sick hen

[joan brooks]

Ok I have 3 buff colored hens and a rooster. had another hen and she died in my arms back in November. she was having brown liquid come outta her beek. so now I have another one that is sick and I cleaned her up real good yesterday as she was all blocked up near her rear end and she was out today but you can tell she is not up to par. tail down eyes looked like she feels bad. she went in pen early and I gave her some treats. she put her head down to get them and all kinds of yukky fluid came out of her mouth. did it twice while I was watching her. any ideas? came on really quick. she is about 5 yrs old and was still laying a couple days ago.

 

[ronott1]

Ok I have 3 buff colored hens and a rooster. had another hen and she died in my arms back in November. she was having brown liquid come outta her beek. so now I have another one that is sick and I cleaned her up real good yesterday as she was all blocked up near her rear end and she was out today but you can tell she is not up to par. tail down eyes looked like she feels bad. she went in pen early and I gave her some treats. she put her head down to get them and all kinds of yukky fluid came out of her mouth. did it twice while I was watching her. any ideas? came on really quick. she is about 5 yrs old and was still laying a couple days ago.

Welcome to backyard Chickens!

5 years old is a bit old for a hen. They often get reproductive issues at that age.

It sounds yours has a digestion issue though.

Post on the emergencies forum:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/emergencies-diseases-injuries-and-cures.10/

 

[rebrascora]

My guess would be that she is backed up with waste, possibly due to being egg bound or some other reproductive issue. I would give her a soak in a warm Epsom Salts bath and clean her back end up thoroughly and then insert a gloved lubricated finger into her vent and see if you can feel anything (an egg or other mass) She may poop during after you have done this, which will be a good sign as it will help to relieve the blockage if that is the problem. Make sure to dry her thoroughly with a towel and then hair dryer afterwards. It will help to grease the skin below her vent with Vaseline or coconut oil to prevent further poop sticking and sooth the skin. Watch her vent afterwards to see if she is straining or pulsing? If you feel an egg, she may benefit from being given a half a Tums tablet as the calcium will help with contractions and keep her in a warm dark place to help her relax and hopefully push it out. Sometimes soft shelled eggs are particularly difficult for them to pass, so even if you don't feel an egg, that may still be the problem.
She may also benefit from a gentle crop massage., but my guess is that it is a lower gut constriction which is causing her to spew up. I would say that she is in danger of dying, so if your funds run to veterinary treatment, you would be best to make an urgent appointment.

 

[IvanK]

Hi!
If her rear end was dirty with poo it could mean watery poops (no solids passing) and the brown liquid coming from her mouth would indicate to me that she has an impacted crop that has gone sour. This condition is called "sour crop". You can confirm this (or rule it out) by holding her and feeling her crop area (preferably in the morning when it should be empty). It will feel like a squishy water balloon and this is not good. If her crop is not like this...it is something else. To further ID this condition, you should smell the brown liquid. It will smell foul and...sour. The bird's breath will smell bad too. If she has none of these symptoms, you can disregard the next paragraph.

Ok, assuming this is sour crop, there may be other ways and I'm sure all kinds of experience and information will be shared here.
The way I handle this is to first get the bird to vomit, cleaning the toxic and rotting contents of her crop. You tube videos are great for providing visual references and additional info. It seems daunting at first but you get used to it and remember...it's for her benefit.
Following this, you need to isolate her with nothing but water for at least 24 hours. If she seems too far gone to drink on her own, you will need to give her drops of water. You can also use a poultry vitamin-electrolyte mix if you have on hand. No food at all...she can't pass it so it will only contribute to the problem.
While she is in isolation. Message her crop several times daily to get things moving and hopefully you can move the blockage.
After 24 hours, I give the bird olive oil soaked bread...I mean drenched! The oil coats the crop and it's contents and can provide lubrication for passing the blockage. Don't over feed..this bread is more to get the oil down in her crop. Keep messaging throughout the day.
Following this you'll need to monitor her for a few mornings before releasing her back into the flock. You need to make sure the blockage is gone before she goes back to eating as she normally would or it will be all for nothing. During this period give her easy to pass foods. Soft foods. I like olive oil soaked scrambled eggs, mashed bananas and a little soaked bread.
I've never tried it before but I think some people use monistat 7 to kill the problematic yeast in the crop. Someone here may be able to provide details but I'm sure there's something online if not.
I wish you the best of luck!

 

[TwoCrows]

Hello there and welcome to BYC!

I will go ahead and move your thread over to the emergency section. I hope your bird will be ok!

 

[drumstick diva]

I hope your bird will be alright also.

 

[micstrachan]

Sounds like a digestive issue, and my first thought was crop. However, I haven’t yet dealt with an issue like this myself. I don’t think gentle crop massage and oil could hurt. Have you had a chance yet to examine inside her vent as suggested? Good luck.

 

[azygous]

What is the state of the crop this morning? If it's full and squishy like a water balloon, and if there's a smell like a backed up garbage disposal coming from her head, you have a case of sour crop.

I would not advise vomiting as it's too easy for the liquid to get sucked into the airway, then into the lungs, and that could cause death. I recommend you treat with Nystatin or women's vaginal yeast infection cream (miconazole) twice a day for one week.

You need to monitor the crop closely during the week of treatment. If the crop isn't emptying by each morning, then a condition called pendulous crop could be preventing the crop from emptying, and that will need to be addressed.

 

[micstrachan]

@azygous, do you gently massage crop when you see this issue or only treat like a yeast infection? Massge and oil only for impacted crop, right? What if it’s both?

 

[azygous]

Massage can be utilized for both sour crop and impacted crop. It's a mechanism to help the crop to empty, thus making the patient more comfortable.

By the way, it accomplishes the same thing as "vomiting" does, only without the danger of aspiration into the lungs of wayward liquid.