Sour Crop/impacted crop recovery (poop pic question)

[Kskiba]

So, first experience with crop struggles.
Found our 18 week old Rhode Island Red bird (not laying yet) hen with a super distended crop and was spitting up fluids, crop was not emptying overnight. Super squishy crop, figured it was sour crop/impacted. Started her on miconazole twice a day. Isolated her inside our house, restricted food for 36 ish hours because her crop still seemed distended even after giving coconut oil and massage. She had water with vitamins and probiotics in it the whole time. She has never been lethargic.
At 36 hours it finally seemed to go down. Started feeding eggs and mashed fruit or watered down feed. She is pooping, however it is definitely more watery not super solid. Sorry for the graphic picture but need to figure out when I can put her back out. Her crop seems to be emptying between the eggs and watery feed.

 

[coach723]

I would not put her back out until you are sure she's eating normally and the crop is emptying correctly. Sometimes if you put them out too soon they will gorge on something that just makes things worse, like a bunch of grass. I would gradually try to change her diet back to her normal feed, while making sure things are still working normally. Once that happens, it will likely be OK. Does she have access to grit all the time?

 

[Kskiba]

I would not put her back out until you are sure she's eating normally and the crop is emptying correctly. Sometimes if you put them out too soon they will gorge on something that just makes things worse, like a bunch of grass. I would gradually try to change her diet back to her normal feed, while making sure things are still working normally. Once that happens, it will likely be OK. Does she have access to grit all the time?

Yes, I have been putting grit in her kennel. How fast should I be advancing the food she is eating in quantity? I don’t want to starve her but don’t want to give her to much either I have been giving her small amounts every 6 ish hours.

 

[coach723]

If that much is passing through normally, just start increasing the amount a little each time that it does. Once she's to the point of free feeding again, you'll know she's ok.

 

[Blessedwithhens]

How is you hen?

 

[LLLchic]

So, first experience with crop struggles.
Found our 18 week old Rhode Island Red bird (not laying yet) hen with a super distended crop and was spitting up fluids, crop was not emptying overnight. Super squishy crop, figured it was sour crop/impacted. Started her on miconazole twice a day. Isolated her inside our house, restricted food for 36 ish hours because her crop still seemed distended even after giving coconut oil and massage. She had water with vitamins and probiotics in it the whole time. She has never been lethargic.
At 36 hours it finally seemed to go down. Started feeding eggs and mashed fruit or watered down feed. She is pooping, however it is definitely more watery not super solid. Sorry for the graphic picture but need to figure out when I can put her back out. Her crop seems to be emptying between the eggs and watery feed.

How is your hen now? What helped, my rhode island is experiencing these exact issues and I’ve tried the massage, coconut oil and ACV. She is extremely lethargic. Any advice appreciated, thx L

 

[Kskiba]

How is your hen now? What helped, my rhode island is experiencing these exact issues and I’ve tried the massage, coconut oil and ACV. She is extremely lethargic. Any advice appreciated, thx L

So I put electrolytes, emergency rescue formula, in the water. Then I ended up giving vagisil cream.

 

[starleta]

Hello, I wanted to post our recent success story treating sour crop in the hopes that maybe I can help someone else. We have NOT induced vomiting and would not recommend this, as we read of many fatalities. Even when she was spitting up we avoiding vomiting her, and I'm very glad we did - just not worth the risk.

Bitsy was shaking her head and looked as if she was gagging and did that repeatedly for 30 mins. Seemed ok after that, if a bit slow and quiet. Next day she kept standing in place and closing her eyes, so I knew something was wrong. Noticed she was not eating at all, and she would not take treats when offered.

Her crop initially felt soft and empty, NOT overly bulbous or squishy. She also did not have any sour smell. However, the next morning when we took her from the sick bay and palpitated her crop, we heard a very loud gurgling just like from a human stomach, over and over. And then when I leaned over and pointed her downwards, thick and very sticky strands of clear spittle/bile came forth.

From then on, her crop continued to feel full and squishy and she was spitting up thick, sticky bile so that she'd have it all over neck and chest when we'd check on her, so we became sure that it was sour crop. That said, she turned a corner overnight and is back to being a bright and feisty gal on day 3! She's eating lots of boiled yolk today and would like to go outside cause she's BORED!

Here is the routine that has worked for Bitsy:
- 3ml syringe water solution, 3x/day: solution is 1 teaspoon epsom salts dissolved in 8oz. water with one large minced garlic clove mixed in. Keep solution refrigerated.
- 1/2 teaspoon yogurt mixture, 3x/day: mixture is 1/4 cup yogurt mixed with 1/2 drop clove oil and/or 1/2 drop oregano oil (they're so strong, I didn't feel comfortable using even a full drop, so I just touched a drop and smeared that on the bowl and then worked into the yogurt with a spoon. Even that tiny amount and you can still smell the clove.
- 1/2 tsp coconut oil chips, 3x/day: just kept mashing the solidified oil against the end of her beak until she licks it with her tongue. Takes about 20 mins to get her to eat it all.
- Free feed, days 1-3: yogurt mixed with cinnamon, boiled egg yolk, grit, eggshells (day 3 is the first day she's eaten on her own)
- Free feed, days 4: we plan to add a small amount of oatmeal to the yogurt tomorrow
- Free feed, days 5-7: if she's doing well, we plan to add small amount of ground feed (1 tbsp perhaps)
- Massage crop, 5x/day or more: before each treatment or feeding, Bitsy gets a 2-3 minute crop massage. Each time we hear gurgling and stomach noises, but we can tell she's improving today because she's not clenching her eyes shut like it hurts anymore.