away from grass. While she's isolated and drinking the ACV water, you can gently massage her crop and see if you can get things moving.

Lots and lots and lots of folks here on BYC have solved impacted and sour crop issues without having to resort to surgery.

From what you shared in your initial post, i really think you should concentrate on solving her crop issues. Then i think you will see amazing improvement. Medicating for anything else before that's fixed, in my opinion, is going to work against you.

I hope the very best for you and Honey.

 

[Loving My Peeps]

Thank you for your words of wisdom. I had isolated her few a days days and just did the ACV then introduced the yogurt a day later. Gradually working up to scrambled egg and bread with olive oil. Once she seemed interested in food again I took her out of isolation and placed her back into the coop. Yesterday she did well just moved slowly. Her crop was small this morning so I think she is no longer obstructed. She eats some but just seems so weak. She has gone out of the sun now and back onto the coop floor (moving all on her own ) There are a few other girls are in there laying so she may just want their company. I noticed that 1 tip to her comb is a little faded today. it is still erect and red everywhere else.
Do you agree with a medicated food for all of them? What should I get them at this point.....almost gone through this bag of Blue Seal layer crumble.

 

[Loving My Peeps]

I just noticed that as she lays on the coop floor she is shaking her head as a dog would to get rid of flies. There are no flies and nothing that I can see to make her continue to do this. She still looks healthy in the face but has obvious sign s of weight loss through her body. Her crop is average sized...she has eaten some this morning but not a lot of anything. Her crop feels normal but her breast bone is very protruded.