Sour Crop treatment options (Aus)

[Birdigo]

One of my hens has sour crop! She's got a huge, soft squishy crop, and sour smell from her mouth. This has just showed up today. She is otherwise very alert, hasn't yet lost weight and is still laying. At first I did induce vomiting with her, but stopped because I felt uncomfortable with the possibility her aspirating.

I've got her isolated in a crate with apple cider vinegar diluted in her water, and no feed at the moment. I'll be checking her frequently to see if her crop empties over time.

From here on out, I'm trying to follow this article:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

Miconazole is available to me, but I'm not sure what products to pick from my local chemists. All the options I've seen so far have extra ingredients such as:

"Active Ingredient: Miconazole 2% w/w,
Also contains: Phenethyl alcohol 1% w/w."

I have no idea if this is safe to use! Does any one have any insights on if this matters?
Additionally- does anyone around Melbourne/Brimbank area have recommendations for vets experienced with poultry in case things don't improve with my hen?

D; In the coming days I need to figure out why she developed sour crop too. I'm worried that something is up with the feed, or the run probably needs a deep clean. It's been going between warm and wet lately.

 

[Birdigo]

Update: Continuing to read on in the comments of the article for more insights.

I've put her back with the rest of the flock, since there doesn't seem to be much reason to keep her separated right now. She was squawking miserably without her sister around. I'm planning on getting her some unsweetened/unflavored kefir and the anti-fungal cream tomorrow, after checking her crop when the sun rises.

I will probably have to temporarily separate her for feeding though, the rest of the girls will mob me if I try to give her some cooked egg and anything that is novel to them. Maybe I'll set up my chicken jail in the run again?

 

[MaryJanet]

I'm trying to think of another Aussie who had sour crop issues. Maybe @LozzyR ?

 

[LozzyR]

Hi Birdigo

I recently had a hen with crop issues. She was diagnosed with sour crop by one vet, and another thought it was due to an impacted crop. She went off the feed but would still show interest in things like oats, cheese, scrambled egg etc. I’d also isolate her and offer her Greek yogurt with baby bird formula mixed through it for extra nutrients. I gave her crop a gentle massage at night, but not too much so she wouldn’t aspirate. The anti-fungals had to be in contact with the thrush lesions so I syringed it into her mouth, rather than down her throat. I also put apple cider vinegar in the water. She got better which I was very pleased about.

Offer her any food that she will eat as you need to get nutrients into her. If you find an avian vet they might be able to do a crop wash, which my vet did twice. Good luck, I hope your girl gets better.

 

[Birdigo]

Thanks LozzyR for the advice!

I checked her crop again this morning at sunrise, and it is still huge and soft. I've gotten in touch with an avian vet clinic that isn't too far from home, so she'll be going to see them as soon as I'm done with work in a few hours!

 

[Birdigo]

Update on my girl! She's staying with the vets to do some more testing to see if there's any particular cause. It's pricey, but this is my pet flock and I want to avoid anything preventable. They raised the possibility that foreign objects like nuts and screws can mess things up- I remember my dad dropping many in the run during construction and I'm not certain he got them all. Sweeping the yard and run tomorrow with a metal detector just in case.

It probably sounds a bit overkill or pedantic, but these hens are my babies. I'm sure there's still a lot of stuff I might be messing up without realizing, still being fresh to chooks.

 

[MaryJanet]

Update on my girl! She's staying with the vets to do some more testing to see if there's any particular cause. It's pricey, but this is my pet flock and I want to avoid anything preventable. They raised the possibility that foreign objects like nuts and screws can mess things up- I remember my dad dropping many in the run during construction and I'm not certain he got them all. Sweeping the yard and run tomorrow with a metal detector just in case.

It probably sounds a bit overkill or pedantic, but these hens are my babies. I'm sure there's still a lot of stuff I might be messing up without realizing, still being fresh to chooks.

I'd do the same mate.

 

[LozzyR]

Update on my girl! She's staying with the vets to do some more testing to see if there's any particular cause. It's pricey, but this is my pet flock and I want to avoid anything preventable. They raised the possibility that foreign objects like nuts and screws can mess things up- I remember my dad dropping many in the run during construction and I'm not certain he got them all. Sweeping the yard and run tomorrow with a metal detector just in case.

It probably sounds a bit overkill or pedantic, but these hens are my babies. I'm sure there's still a lot of stuff I might be messing up without realizing, still being fresh to chooks.

Not at all, a large proportion of chicken-keepers view their birds as pets, rather than just a commodity. No judgement here!

 

[Birdigo]

Update again! My hen is likely coming home tomorrow morning. After some TLC and tests, the vet determined that she ingested something that really messed with her digestive tract that did eventually pass- but did leave some damage that will heal over time. Nothing too serious, and thankfully nothing that could have affected the whole flock.

I'm really glad to have her back soon. Family has been making fun of me for caring so much about my flock of hens. Not very valuable opinion coming from them, considering the bare minimum they do even for dogs. More than anything I just really want to give my poor lil' hen a hug and some treats. She's been very tame and friendly with the veterinarians despite her discomfort.

 

[LozzyR]

Update again! My hen is likely coming home tomorrow morning. After some TLC and tests, the vet determined that she ingested something that really messed with her digestive tract that did eventually pass- but did leave some damage that will heal over time. Nothing too serious, and thankfully nothing that could have affected the whole flock.

I'm really glad to have her back soon. Family has been making fun of me for caring so much about my flock of hens. Not very valuable opinion coming from them, considering the bare minimum they do even for dogs. More than anything I just really want to give my poor lil' hen a hug and some treats. She's been very tame and friendly with the veterinarians despite her discomfort.

That’s good news! Hang out with us, no-one in our group will ever tease you for loving your chickens.