Sour Crop? or More?

[TLHunter20]

3yr ISA Brown with Sour Crop. Very small amounts of runny poop and urates in her recovery pen each day.

Started administering oil and massaging crop. Syringed ACV and pulled food and water for 1st 12 hours. Next day, crop still very full. Started giving 5ml of Miconazole Nitrate in am and pm while continuing with the massaging routine (alternating between avocado oil and mineral oil). Day two, I gave her water back and added ACV and Spectinomycin. Day 4, still no better. I began the puke-assist. Would do 3 pukes with breaks in between morning and night. Each time, very stinky and brown liquid with some small grass bits and sludge. Crop would never fully empty as I didn't want to overdo it but would get a fair bit out each time. Once I started the puke-assist, I would then follow up with a little water that had ACV and Spectinomycin added. Then I would offer yogurt with grit. She would eat and drink very little. Have also continued the Miconazole Nitrate morning and night. The crop is full of liquid every 12 hours and I keep attempting to empty (no way is she drinking this much liquid either, I don't know where it's coming from). I am monitoring all her consumption and she has no other access. I never feel anything hard or putty-like in her crop. Literally feels like just water in there. She is now just bones. Lost all body mass as we are about 10 days in. No vet in my area.

Her crop isn't emptying, meaning her gizzard isn't getting any of her crop contents. All I feel is bone and a watery crop. If impaction, I can't feel it. Something has blocked this passage. I'm looking for suggestions on what it could be and what else I can try.

 

[coach723]

Before this all happened, do you know when she last laid? I know you said she's very thin, but does her abdomen, below the vent, between the legs, feel bloated at all?
Sometimes something farther down is causing the problem and the crop is just a symptom. There are a lot of things than can be the cause, reproductive problems being a common one. Cancers and infections can slow or stop digestion, and the main symptom you see will be a crop issue. ISA Browns are bred to lay lots of eggs and reproductive problems are pretty common in them after the age of two. Things can cause blockages, a load of internal parasites, something ingested that can't pass, especially if it gets lodged in the gizzard. Without imaging it's often hard to know exactly what's going on, and sometimes even with it, it may not be fully clear. These are good resources for crop issues, if you haven't seen them, lots of information here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...ntion-and-treatments-of-crop-disorders.67194/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

 

[TLHunter20]

Before this all happened, do you know when she last laid? I know you said she's very thin, but does her abdomen, below the vent, between the legs, feel bloated at all?
Sometimes something farther down is causing the problem and the crop is just a symptom. There are a lot of things than can be the cause, reproductive problems being a common one. Cancers and infections can slow or stop digestion, and the main symptom you see will be a crop issue. ISA Browns are bred to lay lots of eggs and reproductive problems are pretty common in them after the age of two. Things can cause blockages, a load of internal parasites, something ingested that can't pass, especially if it gets lodged in the gizzard. Without imaging it's often hard to know exactly what's going on, and sometimes even with it, it may not be fully clear. These are good resources for crop issues, if you haven't seen them, lots of information here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...ntion-and-treatments-of-crop-disorders.67194/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

Hi coach723, I appreciate your reply. First off, the hen did pass away. She was in isolation about 13 days with very little improvement. I had to perform assisted vomit for several days (3xs/day) and that alone caused her more discomfort and stress. There was a time near her end that I thought we actually cured the sour crop, to then only have her pass.

I chose not to perform a necropsy as this is a practice that I am not comfortable with.

To answer your questions, she did have a slightly swollen abdomen, but nothing like ascites which I have experienced in a hen in the past.

I suspect she lost too much weight and organs started to shut down without proper nutrition. I feel once the organs start to fail, probability to save the bird drops significantly. Ultimately, that may have been her demise, however, I'm not convinced there wasn't something she was dealing with beyond the sour crop. Impaction in the gizzard or a tumor.

 

[coach723]

I'm very sorry for your loss. At 3 years old, reproductive problems are not uncommon. Cancers sometimes will present with ascites, and sometimes not. The swollen abdomen definitely means something was going on. Infection is also possible, salpingitis can cause a firm, bloated belly and they do not always pass lash material, it sometimes just builds up inside. I once lost one that slowly failed over a week, lost weight, no bloat, no ascites. Necropsy showed an abscessed ovary, it was really bad. There was no way to know that externally. With most reproductive problems, there isn't much to be done even if you know the exact cause, most of them have no treatment or don't respond to medications well. Sometimes necropsy can bring peace of mind, that everything that could be done, was. I understand, it can be difficult.