Purple comb and vomiting

[HoppyPepper]

Hi there, I so much hope someone can help. Our ex battery chicken Hoppy (we have had her for just over a year) is unwell. Though she's always been the most healthy and productive (if not best tempered!) she has for the last two days not been interested in food, her crop is spongy and she keeps vomiting water and her comb has shrivelled and gone purple. Any ideas? Thanks for your time.

 

[OwlLover]

She isn't vomiting, it's simply "spilling." Like when she moves her head down or something. Could you post a pic of her comb?

 

[HoppyPepper]

Thanks for reply. Is this the pic, I can't work out how to get it up.

 

[Highlander]

sounds like she has an impacted crop. You will need to loosen the impaction by massaging her crop while holding the bird upside down but be very careful she doesn't aspirate. Olive oil soaked bread sometimes helps but it sounds like your hen is beyond that stage. If it is really bad here is a link to a surgery thread. Best of luck.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=229796

 

[HoppyPepper]

Hello again, thanks for answers so far, but need more help please! She has just done a projectile milky poo after managing four ears of corn and a pea, then gone to drink more water. Her crop feels like there's only water in it so I'm reluctant to start surgery! Any answer gratefully received...

 

[Highlander]

Is there a smell coming from her beak?

 

[HoppyPepper]

I just did as you suggested and loads of liquid (brownish and quite smelly) came out, with some strands of grass at the end. I am soaking some bread and olive oil for her but she has gone straight back to drink. What next? Thank you so much for your help...

 

[luckyclucker]

I had a very similar set of problems with a Buff I rescued last year. I spent over $1500.00 taking her to local vets galore, getting xrays, drugs, and online vet advice, as well. She was diagnosed with coryza, impacted crop, worms, and on an on. I gave her gallymicin (sp?) and she would get better, then she would get worse. Finally, I contacted the University of Colorado vet diagnostic clinic. They are awesome. I couldn't bring her there as I live a state away, but they worked with me and basically determined that she had laid an egg internally, which was causing sepsis in her system.

She died, as the amount of antibiotics necessary would have been an IV drip for around 3 weeks. I shipped her to the vet diagnostic lab for a "chicken autopsy" and the diagnosis was confirmed. By the time any of this had been diagnosed she had been very sick for almost 4 months.

The vet, head of the avian department there, said that internally laid eggs are a real problem with the heavy laying breeds like buffs.

I don't mean to dump bad news on you. If this is what you have, and you've caught this early enough maybe you can get a heavy enough antibiotic to dose her clear it up without the IV treatment.

Good luck.