Sour Crop?

[Stephen1152]

My Australorp hatched last April. She was really healthly. They started laying towards the end of the summer but I am not sure if she ever started laying. One day she got lethargic, stopped eating and stood in the corner for a week. One Friday night I got home and was going to aspirate her for sour crop. But instead I repeatedly messaged her crop. At the same time I treated them all for severe roundworms. She is eating and appears healthy. I figured it was the worms. They are alll worm free now for months. A few things though; one morning a few weeks ago she shook her head in the morning while still roosting and some slimy smelly fluid came out. Only once. I have since smelt her beak and it smells fine. Her crop feels empty in the morning but a bit squishy. Not empty like the others. Is this breed related? Finally they all started laying regularly again except her. She is happy and looks healthy aside from shaking her head on occasion. I attached two pictures. I have a short video of her shaking/heaving her head but it won’t let me post it. Keeps saying not a mov file when it is. I have them on ACV and probiotic yogurt. What else can I do? Thanks.

 

[oregonkat]

Sheesh, I have a hen with 'doughy' crop at the moment, not fun to deal with. Other folks on here will chime in but in the meantime the fact that her crop is mostly empty in the morning is a good thing and could mean that you have caught this potential trouble in time. Does she have access to grit? My hen also shakes her head and I think that it is a way of them trying to regurgitate something that is irritating them. Keep massaging and perhaps try the baking soda treatment (you have to look this up) to make her throw up whatever is in there. Good luck. Like I said, others will have lots more info for you, I'm just a newbie.

 

[Stephen1152]

Sheesh, I have a hen with 'doughy' crop at the moment, not fun to deal with. Other folks on here will chime in but in the meantime the fact that her crop is mostly empty in the morning is a good thing and could mean that you have caught this potential trouble in time. Does she have access to grit? My hen also shakes her head and I think that it is a way of them trying to regurgitate something that is irritating them. Keep massaging and perhaps try the baking soda treatment (you have to look this up) to make her throw up whatever is in there. Good luck. Like I said, others will have lots more info for you, I'm just a newbie.

I was a wildlife rehabilitator for years when I was younger. It bothers me to know so little about chickens. When I massage her, I lean her forward. Thats the best I can do. I just can’t do the turning her upside down thing. I’ll keep messaging her and keep her on the probiotics. If she doesn't lay in a few weeks, I’ll take her to the vet. I had NO idea I would get so attached to freekin chickens. Ugggg

 

[oregonkat]

Dont turn her upside down. If you can massage her crop from the bottom up and try to get her to sick up while she is upright that would be best as far as I understand. There is a great site called moonlightmileherbs.com run by a woman who specializes in herbal remedies. She has a sour crop tonic that might be just the ticket for your gal as I do believe that you have caught this in the early stages. I know about the attachment thing, I have spent many, many nights weeping over dead hens and roosters and battling nature to try to protect them. Good luck with her. Please post your progress.

 

[elissarules]

She might have “slow” crop, rather than sour! I’m in the process of healing my lil Bernie of slow crop.

Slow crop can be caused by a slight impaction to the crop. Meaning, she may have a slight blockage that’s stopping the feed and water to go to her stomach. Bernie’s was caused by long grass she consumed. If that sounds about right, I’d highly recommend looking at my thread that is improperly named at the moment:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...nt-with-updates.1217733/page-11#post-19546168

EDIT: I’d start looking at it around reply #12

 

[Stephen1152]

Dont turn her upside down. If you can massage her crop from the bottom up and try to get her to sick up while she is upright that would be best as far as I understand. There is a great site called moonlightmileherbs.com run by a woman who specializes in herbal remedies. She has a sour crop tonic that might be just the ticket for your gal as I do believe that you have caught this in the early stages. I know about the attachment thing, I have spent many, many nights weeping over dead hens and roosters and battling nature to try to protect them. Good luck with her. Please post your progress.

