Sour crop... again!

[cackleberryandco]

Yeah... this chicken has been to the vet A LOT. After a month of intense care, many vet visits, sub q fluids, tube feedings and medications... She's doing a lot better. But it was a lot of work! We have a second chicken having similar issues- the vets couldn't find anything toxic on either of them so assuming it's a partial obstruction from them eating long grass when we opened up another area of run for them. :/

I think that's what caused my SS's sour crop.. she just eats and eats and eats and I think all of that just got caught up. It could just be something like that

 

[Sarahh_Janeyy]

Well, we have a new possibility. So we currently have 2 chickens inside with GI issues. One is resolving, but she shit has some diarrhea, the other one is slow emptying and she has zero desire to eat so we've started liquid tube feeding her.

However, yesterday, as we were bringing that second one to the vet, our flock boss started acting weird. I noticed she was shaking her head and had her wings kind of low. She went to go lay and I thought maybe that's all it was, but then the egg she laid was a softshell! So we brought her with us to the vet. He suspected mycoplasma! She's done the head shaking thing on and off in the last year and a half, and I have seen maybe 3 other soft shell eggs in the past but never caught who was doing it. So we sent a sample to be tested. The vet said that mycoplasma *could* explain the GI issues on the other two girls, even though they aren't having respiratory symptoms. It would also explain why the emergency vets that have been taking care of the two GI cases never tested/suspected mycoplasma.

Anyway, it'll be a week or so before we find out. Meantime, we have 3 chickens in the house and the one with the respiratory symptoms is VERY depressed being alone in a crate inside away from her flock. She's never had any other health issues to bring her inside so she's definitely not okay with this arrangement Worried we are stressing her out, but don't want the other birds to get sick, even though they've probably already been exposed.

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

This is my second time posting about this!

My 10-ish week old Speckled Sussex still has sour crop! It has been a little more than 2 weeks now, she has been treated with miconazole, apple cider vinegar in water, yogurt, olive oil, etc. and nothing has fixed it. I am wondering if maybe it is because of an underlying issue or if I am just not doing enough?

She isn't lethargic at all, not sickly, wants to eat and drink, wants to be back outside with her sisters. Sleeps normally. She is pooping, so things are passing, but she is constantly trying to rearrange her crop and kicking at it with her foot. Her breath is sour. The crop feels like a water balloon.

I am wondering, is it because I am not massaging her? Should I be doing that, and how often? I am away at school a lot of the day so I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to do it as much as I'd want to.. unless I ask my mom who is at home to do it for me. Should I be doing that, and putting olive oil in her too?

What else can I do for her? Should I try that first and see what happens?

My chickens are all vaccinated against Marek's.

Thanks!

I'm wondering if it's a Speckled Sussex thing. My SS has the same issue, and I've heard of other Speckled Sussexes with similar issues. Mine is currently being treated with Miconazole as told to me by @Wyorp Rock . Before I got this help that I'm doing now, she's been wearing a crop bra. That has helped a lot! She started having issues again recently, so that's why I went looking for help again, and @Wyorp Rock said the treatment I'm doing, so that's why I'm trying it. She's still wearing the crop bra, and I'm hoping to try taking it off of her soon to see if she's cured.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Well, we have a new possibility. So we currently have 2 chickens inside with GI issues. One is resolving, but she shit has some diarrhea, the other one is slow emptying and she has zero desire to eat so we've started liquid tube feeding her.

However, yesterday, as we were bringing that second one to the vet, our flock boss started acting weird. I noticed she was shaking her head and had her wings kind of low. She went to go lay and I thought maybe that's all it was, but then the egg she laid was a softshell! So we brought her with us to the vet. He suspected mycoplasma! She's done the head shaking thing on and off in the last year and a half, and I have seen maybe 3 other soft shell eggs in the past but never caught who was doing it. So we sent a sample to be tested. The vet said that mycoplasma *could* explain the GI issues on the other two girls, even though they aren't having respiratory symptoms. It would also explain why the emergency vets that have been taking care of the two GI cases never tested/suspected mycoplasma.

Anyway, it'll be a week or so before we find out. Meantime, we have 3 chickens in the house and the one with the respiratory symptoms is VERY depressed being alone in a crate inside away from her flock. She's never had any other health issues to bring her inside so she's definitely not okay with this arrangement Worried we are stressing her out, but don't want the other birds to get sick, even though they've probably already been exposed.

Every time I think I know something, I bring this chicken to the vet and the vet gives me a whole lesson on how wrong stuff on the internet is :/ And I hate to say it, but if I had listened to the stuff I read here and elsewhere, she'd be dead 3 or 4 times over by now. I hope if someone comes searching for crop issues and finds this post- if you can afford the vet, do it.

@Sarahh_Janeyy You're thread is here
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/the-saga-continues-sour-crop-etc.1495178/

Looks like your birds are under vet care. I suggest that you consult your vet if you are still having troubles. Good Luck!

 

[cackleberryandco]

Well, we have a new possibility. So we currently have 2 chickens inside with GI issues. One is resolving, but she shit has some diarrhea, the other one is slow emptying and she has zero desire to eat so we've started liquid tube feeding her.

However, yesterday, as we were bringing that second one to the vet, our flock boss started acting weird. I noticed she was shaking her head and had her wings kind of low. She went to go lay and I thought maybe that's all it was, but then the egg she laid was a softshell! So we brought her with us to the vet. He suspected mycoplasma! She's done the head shaking thing on and off in the last year and a half, and I have seen maybe 3 other soft shell eggs in the past but never caught who was doing it. So we sent a sample to be tested. The vet said that mycoplasma *could* explain the GI issues on the other two girls, even though they aren't having respiratory symptoms. It would also explain why the emergency vets that have been taking care of the two GI cases never tested/suspected mycoplasma.

Anyway, it'll be a week or so before we find out. Meantime, we have 3 chickens in the house and the one with the respiratory symptoms is VERY depressed being alone in a crate inside away from her flock. She's never had any other health issues to bring her inside so she's definitely not okay with this arrangement Worried we are stressing her out, but don't want the other birds to get sick, even though they've probably already been exposed.

Good luck with this! Let me know what your vet says!!!!

And I get that. My sussex was in my house for over a month and she was definitely less happy with the arrangement. One thing I noticed that helped was letting her join in with things I was doing. We let her out of her crate almost daily to hang out with us and she would just lay down on the couch or on the floor. It seems a bit weird but it did wonders for her mental health and she adored all of the attention. It paid off too because now that she's back outside she still loves us humans and runs to us whenever we go up to them. So maybe try and see if she can come out and be occupied every once in awhile, but just make sure she isn't too riled up if she has respiratory issues

 

[Sarahh_Janeyy]

Good luck with this! Let me know what your vet says!!!!

And I get that. My sussex was in my house for over a month and she was definitely less happy with the arrangement. One thing I noticed that helped was letting her join in with things I was doing. We let her out of her crate almost daily to hang out with us and she would just lay down on the couch or on the floor. It seems a bit weird but it did wonders for her mental health and she adored all of the attention. It paid off too because now that she's back outside she still loves us humans and runs to us whenever we go up to them. So maybe try and see if she can come out and be occupied every once in awhile, but just make sure she isn't too riled up if she has respiratory issues

Here's the update: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/the-saga-continues-sour-crop-etc.1495178/#post-25122026