Possible impacted crop mimic coccidia symptoms?? SO CONFUSED

BrownwayChick

Chirping
8 Years
Jun 7, 2011
30
6
82
Conway, SC
I am so lost - my finger tips are bleeding from all the googling I've been doing.

My older bantam cochin rooster has all kind of symptoms, I don't know if I'm treating what right or what direction I need to go. Maybe someone can help me....

One day I noticed him limping some, thought nothing of it really because he acted normal otherwise.
3 days later I go out to find him huddled in the corner with his eyes closed and tail droopy. OH NO!
I immediately pick him up and ck him all over. The foot he was limping on has a scab on top of it. I looked up bumblefoot and ruled that out. So I thought OK, his foot is sore and that's why he's not feeling good. Stated doctoring on his foot. He's not limping anymore but still is acting sick. So started him on some antibiotics thinking he got an infection. A week goes by and he's still the same. UGH!

So, as I'm in tractor supply I stumble upon a little bag of powder stuff that is intended for coccidia. Hmmm, so while in TSC I start googling coccidia symptoms and low-n-behold he has all the symptoms except for bloody poop:

Droopiness/listlessness, loss of appetite (he is eating some but not his normal self), pale combs and wattles, ruffled, unthrifty feathers, huddling.

I'm somewhat excited because I think I finally figured out what is wrong with him!!

So I get corid and start him on it immediately. 4 days pass and he's still about the same. It's weird because 1 minute he's walking around, eating and looking alert & I think he's making progress.... then next minute he's huddled up in the corner with his head down and eyes closed. UGH again!!

So I pick him up again to look him over and this time I happen to stumble across his crop, it felt hard like a knot. I picked up another chicken & compared his to theirs and his does feel like an impacted crop. So I isolated him with no food except for ACV water for 24hrs and his crop is smaller but there is still a gumball sized hard knot/ball there.


I had never felt his crop before, could all his symptoms be from a compacted crop the whole time?? Do they act that sick with those symptoms from an impacted crop - including paleness??


I know I am all over the place with his doctorings... but I am scared to death that I'm not treating the right thing and that I'm running out of time.


Also, after noticing his crop.... I did recall seeing him several times after eating stretch his neck out & "yawn" - he would do this several times in a row. That a sign of a crop issue??
 
Chickens will "yawn" after eating to adjust the food in the crop. That's normal. :)

The crop should be empty in the morning and full-ish by the evening. It can feel like a small tennis ball and it can be alarming!

Does he have a smell? Sour crop is a yeast infection and will give off an odor that isn't... normal.

What dosage did you use for the Corid (I assume that's the 20% powder) and how long did you give it to him?

And, last question for now, how old is he?

I feel like it might be a good idea to isolate him in a dog crate in the garage. Dim, quiet, warm. That way, you'll be able to monitor his poops and whether or not he's eating and drinking. If he goes completely off his food and water, please let us know.

MrsB
 
Thanks for your reply MrsBrooke. I have him isolated for now. He was on corid for 4 days when I noticed his knot and I took him off it (because I assumed it was a crop problem and not coccidia). But I did start him back on it again yesterday (so he went 1 day without corid). I know it says to keep him on it 5 days so I am going to keep him on it. He is still eating tho he doesn't really want what I'm feeding him. I got him on soupy mash and offering canned cat food.

Also it seems he has a hard time eating. When he eats its like its hard for him to swallow - sort of like he has to use his tongue a lot (I'm not sure how to explain it). I just don't know if he has 1 problem with all his conditions or if I'm fighting several things......

He's at least 5 years old because that's how long I've had him, so I know he's got some age on him :-(
 
Update!!

While feeding him wet mash just now, I once again see he's having too hard of a time getting the food down. So I pry his mouth open and sure enough he has a build up of something in the roof of his mouth. Is this a sign of a certain sickness? I will be using a q-tip and hopefully removing whatever is up there.
 
HCD-Digestive-Problems-4-Large.jpg


^ Did it look anything like this? That is canker. I am unfamiliar with it, but you can Google more info if you feel that might be it.

Otherwise, do you hear any respiratory distress? It could be blocked sinuses... Chicken "mucous"/puss is a hard, cheesy substance... You may have to do some digging to get it out of there. See if he's got it down in his nares, too... If he does, see if you can soak it with warm saline water to soften it before removal. :) You'll need tweezers and q-tips for sure.

Hope that helps!

MrsB
 
Sorry for the late reply, I've been googling & doctoring on my boy seems like non stop past few days.



His is in the roof of his mouth and it isn't to that extreme yet but the color does look like that.

I ordered some fish zole as I read that helps with canker. He continues to have that hard knot in his crop, it seems to be getting a little bit bigger.

He does have diarrhea now, but I assume that's due to me giving him amoxicillin
barnie.gif
so I stopped him on that to see if it clears up.



1 other thing... today I noticed on the bare skin right below the wattles, there's a lima bean sized lump. What is going on with my boy??
hit.gif
 
The bump on his head... Does it look like it could be a bite or sting of some kind? Is it warm? Soft? Hard?

I hope your boy recovers... and I hope someone with more experience can come along and help you.
hugs.gif


Keep us posted!

MrsB
 

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