Sick Little Hen

[TJY124]

One of my little hens is sick and I don't know what to do to helper get better. Her breast area is full of fluid. I am not sure if she has a cyst full of fluid or if this is fluid in her lungs. I picked her up to feel the fluid and a bunch of mucus came up into her mouth. She spit it out onto the ground. The mucus smelled bad.

I am considering injecting her with Tylan and pulling her out of the flock for a few days. I would appreciate any advice. Especially if you have experienced this in the past. Thank You! Teri

 

[Eggcessive]

Welcome to BYC. I believe you hen has sour crop, which is usually a fugal infection. It is sometimes a result of having had an impacted crop, or from a blockage lower down in the gizzard, and also sometimes just another illness that accompanies a more serious illness such as Mareks disease, coccidiosis, and many others. Massaging the crop downward helps, giving probiotics or a tiny bit of plain yogurt daily, and limiting foods to soft mushy foods like applesauce, scrambled egg, yogurt, and wet chicken feed, but no whole grains. Here is a good link about it: http://www.tillysnest.com/2012/01/crop-issues.html

 

[TJY124]

Thank you for taking the time to respond. I pulled her out of the flock, massaged her chest area, gave her soft food, and some probiotics. I will let you know how she is doing in the morning. Again, thank you for your help.

Teri

 

[Eggcessive]

Some have had luck using Nystatin or Medistatin (available online) to treat sour crop. Others have used monistat vaginal suppositories cut into 1/3's and fed to the chickens. These are all antifungal medicines. Here is a thread about it: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/630307/sour-crop-cured-with-monistat