Sour crop - 3 days running

[MandS]

One of my hens has a bad case of sour crop.

Day 1 (Friday) I noticed she wasn't herself. Her crop wasn't massive but it was squishy. I massaged it several times and hoped for the best.

Day 2 (yesterday) her crop was very full in the morning, so I isolated her in the nursing cage with no food or water for 24 hours, just regular massage.

Day 3 she has nothing but a tiny small clay like lump, about the size of small grape. So I managed it, gave her access to water with apple cider vinegar, and a small amount of mash. By lunchtime her crop was big and I withdrew the water. She had drunk about 100ml. By late afternoon, the crop was bigger. She had done some poops which were very smelly, almost black (with some urates on top) and very sticky. In the end I had to empty her crop to about 50% of what it was. It was far less brown than the day before.

Her appetite in the morning was good. By afternoon it was non existent. I tried to get her to eat some mash with live yoghurt but maybe I should have done that with the first feed.

So what should I do tomorrow? In the UK you can't get nystatin, hence why I'm using live yoghurt. I did also wonder about molasses to flush her system.

Not sure how long she can survive like this because she's not getting any nutrients. So advice would be very welcome and very helpful.

Thanks.

 

[Tookie]

How is she today?

Here's a good article on crop issues. ->
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/
Are you able to get the product mentioned in the article for treating sour crop? If so I would get that and use it immediately.

Be careful with emptying her crop, it could cause her to aspirate which wouldn't be good.

The live yogurt is good, so keep that up.
If she's not eating on her own you may need start syringing or tube feeding her.
Or you could use the torpedo feeding method, all you have to do is wet her feed down enough until you can make it into little balls and just pop those into her mouth.
Continue the crop massages, but give her something like coconut oil to help out with that. That is mentioned in the article I linked.
She definitely need to eat so hopefully you can get some food into her.

You could do a molasses flush, or an epsom salt one too. I don't know anything about those things though.

 

[MandS]

Thank you.

Day 4 started well. Gave her a small amount of scrambled egg with live yoghurt (not added until egg was cold!) which she ate with gusto. Tried giving her some more at midday, no joy. Tried again late evening and she ate some but not a huge amount.

Although I limited her water to 4 to 6 sips per 3 hours, her crop got big again.

Day 5 and I've just got her up. She didn't want to leave the sleeping area, so took her back to the nursing cage. Her crop is small and a little watery but not like clay. I've not given her anything yet but will give some mash with coconut oil and a bit of yoghurt.

Her poop differs between very small (and I mean small) pulleys of ordinary poop to stick, smelly tar like dark matter. Both have good levels of urates.

I've dealt with a lot of crap issues over the years, including surgery, but I've never had one last this long. I've checked the poop for worms and can't see anything. Her fellow coop-mates are all fine. I'm not keen on deworming her if she's weak. She's very skinny but she's always been quite a lean chicken - although it's noticeable at the moment particularly when holding her.

The article is extremely good. I had used it before I posted. The most helpful thing I got from it was the different medications. It was a national holiday weekend here in the UK, which includes the Monday, so no access to vets. I'm going to call another vet (long story) and see if I can get her to provide some anti fungals. She's not avian but she's excellent with our other animals and always asks me about the chickens.

 

[TillyPeeps]

I have a hen with impact/sour crop on and off for a couple of months now. I followed azygous's article to treat her at first, and then I only isolate her with water and chick feed and give her some olive/ coconut oil and massage for 5~10 minutes a few times a day when her crop feel squishy at morning. She usually recovers in 1~2 days. I also give her yogurt everyday.

 

[Tookie]

Thank you.

Day 4 started well. Gave her a small amount of scrambled egg with live yoghurt (not added until egg was cold!) which she ate with gusto. Tried giving her some more at midday, no joy. Tried again late evening and she ate some but not a huge amount.

Although I limited her water to 4 to 6 sips per 3 hours, her crop got big again.

Day 5 and I've just got her up. She didn't want to leave the sleeping area, so took her back to the nursing cage. Her crop is small and a little watery but not like clay. I've not given her anything yet but will give some mash with coconut oil and a bit of yoghurt.

Her poop differs between very small (and I mean small) pulleys of ordinary poop to stick, smelly tar like dark matter. Both have good levels of urates.

I've dealt with a lot of crap issues over the years, including surgery, but I've never had one last this long. I've checked the poop for worms and can't see anything. Her fellow coop-mates are all fine. I'm not keen on deworming her if she's weak. She's very skinny but she's always been quite a lean chicken - although it's noticeable at the moment particularly when holding her.

The article is extremely good. I had used it before I posted. The most helpful thing I got from it was the different medications. It was a national holiday weekend here in the UK, which includes the Monday, so no access to vets. I'm going to call another vet (long story) and see if I can get her to provide some anti fungals. She's not avian but she's excellent with our other animals and always asks me about the chickens.

Since her crop isn't large anymore, I would give her access to food and water 24/7. She does needs to drink and eat more. Its good she ate some on day 4.
When you give the coconut oil definitely do some massages after. I've found it easy to refrigerate the oil then cut it into little chunks and pop that into the mouth.
Some crop issues can last long so it may just need more time.
Even if you can't see worms there still could be some in there or something, and I don't think deworming would hurt. Although I would think if she had an overload you'd see them.
Giving eggs, meat, or fish are good ways to up her weight.
Good luck with your vet, I hope you can get something from her!

 

[MandS]

Thank you to all of you for your advice. I'm really pleased to say that Tulip is now fine. It took a number of days, including two whole days of no food. The thing that finally got out to go was giving her live yoghurt and coconut oil. I did this by mixing it into mash and, because she was hungry enough, she ate it. I would massage her crop every couple of hours and eventually it cleared, she perked up like she was happy to be alive, and joined the flock. She is still a bit thin but I think she's getting a bit fatter on a slow but gradual basis.

It was a nasty one. The longest I've ever dealt with. Oddly I'm now dealing with an extremely persistent doughy crop from one of her coop mates. I may need to post about that separately as it's large, not responding to yoghurt and coconut oil, and each day I think it's broken down from a single lump, it appears the next morning.

Personally, I think it's because she's not been drinking enough and I may have to start syringing water into her.

Anyhow, thank you to all for your help, advice and concern. Tulip (in her own way) would thank you too!

 

[Tookie]

Thank you to all of you for your advice. I'm really pleased to say that Tulip is now fine. It took a number of days, including two whole days of no food. The thing that finally got out to go was giving her live yoghurt and coconut oil. I did this by mixing it into mash and, because she was hungry enough, she ate it. I would massage her crop every couple of hours and eventually it cleared, she perked up like she was happy to be alive, and joined the flock. She is still a bit thin but I think she's getting a bit fatter on a slow but gradual basis.

It was a nasty one. The longest I've ever dealt with. Oddly I'm now dealing with an extremely persistent doughy crop from one of her coop mates. I may need to post about that separately as it's large, not responding to yoghurt and coconut oil, and each day I think it's broken down from a single lump, it appears the next morning.

Personally, I think it's because she's not been drinking enough and I may have to start syringing water into her.

Anyhow, thank you to all for your help, advice and concern. Tulip (in her own way) would thank you too!

I'm so glad to hear Tulip has recovered! You did a great job.
I'm sorry to hear you've got another sick one. For doughy crop I think I would treat for impacted and sour crop. I hope she recovers too!