Sour crop or underlying digestive issue?

[ClucksAndCombs]

Hello,

Hope everyone's doing alright with this mess going on

Around two weeks ago, I noticed one of my 5yr EE hens was a bit lethargic. After inspection, I concluded she had a bit of sour crop- no big deal since we've treated it countless times and have all of the necessary medicines. Gave her nystatin, probiotics, apple cedar vinegar, and some yogurt around once or twice a day. A couple of days after, no improvement. Brought her inside, and decided to induce vomiting, since some sunflower seeds were over a day old. Got most of the stuff out. Given her probiotics, nystatin, apple cider around three times a day for around a week and no improvement but it's also not getting worse. I've let her wander around for two hours with the others for free-range but been careful for her to avoid anything other than grass. She's passing some food, but it's not much. (I'll hopefully get a picture of her waste) Because of this, I'm wondering if this is something other than a sour crop. It's swishy, but it balloons up and down like with air. I thought that was a bit different since with other cases I've never noticed that.
She's also a very chill chicken- never been food orientated and thought as a slow eater or couldn't see food "because of her muffs"- but I've never been concerned. Like other EEs, rarely gets sick- actually the only time was a mild impacted crop a year ago but that's it.

I can provide more information if needed.

Thanks

Symptoms
- Lethargic
- Swishy crop
- Balloony crop- inflates up and down
- Crop seems slow to empty, not fully empty in the morning
- Watery waste with separate lumps of dark green (I can include a picture as soon as I can)

 

[ClucksAndCombs]

This is the most recent one. Just gave her some DE (just exploring options in case of worms).

 

[Eggcessive]

Has she laid eggs recently? Does she have a swollen or enlarged lower abdomen down between her legs? I have seen droppings similar to those in hens having reproductive disorders.

 

[ClucksAndCombs]

I woke up today and found three new poops. They look vastly better. The only new thing I did yesterday was DE, just in case it was worms. She looks like she’s improved a bit too, more perky. Makes sense if it is worms, they are free ranged and I live in a wetland environment.
Edit: just gave her a second dose of DE, hoping for further improvement. Continuing to give her probiotics, ACV and olive oil just in case yeast is developing.

 

[cluckadoodledoo13]

View attachment 2098635View attachment 2098636View attachment 2098637
I woke up today and found three new poops. They look vastly better. The only new thing I did yesterday was DE, just in case it was worms. She looks like she’s improved a bit too, more perky.

Glad she’s improving. Good luck with her and keep us updated.

 

[ClucksAndCombs]

Has she laid eggs recently? Does she have a swollen or enlarged lower abdomen down between her legs? I have seen droppings similar to those in hens having reproductive disorders.

She hasn’t squatted for us in awhile, though I saw her on the nest three or so weeks ago. I checked that area and there was no swelling.

 

[ClucksAndCombs]

Sorry for the late update.
I’ve continued to give her DE but she’s still at this strange plateau. Poops are no longer normal and back to the worrisome look. She is not taking enough food and isn’t throwing up either. When she does eat, she eats somethings outside. I don’t know what I can do, I’m just going to continue her doses of nystatin, probiotics, ACV and olive oil.

 

[Eggcessive]

It looks like her green poops are do to not eating much. What is she eating besides grass and yogurt? Can you try offering some scrambled egg and a little watery chicken feed? It is really difficult trying to treat a sour crop. DE is not a good choice for worming, because it does nothing when wet inside the body. A better option for worming is either Valbazen or SafeGuard Liquid Goat Wormer.

 

[ClucksAndCombs]

It looks like her green poops are do to not eating much. What is she eating besides grass and yogurt? Can you try offering some scrambled egg and a little watery chicken feed? It is really difficult trying to treat a sour crop. DE is not a good choice for worming, because it does nothing when wet inside the body. A better option for worming is either Valbazen or SafeGuard Liquid Goat Wormer.

Wow- never knew that. Thanks.
She is hard to feed and refuses the syringe. I gave her two squirts of yogurt- she kept on squeezing out or putting up a fight- and she’s a friendly bird. I decided on just giving her some soft probiotic pellets and yogurt on a dish but she’s not interested, yet picks at stuff on the floor. I’ll try again in a hour.

 

[Eggcessive]

I would just offer her the food and let her decide if she wants any or not. Make sure that she has water with electrolytes and vitamins available at all times. Chickens can live for a long time with minimal food, but they need the water to survive. Most of the chickens I have seen with sour crop do not survive more than a few weeks. Usually there is an underlying cause for the crop disorder. In my hens it was a reproductive disorder or ascites putting pressure on the abdominal organs.