Rooster has Sour Crop - Can it be cured or is it just old age?

[Wyorp Rock]

It's good that the inside of his beak seems clear. Pasty material can be thrush or canker so you don't want those.

It can take time for a crop issue to clear up, hopefully he will start to get better. I'd take a look at his poop.
I know you dewormed a while back, but if he doesn't improve, then I would consider deworming again just in case worms are part of the problem.

 

[HippieAtHeart]

It's good that the inside of his beak seems clear. Pasty material can be thrush or canker so you don't want those.

It can take time for a crop issue to clear up, hopefully he will start to get better. I'd take a look at his poop.
I know you dewormed a while back, but if he doesn't improve, then I would consider deworming again just in case worms are part of the problem.

Forgot to attach a picture of his poop from overnight, it looks like business as usual for him.

Should I wait to deworm again until after the 7 days of this cream?

 

[HippieAtHeart]

@Wyorp Rock so I went to go give the second dose of miconazole cream and one of my hens was laying on the ground. She is alive but did not seem well. She didn’t smell of sour crop and her crop felt okay, I checked her vent and abdomen and all felt good. Is this a coincidence (both are old and it’s been cold out) or did I do something to cause this?

 

[HippieAtHeart]

@Wyorp Rock so I went to go give the second dose of miconazole cream and one of my hens was laying on the ground. She is alive but did not seem well. She didn’t smell of sour crop and her crop felt okay, I checked her vent and abdomen and all felt good. Is this a coincidence (both are old and it’s been cold out) or did I do something to cause this?

I ask because I had an Amish neighbor gift us homemade bread, we ate most but had some left so I gave it to my chickens as a treat (I’ve fed them bread before with no issues) and it seems like the next day that my rooster started his behavior…all my other chickens seem fine. Could it be something in the homemade bread?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Was the bread moldy?
Any feed get moldy or green?

Usually bread shouldn't hurt in small amounts.
I would take a look around and see if there's anything they are eating that may be spoiled.

For the hen, see that she's drinking well. Check her crop in the morning too.
It could be coincidental that she's looking off, but best check everything.

 

[HippieAtHeart]

Was the bread moldy?
Any feed get moldy or green?

Usually bread shouldn't hurt in small amounts.
I would take a look around and see if there's anything they are eating that may be spoiled.

For the hen, see that she's drinking well. Check her crop in the morning too.
It could be coincidental that she's looking off, but best check everything.

No the bread was just dry not moldy. Their pellet feed is dry no issues covered in their enclosed run, the mash is covered but not totally in the outside run. I haven’t noticed any mold though. I do have an ongoing issue with my 5 gallon bucket of water getting moldy. It’s not too bad right now- just a slight tint to the bottom - but I’m going to clean it out tomorrow with vinegar just to make sure.

As an update my hen that I noticed at 2/2:30 was sick died. I just got home from an appointment and she was dead in the nesting box I placed her in before I left. Not totally cold yet so must have just passed. I really think she had an internal laying problem or cancer because she’s been down before and made a comeback. She is also unknown age, but going to guess the same at 6/7 years as my rooster.

My rooster was doing okay when I checked on him just now, I’ll have to see how he is tomorrow morning.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm sorry the hen died.
If sending the body for necropsy is an option for you, that would give you the best answers. Some of us do our own, while not formal at all, sometimes we are able to tell if a hen had reproductive issues, cancer, etc., so if you feel like that's something you can do, then take some photos and we'll try to help if we can.

I think I would diluted bleach to clean the water bucket that way you know you killed all the mold. Does the bucket have nipples or cups too? If so, then I would soak those in diluted bleach water as well.

 

[HippieAtHeart]

I'm sorry the hen died.
If sending the body for necropsy is an option for you, that would give you the best answers. Some of us do our own, while not formal at all, sometimes we are able to tell if a hen had reproductive issues, cancer, etc., so if you feel like that's something you can do, then take some photos and we'll try to help if we can.

I think I would diluted bleach to clean the water bucket that way you know you killed all the mold. Does the bucket have nipples or cups too? If so, then I would soak those in diluted bleach water as well.

So I cleaned the bucket and nipples with diluted bleach so that’s all taken care of.

I am not comfortable doing a necropsy, maybe one day. Thank you for offering to help figure her death out.

My rooster seems to be doing a little better. He was eating pellet feed and I saw him drinking water throughout the day. He is still standing with his tail feathers down though. Seems to have less head shaking.

I decided to just stand and watch my flock a little bit (9 total now) this afternoon after hurrying my hen and I noticed 2 hens opening their mouths for a few seconds then closing them. I checked poop again for worms and didn’t see any. Should I just deworm all of them again or is the mouth opening normal snd I’m just now paying attention? Do you think worms are causing my roosters sour crop?

 

[Kiki]

Same way I do it for processing meat birds slicing the jugular
This is what was in my roosters crop

Oh my goodness.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

So I cleaned the bucket and nipples with diluted bleach so that’s all taken care of.

I am not comfortable doing a necropsy, maybe one day. Thank you for offering to help figure her death out.

My rooster seems to be doing a little better. He was eating pellet feed and I saw him drinking water throughout the day. He is still standing with his tail feathers down though. Seems to have less head shaking.

I decided to just stand and watch my flock a little bit (9 total now) this afternoon after hurrying my hen and I noticed 2 hens opening their mouths for a few seconds then closing them. I checked poop again for worms and didn’t see any. Should I just deworm all of them again or is the mouth opening normal snd I’m just now paying attention? Do you think worms are causing my roosters sour crop?

You're not always going to see worms in the poop.

There's usually an underlying condition, illness/disease that causes crop symptoms. Could be a blockage, but a severe worm infestation could also affect the digestive system enough to cause symptoms as well.

Can you get a video of their actions - the opening the mouths and what your rooster and his poop looks like? Upload to youtube and provide a link.

With him having a little age on him, he may naturally be in a decline. Most crop problems are a symptoms of an underlying condition or illness. Worms, Coccidiosis, Infection are few.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/