Sick Chicken - No Vet Availability, Please Help!

[ashesfallingdown]

My ~5 month old bantam frizzle Cannoli is sick. She has not yet started laying. I have seven chickens total and the rest seem fine. I did not check on the birds yesterday so I just noticed something was off a couple of hours ago.

I'm noticing the following symptoms:

• Very hard, but movable crop
• Some kind of spit up, sort of brown and goopy and frothy
• Very frequent crop adjusting behaviors and open mouth, some head shaking, some moving head forward and back
• Upright posture
• Moves around, but does not peck/preen/other normal behavior
• Has twice today made a loud, high pitched squeaking sound, but otherwise very quiet except when I picked her up and she squawked at me

Currently, she's isolated with access to nothing but water. I made a veterinary appointment but the next availability was Thursday, so we have to wait.

I assume the issue is some kind of crop impaction but I don't actually know. Please help! What do you think it is, and what can I do for supportive care in the interim?

Edit: Other relevant information, they don't free range but they do get supervised outside time, though due to bad weather it's been at least 7 days since then. Their run has a river sand floor. There are oyster shells out for the older birds that she has access to.

 

[Shadrach]

My ~5 month old bantam frizzle Cannoli is sick. She has not yet started laying. I have seven chickens total and the rest seem fine. I did not check on the birds yesterday so I just noticed something was off a couple of hours ago.

I'm noticing the following symptoms:

• Very hard, but movable crop
• Some kind of spit up, sort of brown and goopy and frothy
• Very frequent crop adjusting behaviors and open mouth, some head shaking, some moving head forward and back
• Upright posture
• Moves around, but does not peck/preen/other normal behavior
• Has twice today made a loud, high pitched squeaking sound, but otherwise very quiet except when I picked her up and she squawked at me

Currently, she's isolated with access to nothing but water. I made a veterinary appointment but the next availability was Thursday, so we have to wait.

I assume the issue is some kind of crop impaction but I don't actually know. Please help! What do you think it is, and what can I do for supportive care in the interim?

Edit: Other relevant information, they don't free range but they do get supervised outside time, though due to bad weather it's been at least 7 days since then. Their run has a river sand floor. There are oyster shells out for the older birds that she has access to.

Does her crop empty completely or partially overnight?
Do you worm your birds and if so when did you worm them last?

The trouble with crop disorders is they often present as not one thing or the other.
Full impaction, bird doesn't pass any solid droppings and little water. The crop doesn't empty at all overnight. This is the most serious crop problem and needs vet care for most cases.

Partial impaction is quite common; lots of possible causes. Crop decreases in size overnight but doesn't clear. Often a clump can be felt in the crop. Hens can cope with this for a while. In mild cases they will break the clump down over time.

Sour crop is different again.
Read both these articles below. Both are very informative and will help you decide what type of crop disorder you are dealing with.
In my experience crop disorders are often a sign of other health issues and you should check for such.


https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...ntion-and-treatments-of-crop-disorders.67194/

 

[ashesfallingdown]

Does her crop empty completely or partially overnight?
Do you worm your birds and if so when did you worm them last?

The trouble with crop disorders is they often present as not one thing or the other.
Full impaction, bird doesn't pass any solid droppings and little water. The crop doesn't empty at all overnight. This is the most serious crop problem and needs vet care for most cases.

Partial impaction is quite common; lots of possible causes. Crop decreases in size overnight but doesn't clear. Often a clump can be felt in the crop. Hens can cope with this for a while. In mild cases they will break the clump down over time.

Sour crop is different again.
Read both these articles below. Both are very informative and will help you decide what type of crop disorder you are dealing with.
In my experience crop disorders are often a sign of other health issues and you should check for such.


https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...ntion-and-treatments-of-crop-disorders.67194/

Thank you, I will read those ASAP. Not sure about her crop emptying, I just noticed her symptoms this morning but I'll report back tomorrow. I have not ever dewormed the birds.

 

[ashesfallingdown]

Update: I massaged her crop a little bit and she made sort of gurgling sounds and then “spit up” in perhaps five places, very small amounts of the frothy brown goop. I waited about an hour and went to check on her and she had pooped several times. I inspected the poop and it seemed normal and I didn’t see any type of worm.

Her crop seemed much smaller after a couple more hours, and the repetitive crop adjustment behaviors have stopped. She also started making more sounds, little coos and chirps. For a while she sat in my lap and now she’s sleeping in the kennel.

So all in all, it seems like an improvement but she was very “wrong” for several hours and I’m scared to let her eat tomorrow.

Does anyone have suggestions on how to proceed diet wise and what I should do tomorrow?