Sour Crop problems ??

[Lucy V]

Sorry it's long but please read whole thing waned to get all information in !!!
Any help would be massively appreciated
Have 25 Chickens (Warren's, Rhode rock, light Sussex, specked marran, white star, blue bell) I had 9 already and got the 16 others about 2 months ago now. To start with after about 3 weeks some started showing symptoms of MG with one sneezing a lot and then another became ill since the ill one became better there is one that is still sneezing a bit but then about a week ago I went down to them and they suddenly all appeared to have this big lump where crop is some more than others but they all had an enlarged crop especially blue bells I removed food food for 24 hours and most it seemed to go down then I gave all 25 some plain yoghurt mixed with some layers pellets and a lot of there swelling came straight back with in moments of eating I thought maybe cause they haven't eaten and they'd just had all that it wasn't loads but I has to put it in big pile instead of give each one individually a small amount would have been to hard and so left them till evening and some of them had a smaller lump that was harder one had a lump that felt grainy and some were empty so left them over night and in the morning all but 1 was empty crop so I've given those ones a scoopful of feed between all of them so not much at all and as soon as they've eaten that they had small golf ball size lumps again (not sure if that's normal straight after they've eaten especially when they barely had any) all different textures some harder than others some grain some soft !!! I'm going to go and get some Keifer Yoghurt I think it is as heard that's good and some ACV for their water. Do I mix yoghurt with pellets or on its own. Or is it definitely sour Crop as why have all 25 Chickens suddenly developed it. If I leave them for 24 hrs no food most of their crops do become empty but just fill straight away with small amounts. I don't know what else I can do ANY SUGGESTIONS should I feed tiny amounts every few hours ?? I couldn't bear losing them especially all 25 of them I absolutely adore them and have been very worried all week so any help much appreciated Thank you
PS I've kept chickens for years and never had any health problems with any before
Vets isn't an option atm due to virus, money and where I live

 

[Chickinie]

Was it a hot day when they all had the large crops? They usually drink more water on hot days. I doubt that they would all get sour crop at once. By your descriptions of how their crops feel now, they sound normal to me. Sour crop doesn't usually go down at all without treatment; and it usually makes chooks look a bit sick and lethargic.

 

[Lucy V]

I don't remember it been a particularly hot day Maximum 16 celcius (which is slightly warm for here but not hot) on that day and then for 2 or 3 days before it was like that max temperature and about 5 or so days before I noticed them was the last hot day we had for few weeks before that it had been quite hot but would it show about 5 -7 days later after the hot days ???
The one I said that still had stuff in its crop this morning after not having food overnight and only having a bit that morning won't have eaten for 29 hours now but you can still feel stuff in crop it has pecked about as they're free range so would that be normal even though hasn't had pellets ??
Do you think it's safe and healthy for them for me to give them back their feeder so they can eat as they want ?!
Do you think I'm being to paranoid about it? Never dealt with any chicken problems before so just want them to be healthy and happy I live in North Yorkshire, England
thank you for your help it's massively appreciated
Edit: about hour ago gave them 2 scoops pellets between 25 of them and most of their crops are the size of plums/ squishy tennis balls now is that normal for them to be full crops after not much food !

 

[Chickinie]

I don't remember it been a particularly hot day Maximum 16 celcius (which is slightly warm for here but not hot) on that day and then for 2 or 3 days before it was like that max temperature and about 5 or so days before I noticed them was the last hot day we had for few weeks before that it had been quite hot but would it show about 5 -7 days later after the hot days ???
The one I said that still had stuff in its crop this morning after not having food overnight and only having a bit that morning won't have eaten for 29 hours now but you can still feel stuff in crop it has pecked about as they're free range so would that be normal even though hasn't had pellets ??
Do you think it's safe and healthy for them for me to give them back their feeder so they can eat as they want ?!
Do you think I'm being to paranoid about it? Never dealt with any chicken problems before so just want them to be healthy and happy I live in North Yorkshire, England
thank you for your help it's massively appreciated
Edit: about hour ago gave them 2 scoops pellets between 25 of them and most of their crops are the size of plums/ squishy tennis balls now is that normal for them to be full crops after not much food !

They usually digest their water pretty quickly so after 5 or so days after the heat they wouldn't still be full from the excessive drinking. But if they had sour crop they would be looking a bit sick, and they get sicker and sicker as they time goes on.

You say they free range, what type of soil do you have? When they free range they usually pick up little rocks and things for grit, and if you have grass or any greenery for them they are sure to eat that!

I do think your being paranoid about it haha. But it's good that your so observant! 25 chickens is a lot to take care of.

Your welcome. I'm glad I can give you some advice! I live in Qld, Australia, with under 25 chickens and over 25 other birds. Haha.

You have to remember that after their food mixes with water it swells a little - pellets, and even grain does too. Are you chooks looking happy otherwise?

 

[Lucy V]

I'm not sure what type of soil we have will do some research ! They seem fine in themselves but they do have symptoms of something just not sure what
I have a few who sneeze a bit and get nasal discharge a bit and some of their combs have gone from been red and healthy to getting black patches on them and just not looking so healthy then one or two have bit of white on them as well. When I got them a few months ago they were very young so there combs hadn't developed yet which is understandable now I've had them few months most of their combs have grown and nearly fully developed but there is one especially whose comb hasn't grown or developed at all so she has at tiny red thing at top of her head but that's it (she is one of the ones whose sneezes a bit) few days ago I gave them back there food normally to eat whenever they want instead of me giving it to them every so often but this last week I have had a massive drop in eggs and the amount off eggs I'm getting each day at moment has halved !! I thought it could put be a worms problem ?? So they did have a week of worming pellets a month ago with flubenovent in I think is what it's called (will double check) as I notice some of them kept doing yellow foamy poos and some liquidy poos which I didn't think was normal

Just to make it all clearer the symptoms are in simple:

- combs started to get a lot of black on some of them and few with bits of white on them

- a chicken that sneezes a bit and comb has never grown (used to have bit of foamy eye mostly gone now only very tiny bit)

- Few chickens sneezing sometimes and nasal discharge

- Massive drop in the daily eggs

- See yellow foamy poos about and sometimes very liquidy ones as well

Just with all these symptoms I feel something isn't right with them but pretty much all of them see fine in themselves which is why I'm not to concerned anymore ! Just really want the egg count to go back up. Could attach some photos if that'd help ? Thanks

 

[Chickinie]

If you could post a few photos of their combs that you have concerns about, that would be good.

It sounds like some may have some type of respiratory illness, if they are sneezing and have discharge. Maybe CRD (chronic respiratory disease)? That is quite a common one.

Did worming them help with the watery and foamy poos?

I think you should look into treating them all with antibiotics if some are sneezing and have discharge, and odd poops.