- Sep 12, 2012
- 108
- 8
- 81
Hi all...
So I know there are a lot of threads on sour crop, but I'm posting here because my hen doesn't seem to be responding to the usual treatments I have tried so far.
Here's what's going on:
My hen is a 4+ year old Easter Egger named Waynoka. She is one of the most robust gals in my flock, and at the top of the pecking order. She still lays a couple of eggs a week, despite her age.
Three days ago, I noticed she was lethargic, puffed up, and didn't run over for treats when all of the other chickens did. This set off alarm bells and I ran out to check her. Her crop was squishy and puffy, and when I picked her up, a huge stream of nasty liquid, grass, food, etc. came out of her mouth.
I have dealt with sour crop one other time in a hen who had eaten a bunch of lawn mower clippings, but after vomiting and spending a day drinking water/eating yogurt, she was totally fine. I figured it would be the same case with Waynoka. I got as much of that nasty puke out of her as I could and brought her in the house.
She seemed much better after vomiting and started looking for food/water. I went ahead and gave her access to plain water and plain yogurt. She was much perkier, and she pooped a little. But by the next morning, her crop was big and squishy again, and when I picked her up, she vomited some more.
At this point, I noticed her backside was all gummed up with really, really foul smelling diarrhea. There was very little poop in her makeshift pen. I decided to try treating with Monistat 3, and I went and bought the suppositories. I cut one into thirds and gave her three doses yesterday. I also gave her water via a syringe and did a lot of massaging of her crop. Last night, she got really agitated around bed time, so I decided to let her spend the night with her friends out in the coop. This morning, when I went to check her, she came out of the hen house but obviously still wasn't herself, so I brought her back inside. She vomited some more.
The vomit has little white chunks in it, and she's still puking up some longer pieces of grass, despite not having been allowed access to grass for several days. I gave her another dose of the Monistat after she vomited, and I could feel it in her crop, so I massaged the crop to melt the suppository in there.
I gave her a bath this morning to get all the crusted poo off her backside. She really seemed to enjoy the bath. She's in her little pen. I have been syringing her water and water with yogurt mixed in.
I threw some grit in her pen, and she gobbled it up. I'm not sure if grit was a good idea or not...but she seemed to think it was.
At this point, I'm at a loss. She doesn't seem better, but she doesn't seem worse. What I'm really worried about is that she isn't pooping. Albeit, she's eating very little, but still, she's getting liquids and little nibbles of yogurt/egg, so something SHOULD be coming out. When I massage the crop, it makes all these gurgly, gassy noises. It feels, at times, like it's filled with air.
Is there a chance she has some sort of intestinal blockage? Her abdominal area feels fine/normal. It's not ballooned up or anything, and she's still pretty perky. I don't think this is a case of internal laying, but I do wonder if something on down the digestive tract isn't working right.
I read where someone said I could use Dulcolax or Epsom salts to get her to poop. Is this a good idea??
Obviously, there is still a yeast problem going on in the crop--hence the little white chunks when she vomits, and the awful smell. But I don't know if the crop itself is causing the problem, or if it's something else.
I'm anxious to figure out my next step. Like I said, she's a big girl and very healthy up until this point, but she is losing weight because she's not getting much food in her, and the food that is in her is getting vomited back up. I'm only vomiting her once a day--in the morning, right before I medicate her--, but I'm wondering if I should do more.
I do have a huge bottle of Denegard on hand, but at this point, I don't know if trying antibiotics would do more harm than good.
Is there something I'm missing or something else I could try?? Should I keep massaging the crop? Keep giving yogurt/water? Keep giving the Monistat? Try to get her to poop??
HELP!!!
So I know there are a lot of threads on sour crop, but I'm posting here because my hen doesn't seem to be responding to the usual treatments I have tried so far.
Here's what's going on:
My hen is a 4+ year old Easter Egger named Waynoka. She is one of the most robust gals in my flock, and at the top of the pecking order. She still lays a couple of eggs a week, despite her age.
Three days ago, I noticed she was lethargic, puffed up, and didn't run over for treats when all of the other chickens did. This set off alarm bells and I ran out to check her. Her crop was squishy and puffy, and when I picked her up, a huge stream of nasty liquid, grass, food, etc. came out of her mouth.
I have dealt with sour crop one other time in a hen who had eaten a bunch of lawn mower clippings, but after vomiting and spending a day drinking water/eating yogurt, she was totally fine. I figured it would be the same case with Waynoka. I got as much of that nasty puke out of her as I could and brought her in the house.
She seemed much better after vomiting and started looking for food/water. I went ahead and gave her access to plain water and plain yogurt. She was much perkier, and she pooped a little. But by the next morning, her crop was big and squishy again, and when I picked her up, she vomited some more.
At this point, I noticed her backside was all gummed up with really, really foul smelling diarrhea. There was very little poop in her makeshift pen. I decided to try treating with Monistat 3, and I went and bought the suppositories. I cut one into thirds and gave her three doses yesterday. I also gave her water via a syringe and did a lot of massaging of her crop. Last night, she got really agitated around bed time, so I decided to let her spend the night with her friends out in the coop. This morning, when I went to check her, she came out of the hen house but obviously still wasn't herself, so I brought her back inside. She vomited some more.
The vomit has little white chunks in it, and she's still puking up some longer pieces of grass, despite not having been allowed access to grass for several days. I gave her another dose of the Monistat after she vomited, and I could feel it in her crop, so I massaged the crop to melt the suppository in there.
I gave her a bath this morning to get all the crusted poo off her backside. She really seemed to enjoy the bath. She's in her little pen. I have been syringing her water and water with yogurt mixed in.
I threw some grit in her pen, and she gobbled it up. I'm not sure if grit was a good idea or not...but she seemed to think it was.
At this point, I'm at a loss. She doesn't seem better, but she doesn't seem worse. What I'm really worried about is that she isn't pooping. Albeit, she's eating very little, but still, she's getting liquids and little nibbles of yogurt/egg, so something SHOULD be coming out. When I massage the crop, it makes all these gurgly, gassy noises. It feels, at times, like it's filled with air.
Is there a chance she has some sort of intestinal blockage? Her abdominal area feels fine/normal. It's not ballooned up or anything, and she's still pretty perky. I don't think this is a case of internal laying, but I do wonder if something on down the digestive tract isn't working right.
I read where someone said I could use Dulcolax or Epsom salts to get her to poop. Is this a good idea??
Obviously, there is still a yeast problem going on in the crop--hence the little white chunks when she vomits, and the awful smell. But I don't know if the crop itself is causing the problem, or if it's something else.
I'm anxious to figure out my next step. Like I said, she's a big girl and very healthy up until this point, but she is losing weight because she's not getting much food in her, and the food that is in her is getting vomited back up. I'm only vomiting her once a day--in the morning, right before I medicate her--, but I'm wondering if I should do more.
I do have a huge bottle of Denegard on hand, but at this point, I don't know if trying antibiotics would do more harm than good.
Is there something I'm missing or something else I could try?? Should I keep massaging the crop? Keep giving yogurt/water? Keep giving the Monistat? Try to get her to poop??
HELP!!!