Sour Crop without full crop???

[hedwall]

Hello, please help my turkey!
I have a 2yo heritage hen who has been off her feed enough that she's lost significant weight. I brought her inside last night and she really isn't eating (not eggs, yogurt, fruit, mealworms or regular feed/pellets - all the stuff she usually loves) or pooping much.

Her chest seemed squishy but I know from my chickens what a pre-bedtime crop feels like and it's not that, I thought maybe just the breasts of the bird? The two sides are even. Her feathers have been looking ragged lately, almost like they've been thinned out or something, especially on the back of her neck and a couple days she came in really smelling like ants! I am considering mites of some kind?? But looked and don't see any under her wings, on head/neck or around her vent. None of my chickens seem affected.

Then I picked her up earlier tonight and by accident she "vomited" yellow liquid. There was a smell to it, but not awful like the forums describe. I did dropper-feed her orange Pedialyte yesterday in an attempt to get some calories into her so now I don't know whether the color is "real" or from the Pedialyte! (I now have Nutri-drench and some other potions on the way.) Yesterday her poops were mostly solid, dark green!?!?, but today they are watery and bright yellow.

Because of what people have said about sour crops I've leaned her over and ejected more yellow liquid out of her several times after the first accident, just in case. I'm surprised how much has come out actually. I also got some coconut oil into her her tonight and after that she drank some water on her own. She's making noise (regular chirps but I'm paranoid she's doing so suddenly because I've caused her pain) and has decided that last night on the edge of the bathtub was bollocks, tonight the shower curtain rod in the guest bathroom/ChICU will make a better roost! I did get a good laugh out of that!

I almost forgot to add, she's not a really regular layer anyway, but I suspect she hasn't been laying eggs for awhile (at first I just thought she started another secret nest again!). She went broody last summer and lost at least this much weight, she was skin and bones by the time we finally locked her out of the coop and convinced her life is worth living in the yard! But after that she got nice and fat again.

What does everyone think is wrong and what should I do next? I'm so afraid she is going to die. She's kind of a pest but I love her and I would be so sad if anything happened to her. Please help, thank you!!!!

 

[Debbie292d]

Hi,

Sorry nobody's gotten back to you. I've not dealt with turkeys but presume sour crop for turkeys is pretty much the same as sour crop in chickens. You could try putting some probiotic powder in her water every other day for a week or two and see if that seems to help.

Otherwise, here's a couple of excellent crop articles that might help.

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

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...ntion-and-treatments-of-crop-disorders.67194/

 

[R2elk]

Hello, please help my turkey!
I have a 2yo heritage hen who has been off her feed enough that she's lost significant weight. I brought her inside last night and she really isn't eating (not eggs, yogurt, fruit, mealworms or regular feed/pellets - all the stuff she usually loves) or pooping much.

Her chest seemed squishy but I know from my chickens what a pre-bedtime crop feels like and it's not that, I thought maybe just the breasts of the bird? The two sides are even. Her feathers have been looking ragged lately, almost like they've been thinned out or something, especially on the back of her neck and a couple days she came in really smelling like ants! I am considering mites of some kind?? But looked and don't see any under her wings, on head/neck or around her vent. None of my chickens seem affected.

Then I picked her up earlier tonight and by accident she "vomited" yellow liquid. There was a smell to it, but not awful like the forums describe. I did dropper-feed her orange Pedialyte yesterday in an attempt to get some calories into her so now I don't know whether the color is "real" or from the Pedialyte! (I now have Nutri-drench and some other potions on the way.) Yesterday her poops were mostly solid, dark green!?!?, but today they are watery and bright yellow.

Because of what people have said about sour crops I've leaned her over and ejected more yellow liquid out of her several times after the first accident, just in case. I'm surprised how much has come out actually. I also got some coconut oil into her her tonight and after that she drank some water on her own. She's making noise (regular chirps but I'm paranoid she's doing so suddenly because I've caused her pain) and has decided that last night on the edge of the bathtub was bollocks, tonight the shower curtain rod in the guest bathroom/ChICU will make a better roost! I did get a good laugh out of that!

I almost forgot to add, she's not a really regular layer anyway, but I suspect she hasn't been laying eggs for awhile (at first I just thought she started another secret nest again!). She went broody last summer and lost at least this much weight, she was skin and bones by the time we finally locked her out of the coop and convinced her life is worth living in the yard! But after that she got nice and fat again.

What does everyone think is wrong and what should I do next? I'm so afraid she is going to die. She's kind of a pest but I love her and I would be so sad if anything happened to her. Please help, thank you!!!!

If you live in an area where blackhead is and issue, yellow poop is an indication that your turkey has blackhead.

