Pullet with growth on breast

[azygous]

Sour crop pretty much wipes out the appetite anyway. Ditto drinking. It's why these crop disorders can kill a chicken if left untreated - they starve. The only foods you need to withhold are ones that are starchy or sugary such as scratch grains, bread, cooked rice, etc. They feed the yeast you're trying to starve.

The crop on your chick seems congenitally over-large and she doesn't appear to have chest muscles that hold it in the proper position to drain. That can cause the sour crop as the crop contents don't ever completely empty, fermenting instead.

I would treat the sour crop with twice daily doses of the anti-yeast med. You must do it for the full seven days, even if the crop goes down. Let's hope the droopy crop snaps back to a proper size after the yeast is conquered.

If, after a week of treatment, the crop remains full in the morning before feeding, you will likely want to try rigging up a crop bra.

As she starts to feel better, you can offer her non-starchy food such as boiled egg and yogurt. And giving a probiotic is also a good idea to restore good flora in crop and intestines. Her appetite should get back to normal in just a few days.

 

[Melky]

Thank you everyone for responding. I'm just now seeing these responses. I thought I would get an email alert when someone responded but I didn't. So I read an article online about sour crop and am following their protocol. They said to keep her away from feed and water for 12hrs or overnight and then give her probiotics. If that doesn't work, then I'll try making her "throw up"? Any other suggestions?
So it's very soft and squishy feeling. After looking up sour crop online, I think that's likely what she has. She has only been given chick starter feed and no grit. I didn't think they needed grit when they only had access to chick starter but I could be wrong. I just separated her tonight so I really don't know what her poop looks like. I'm not sure if she was vaccinated for Mareks. We bought her at a feed store near us.
I'm glad for all suggestions! I really don't want to lose her. She doesn't look too good.

Chickens need chick grit by 2 weeks of age even if not giving treats. By 8 weeks should be on poultry grit free choice because it will need to be larger in size to aid digestion. Hold all treats. Provide water all the time, do not hold. Can hold food for couple days. Massage crop daily and if not taking water need to drip off syringe to bird. If no improvement after couple days need to see a vet. Offer poultry grit if over 8 weeks to aid digestion. This is treatment for sour crop.

 

[graceupongrace]

Thanks everyone! So she is pooping and it looks normal as far as I can tell. I have given her yogurt and water and she is eating/drinking both. I'm headed to town in a few hours and will pick up the medication.
I thought she wouldn't be eating or drinking - any clues there?

 

[ChickNanny13]

Get some grit, put in a separate dish for all your chickens to have "free choice"

 

[rebrascora]

It may be that she is just partially impacted if she is still interested in eating and doesn't smell sour.... you didn't answer the question about that? Personally I do not see the point of giving more food to a bird that already has a massive crop full like that, until it has emptied. Fluids yes, but giving food just adds to the problem assuming it is a crop problem. Is the whole mass soft and squishy or just part of it? I would be inclined to get a bit of coconut oil into her and gently massage for 10-15mins four times a day. I would isolate her to prevent access to food or any other fibrous material..... wondering if she may have been eating bedding........ straw/hat etc. The long strands can get tangled up in the crop and form a soggy plug slowing the flow of food. Sometimes a stool softener like Dulcolax without stimulant will help to break it down and pass but occasionally surgery is necessary to remove it. I have done the surgery twice and it is not desperately complicated and each time, even though the crop had been like this for over a week it had not gone sour, so I would start with massage and some oil and see how you get on rather than give her medication that may not be necessary. Unfortunately we all have different ways of tackling these things and only you can see and feel and smell the bird to know what the likely situation is, so you will need to decide which course of action is most appropriate.
I have massaged one for almost a fortnight before she eventually came right and just fed her a thin gruel of water with a small amount of chick crumbs mixed into it and oil and Nutri Drench in it until it was empty. Another showed no sign of improvement after 10 days of liquid feed and massage and I had to resort to surgery. The speed of recovery after surgery was unbelievable!

 

[graceupongrace]

She doesn't smell sour at all. I couldn't smell a thing. The swelling is very large and completely soft. It feels very much like a squishing a balloon. I massaged it a while this morning and it makes me nervous it will pop. I was of course very gentle.

 

[graceupongrace]

Also, I am using pine shavings for bedding. No straw and no treats or anything besides chick starter.

 

[rebrascora]

Does she object to you massaging it or does she seem to enjoy it? Mine have mostly enjoyed the process even though they are not lap chickens and did not ordinarily like being handled. They seemed to sense that the massage was beneficial. If she is not comfortable with it then perhaps discontinue and seek veterinary advice.