poop following sour crop. Is this normal

[Peoples]

Think sour crop is better. Have been on soft diet and regular massages. Think I feel things slowly breaking up. Belief it is a stiff vegetation. Girl is still eating, dirt bathing when out doors, drinking and now pooping again instead of just water. Has lost a lot of weight in the process before discovered. Not laying for about 3 weeks now. Taken to vet and was given antibiotic. No further weird neck moves or self throw up. Her poop is coming out like this. Is this normal given all she has been through or do I have another issue undiscovered....am new to raising hens and hopeful she has a good outcome. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[Peoples]

Anything, anyone?

 

[micstrachan]

I have zero experience with this, but that poop does not look normal to me. I don’t know whether it’s typically when recovering from sour crop. @azygous may know.

 

[Peoples]

I tried her on mash and yogart today and appears still blocked as she threw up again....

 

[Shezadandy]

Here's a link to everything to know about sour crop. It's a great resource so you can evaluate what state the sour crop is in and what to do about it.

Don't worry about that poop. Keep in mind that with things blocked up, it's mostly liquid coming through. Whatever small solids are making it through will be very loose and watery as things start to go down.

Here's the link, well worth a good read.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...d-sour-crops-prevention-and-treatments.67194/

 

[Peoples]

I have not tried the dulcolax. I think I should move to the Epsom and dulcolax combo. I have had her caged for over a week with periods of yard time confined to an area where she can ne near her sisters and get some outside time. She also has a dog bite that resulted in a skin tear. It is doing better I think. I spent last Saturday and Sunday on my day off massaging every hour on the hour. I ordered a crop bra as well I figure once this passes and she can return to her regular routine. I imagine after this time her crop is stretched as it has been a few weeks by now. She has not laid an egg in over couple weeks I believe due to no proper nutrition and has lost weight. Other tben the crop thing she acts normal

 

[rebrascora]

I agree that that poop is not unreasonable considering her problems and that mostly fluids with fine particles will be passing through her crop. The yellowish patches are probably cecal poops. It is definitely time to move on from just liquid feed and massage if it has not cleared and the docusate sodium (dulcolax without stimulant ) is a good next move. I would also start doing research on crop surgery as you cannot afford to let her get too weak. You also need to make sure that, during yard time, she is not ingesting more fibrous material, because it becomes a bit of a habit with some of these birds. I ended up doing surgery on one and had to keep her in a box with incontinence pads as bedding or she would eat whatever straw, hay, grass or shavings she had access to. As soon as she recovered from surgery and I was able to put her back out with the flock I witnessed her eat a blade of straw within 10 mins of being in the pen. She impacted again 4 months later and very sadly, I was unable to save her a second time despite my best efforts.
Hens will only lay eggs when they are up to weight and have sufficient nutrition to produce them. You are right that her lack of nutrition is why she is not laying and nothing to be concerned about in itself. The pullet that I did surgery on was pretty emaciated but she was eating normally within 10 mins of gluing her back together and back up to weight and laid an egg exactly 2 weeks after surgery..... I removed a soft ball sized mass of soggy tangled vegetation from her crop that nearly weighed more than she did (bantam cochin/pekin) It was quite an eye opener and certainly had no chance of passing down through her system or being regurgitated, so surgery was her only hope, but you never really know that until you open them up.
I wish you luck and if the dulcolax is not successful and you feel that you could do the surgery..... it is not difficult but no good if you are squeamish.... feel free to give me a shout as I have a few tips that may not be covered in some of the You tube videos that are out there.

 

[Peoples]

Hi Rebrascora. Thanks for your response. I am not thinking surgery will be necessary. In the morning her crop is shrinking. When I am massaging the mass I feel is about inch by inch what i believe to be the stem where leaf goes out of lower part of cabbage. As i massage i can feel little pieces of grain that is breaking up and off. But is a slow go as stiff in some areas.

 

[azygous]

I had a Cream Legbar hen last summer that had a massive impaction, and it had also fermented so she had sour crop as well. It took many rounds of coconut oil and massage to get the mess softened and broken up. After you give the stool softener, wait half an hour for it to work, then give more oil and do an extended massage until you feel all the solid stuff break up and go down.

Then continue to treat for sour crop over the next week. With the impaction remaining for so long, it has likely fermented and an anti-yeast treatment over the next week is advisable.

How does her skin look around the bite site? If it's red, you have an infection on your hands, as well, and she needs an antibiotic.

 

[Peoples]

Doc gave my nyamyc which I have been mixing in yogart and hard boiled mashed egg yolk. Think it is helping. I mixed vitamins with electrolytes with lacto bacillus in her water which she is drinking plenty of. For the skin it is dark and rough feels scabby and have found twice pieces that have fallen off the scab, no smell or puss of any sort and have been washing with soap and water as needed or spraying with poultry wound scrap and adding neosporin. She let's me touch it. It is dry and hard and rough feeling.