@casportpony

 

[hedwall]

Hi,

Sorry nobody's gotten back to you. I've not dealt with turkeys but presume sour crop for turkeys is pretty much the same as sour crop in chickens. You could try putting some probiotic powder in her water every other day for a week or two and see if that seems to help.

Otherwise, here's a couple of excellent crop articles that might help.

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

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...ntion-and-treatments-of-crop-disorders.67194/

Hi Debbie, thanks for writing back! And I hadn't seen that second article yet - that was great!
Tonight her crop still seems empty, she's just not eating anything. Someone else posted about emaciation from blackhead and "fake foraging", which I think she's doing. Thankfully the yellow poop stopped and she's alert and seemingly feeling better, although I am worried she's not taking in enough calories. I bought some of the Corid dewormer in case of blackhead, and this morning I got more coconut oil and cayenne pepper and garlic into her.

 

[hedwall]

If you live in an area where blackhead is and issue, yellow poop is an indication that your turkey has blackhead.

@casportpony

Hi Bob, how do I find out where the hotspots for blackhead are?? Just in case I bought some Corid today, and intend to try that starting tomorrow. This morning I got some more coconut oil and cayenne pepper and garlic into her, but she still didn't eat before bedtime. I was so happy when the yellow poop stopped, maybe on Saturday??, but this morning there was blood in it, kind of like a lining or membrane it looked like. She's still acting alert and "fake foraging". I hope the dewormer and some Nutridrench tomorrow helps.

 

[hedwall]

Hi Debbie, thanks for writing back! And I hadn't seen that second article yet - that was great!
Tonight her crop still seems empty, she's just not eating anything. Someone else posted about emaciation from blackhead and "fake foraging", which I think she's doing. Thankfully the yellow poop stopped and she's alert and seemingly feeling better, although I am worried she's not taking in enough calories. I bought some of the Corid dewormer in case of blackhead, and this morning I got more coconut oil and cayenne pepper and garlic into her.

Debbie, you're the best. Thank you for moving us to the turkey area!!!!

 

[R2elk]

Hi Bob, how do I find out where the hotspots for blackhead are?? Just in case I bought some Corid today, and intend to try that starting tomorrow. This morning I got some more coconut oil and cayenne pepper and garlic into her, but she still didn't eat before bedtime. I was so happy when the yellow poop stopped, maybe on Saturday??, but this morning there was blood in it, kind of like a lining or membrane it looked like. She's still acting alert and "fake foraging". I hope the dewormer and some Nutridrench tomorrow helps.

Do not give garlic. Garlic is an allium. Alliums are toxic to poultry.

The blood may be an indication of coccidiosis.

Check with your local county extension agent for information on blackhead. You can also check with a local (not chain) feed store. They can put you in touch with local turkey raisers. As a last resort you can check with your state veterinarian.

 

[hedwall]

Hello, please help my turkey!
I have a 2yo heritage hen who has been off her feed enough that she's lost significant weight. I brought her inside last night and she really isn't eating (not eggs, yogurt, fruit, mealworms or regular feed/pellets - all the stuff she usually loves) or pooping much.

Her chest seemed squishy but I know from my chickens what a pre-bedtime crop feels like and it's not that, I thought maybe just the breasts of the bird? The two sides are even. Her feathers have been looking ragged lately, almost like they've been thinned out or something, especially on the back of her neck and a couple days she came in really smelling like ants! I am considering mites of some kind?? But looked and don't see any under her wings, on head/neck or around her vent. None of my chickens seem affected.

Then I picked her up earlier tonight and by accident she "vomited" yellow liquid. There was a smell to it, but not awful like the forums describe. I did dropper-feed her orange Pedialyte yesterday in an attempt to get some calories into her so now I don't know whether the color is "real" or from the Pedialyte! (I now have Nutri-drench and some other potions on the way.) Yesterday her poops were mostly solid, dark green!?!?, but today they are watery and bright yellow.

Because of what people have said about sour crops I've leaned her over and ejected more yellow liquid out of her several times after the first accident, just in case. I'm surprised how much has come out actually. I also got some coconut oil into her her tonight and after that she drank some water on her own. She's making noise (regular chirps but I'm paranoid she's doing so suddenly because I've caused her pain) and has decided that last night on the edge of the bathtub was bollocks, tonight the shower curtain rod in the guest bathroom/ChICU will make a better roost! I did get a good laugh out of that!

I almost forgot to add, she's not a really regular layer anyway, but I suspect she hasn't been laying eggs for awhile (at first I just thought she started another secret nest again!). She went broody last summer and lost at least this much weight, she was skin and bones by the time we finally locked her out of the coop and convinced her life is worth living in the yard! But after that she got nice and fat again.

