Slow or Sour Crop

[Carolrich]

I think you are dealing with sour crop caused by a yeast infection. It prevents the crop contents from emptying. When you see liquid leaking from the beak or see liquid spill out when you handle the hen, it's almost certain you have a yeast infection on your hands.

It's good you didn't try to make her vomit. It's very, very risky, and it almost always leaks into the airway and if it gets all the way into the lungs, you can pretty much say goodbye to your hen. Also, massage is to break up an impacted crop. You do not want to massage a sour crop for the same reason you don't want to make the hen vomit.

If you haven't, read through my article on crop disorders, and I go into detail on how to recognize and treat them. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

Also, any tips on how to best give her 1/4 of a myconazole suppository?

 

[Carolrich]

Power is back on!!!

 

[azygous]

Pry open her beak and slip it onto her tongue toward the back. If she spits it out, and chickens are as adept at firing medication across a room as a cat or dog, pick it up and place it farther back on the tongue. If you get it seated on the tongue in the right spot, the chicken automatically swallows.

 

[Carolrich]

Pry open her beak and slip it onto her tongue toward the back. If she spits it out, and chickens are as adept at firing medication across a room as a cat or dog, pick it up and place it farther back on the tongue. If you get it seated on the tongue in the right spot, the chicken automatically swallows.

Thank you. What about my questions in the previous reply?
I read the article and have a couple of questions. 1. If she is urrping up fluid, won't she also uurp up the medicine?
2. Do you feed the egg and water right after the 1st medication?

 

[casportpony]

Is there any chance you can take her to a vet on Monday? I ask because it would be best to check the crop contents for yeast, bacteria, and protozoa.

 

[Carolrich]

Is there any chance you can take her to a vet on Monday? I ask because it would be best to check the crop contents for yeast, bacteria, and protozoa.

I will if she is not better.

 

[azygous]

The anti-yeast meds will calm the sour state of the crop within a short time. I've never had a hen "urp" the miconazole.

As @casportpony touched upon, there are mitigating circumstances, though relatively rare, where a sour crop will not respond to an anti-yeast treatment. I had such a hen very recently. She appeared to have a bacterial infection of some sort and that was probably causing the sour crop. It's very tricky to treat a bacterial infection while also treating sour crop as the antibiotic aggravates and sometimes causes sour crop.

My hen responded to neither the antibiotic or the anti-yeast med and I had to euthanize her. But I've otherwise had excellent luck curing sour crop with miconazole. Be sure you treat twice a day for a full seven days.

As far as feeding your patient, you may offer her boiled egg and anything else other than starchy foods as you see her appetite return. Generally, a sour crop patient won't have much of an appetite the first day of treatment, but you may certainly offer her the food.

 

[Carolrich]

The anti-yeast meds will calm the sour state of the crop within a short time. I've never had a hen "urp" the miconazole.

As @casportpony touched upon, there are mitigating circumstances, though relatively rare, where a sour crop will not respond to an anti-yeast treatment. I had such a hen very recently. She appeared to have a bacterial infection of some sort and that was probably causing the sour crop. It's very tricky to treat a bacterial infection while also treating sour crop as the antibiotic aggravates and sometimes causes sour crop.

My hen responded to neither the antibiotic or the anti-yeast med and I had to euthanize her. But I've otherwise had excellent luck curing sour crop with miconazole. Be sure you treat twice a day for a full seven days.

As far as feeding your patient, you may offer her boiled egg and anything else other than starchy foods as you see her appetite return. Generally, a sour crop patient won't have much of an appetite the first day of treatment, but you may certainly offer her the food.

Well guess what? Last evening, I managed to get some miconazole into Greta and followed by a little boiled egg. Some of it did come back up and out with some more clear brown fluid. (A little vomit that I call an "urp")
But this morning her crop was empty and she took the micronazole readily and was ravenous for the egg. I only fed her a tablespoon to see how she copes with this. I will check her later. I can't thank you enough for your help and will certainly continue the medicine 2 times per day for 7 days.
I see that you have earned awards for sharing your expertise and am so glad for you! I will keep this thread updated.

 

[Carolrich]

I have no experience with sour/slow/impacted crop and was not recommending an article--I was calling the users to ask if they had any advice.

I have heard that you can feed coconut oil (as an alternative to mineral oil, which is commonly recommended, but is liquid and therefore inhalable) to lubricate the crop, which I would try first. I would massage down, if I did at all, because massaging up sounds like a good way to aspirate the bird.

Good luck.

If you look to the end of this thread, you will see that Greta is on the mend! I am grateful for this site and to you for referring the thread to azygous and a sport pony!

 

[Carolrich]

That should have said casportpony