I did what you said. I went out when the sun was barely coming up. They were all off their roosts already except her. I sat on the deck with her on my lap and started messaging up. She instantly started throwing up. It went all over. My face, cloths the deck. The stench was overwhelming. I kept it up for 20 minutes. Some grain and a lot of long grass came out with a lot of liquid. I did lean her a little forward from time to time. I could feel a ball in there that does feel like grass. Of course I am assumimg this. I wiped her down with a paper towel and she is in the corner gasping. I am assuming she has some in her lungs. Its in her nose too. I’ll leave her alone. She is very week. I guess I’ll do this each morning until she gets better or passes. I looked at the site you recommend but can’t figure out which one is for sour crop. Anything else I should be doing? After this experience everything else is a walk in the park I guess.

 

[oregonkat]

Well I think you have figured out whats wrong. Sorry for the mess. You are probably going to have to make sure she is getting hydrated and some nourishment. I am assuming that she is not eating or drinking so some Nutridrench or a very liquidy mix of yogurt (mixed with water) and you may have to gently syringe it into her mouth. They object to this so you have to be insistent and make sure you get the tip of the syringe under her tongue or off to the side and do it in .5ml squishes so she doesnt aspirate. I have found that the best way to do this is to wrap a light towel around her to keep her wings tight to her side, turn her on her back and lay her across your lap. With your left hand hold her head in your palm and use your fingers to gently but firmly hold her head and then pry her beak open and insert the tip of the syringe.

Try to offer her a little boiled or hard scrambled egg too for protein. The rest of that ball of grass you feel in there is going to have to be dealt with so I am afraid you may have to go through the whole throwing up thing again. How does her crop feel this morning after your first ordeal with her?

On the website I mentioned before the Sour Crop tincture is under 'tinctures' on the main page. Her site is a little weird to navigate I know.

 

[oregonkat]

Just for interest sake, look up "impacted crop surgery video" on here and watch. Pretty freaking amazing. Oh, and, NO, I dont think you are going to have to do this....

 

[SW31]

Our vet had to open up the crop and empty it. She then put her on just water for two days and nyastin for the yeast infection. She kept massaging the crop several times a day. Then it was a very simple plain diet. After a few days we took her home and continued with the simple diet and the nyastin. She told us not to massage the crop as it needed to work on its own. After a week she is now very much back to her normal bossy self.
My biggest problem is that she and her sister are two very greedy hens. They are having to live in my hall while their feathers grow back and get bored.

 

[Stephen1152]

Well I think you have figured out whats wrong. Sorry for the mess. You are probably going to have to make sure she is getting hydrated and some nourishment. I am assuming that she is not eating or drinking so some Nutridrench or a very liquidy mix of yogurt (mixed with water) and you may have to gently syringe it into her mouth. They object to this so you have to be insistent and make sure you get the tip of the syringe under her tongue or off to the side and do it in .5ml squishes so she doesnt aspirate. I have found that the best way to do this is to wrap a light towel around her to keep her wings tight to her side, turn her on her back and lay her across your lap. With your left hand hold her head in your palm and use your fingers to gently but firmly hold her head and then pry her beak open and insert the tip of the syringe.

Try to offer her a little boiled or hard scrambled egg too for protein. The rest of that ball of grass you feel in there is going to have to be dealt with so I am afraid you may have to go through the whole throwing up thing again. How does her crop feel this morning after your first ordeal with her?

On the website I mentioned before the Sour Crop tincture is under 'tinctures' on the main page. Her site is a little weird to navigate I know.

She is such a mess. I gave her two eye dropper fulls of canola oil yesterday along with probiotic yogurt mixed with a little water. I could not get her to throw up again. She looks like she is gasping for air with her mouth open. She is very week. I did see her drink some water on her own yesterday. This morning she looks the same. Her crop is still full. No droppings from during the night. Not sure what to do at this point. Maybe give her some more liquids and just message the crop not making her throw up anymore? Should I give her more oil?