What does everyone think is wrong and what should I do next? I'm so afraid she is going to die. She's kind of a pest but I love her and I would be so sad if anything happened to her. Please help, thank you!!!!

Updates since last post:

- I checked the coop and several chickens for mites as best I could, and didn't find anything. Two chickens are now losing feathers though.

- Turkey's yellow poop stopped and it's not very much but the consistency today (Tuesday) looks almost normal.

- Tuesday morning she pooped a bit of bloody lining or membrane or something, so I decided to lay off the stool softener for a few days.

- Also Tuesday morning she got more coconut oil, some cayenne pepper, garlic and some Poultry911 supplement.

- Wedesday morning I'm going to start Corid dewormer and NutriDrench.

Do not give garlic. Garlic is an allium. Alliums are toxic to poultry.

The blood may be an indication of coccidiosis.

Check with your local county extension agent for information on blackhead. You can also check with a local (not chain) feed store. They can put you in touch with local turkey raisers. As a last resort you can check with your state veterinarian.

Got it, thank you!!! The county extension is a great idea, I hadn't thought of that before!

 

[hedwall]

Hello Debbie & Bob, thank you for replying to my post. I wanted to give an update, for myself and anyone else who may find this thread later. The corid didn't seem to help, but my turkey did eventually respond to the miconazole for sour crop, and started eating & digesting overnight again. I had her off all meds for about two weeks but then she stopped eating again and I was sure she was going to die of starvation/malnutrition.

Of note - there was no additional telltale yellow poop!

A friend suggested of all things I ask ChatGPT what she thought I should do. Chat told me to get Metronidazole from the local pet store which would be sold as an aquarium medication for fish. (A doctor at my hospital later told me that this is very commonly prescribed for humans, especially women, as Flagyl!) I did find it, and noticed an almost immediate improvement in her behavior. Tonight has been the second night that she once more has gone to bed with a very full crop! This morning it was empty, and I hope to find the same again tomorrow morning! (I realize I shouldn't get my hopes up quite yet, but I love her and can't help but feel like we might finally be on the right track.)

Here is what I have learned from this experience, should she survive:

1. Just because all the symptoms don't exactly line up, doesn't mean you should wait/not treat the most common cause(s). If I had used the Metronidazole in the first place as soon as I saw the bright yellow poop (which only happened one or two days??), we might not still be dealing with this a whole month later. But I was so worried about giving her meds for the wrong thing, and being new to keeping birds how to give them safely, that I really prolonged her ordeal.

2. Same for sour crop, I put off the miconazole treatments because I was so scared of aspiration when trying to feed it to her, but I wish I had started that sooner. It's still hard to tell if she is "fake foraging" or really eating so to be honest I'm not sure yet how I am going to monitor her ongoing recovery after we stop the meds again. She is skin and bones right now as she is!

3. My go-to method of administration has become frozen "peas" of whatever I need to give her: liquify some coconut oil, mix in the med(s), make little balls and put them in the freezer. In the morning I can more or less reliably get them far back enough in her throat that she just swallows them, without trying to avoid the trachea with liquid in a syringe, and I can watch to see the pea move down her throat to make sure she doesn't shake her head and get them back out when I think they have been eaten! (The longer this has gone on, the sneakier she has gotten about that!)

Tomorrow I will try a new mixture of Nutridrench and Hydro-hen and coconut oil (additional perk = oil is high calorie!) because the Nutridrench by itself would not freeze. I am hoping to get calories into her quickly now that we have established a morning/evening routine - which she hates, but hey, something seems to be working. Butter is another good option. The garlic didn't help anything, but didn't kill her either.

I will add that in her emaciated condition ChatGPT advised that I keep her indoors at night for warmth and that she gets her own alone time in the mornings to eat special high-calorie breakfasts (eggs, yogurt, oatmeal, etc.), but being isolated from her flock seems to cause her so much stress that she won't eat anyway, so for now she's still out with her chicken friends in the coop at night, and she has to (wants to) forage in the morning like everybody else. If the weather was any colder, I might not have this option.

ChatGPT is also giving me a schedule for worming the chickens since I am not able to keep the one turkey separate or "rotate pastures" - hopefully that will keep this from happening again, and might she develop some immunity from surviving the first time??? Trust me, if she starts looking poorly again, I will have kept the right medication on hand and I have gained the know-how to administer it safely, much sooner!!!!! I have come to believe that yes she might have had a Blackhead infection this whole time, but that could have caused an additional yeast/crop issue, and that treating both at once - starting as soon as any weight loss or behavior change, etc. is noticeable - may have great benefit and very little side effects.

Again, thank you both for responding to my post!!! I hope my experience helps other turkey lovers, and that my bird fully recovers through this illness!!!!!! <3