Starving chicken with sour crop!

[Chick_daddy]

Hi I have a chicken with sour crop that I believe will starve If I don’t act quick. I am relatively new to chickens and this is my second flock after a completely successful first flock of 9 chickens. She was acting lethargic when I found her and would just lay on her side. I found out that she had a severe case of sour crop caused by impacted crop. Once I had figured out what was wrong I gave her a big dose of apple coder vinegar. That night ( I was expecting her to pass away)
she passed all of the fluids in whitish diarrhea and a long strand of tangled grass. Afterwards I gave her water still keeping her from food. Her crop by then had lots of fibrous mass in it that felt like dough. 2 days later I felt none of the mass in the crop but it again has become swollen with liquid. the only thing I have fed her is small amounts of Greek yogurt because it doesn’t feed the yeast infection and apple cider vinegar in her water. The chick is on its second month of life. She also has bad diarrhea and red in it. I believe she has vent gleet as well. She is still relatively lively. I love my babies and I don’t know what to do or what to feed her.

 

[azygous]

How old is this hen? Is it the same bird you refer to as "The chick is on its second month of life"? Or is she raising a chick. Your semantics are very confusing.

Back to the sour/impacted crop, it's possible she has an impaction farther down the digestive tract, and that plug is keeping the crop from emptying and the yeast continues to flourish.

ACV only creates a hostile environment for yeast. It isn't a cure for sour crop or impacted crop.

An impacted gizzard can be fatal if left untreated. As you've already observed, the hen can starve. So you need to open up the blockage with a flush if you feel able to tackle it. It will also flush the yeast out of her system.

It involves tube feeding a solution of magnesium sulfate (Epsom salts) into the crop twice a day for up to three days to flush out her digestive system.

You will need a tube feeding kit, most easily obtained by asking your vet to sell you a feeding catheter to fit a chicken and a feeding syringe. They can also instruct you how to use it, or I can if they aren't familiar with chicken anatomy. The solution proportions are one teaspoon magnesium salts to half a cup of warm water. Again, this would be administered twice a day for up to three days.

If this isn't something you feel you can manage, then coconut oil is the second best way to try to clear an obstruction. Give a teaspoon of coconut oil each hour until the grassy plug shows up in the poop. Here is further information on how to treat crop disorders. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

 

[Chick_daddy]

Thank you for your advice! Yes the chick is 2 months old. Also what am I supposed to feed her? I am afraid that she isn’t getting enough nutrients. Finally is there some sort of non prescribed medication I can give her for the yeast?

 

[azygous]

Did you read my article? Miconazole women's yeast cream over the counter is the usual treatment for yeast.

Is your question about what foods to tube feed in a syringe or just offer to a crop patient free choice? They would be essentially the same except for consistency to my syringing them easier.

Applesauce, boiled or raw egg, baby foods, yogurt, tofu are some. You basically want to avoid carbs and sugary foods.

 

[Chick_daddy]

No I did not! I completely missed it! Thank you for your help. I will definitely look at the article. I’ll be back with news once I have tried these treatments.

 

[Chick_daddy]

 

[azygous]

Grit. Do these chicks get grit? This is often overlooked for young chickens that are still confined. They often get into trouble such as impacted crops when they can't access proper grit.

 

[Chick_daddy]

No they do not. That I realized was a mistake when I diagnosed this guy. I still don’t provide them with grit but I let them forage around in the yard now under supervision so they can pick up their own grit.

 

[Chick_daddy]

The chick’s crop has grown substantially larger and no plug has appeared. Watery bits of fecal matter with blood in them have appeared and knowing the dangers of having little to no experience with chickens flushing the chick myself is not an option yet. I have gotten the medication. Is the chick ok with a much larger crop or will it continue to grow until it’s a serious emergency?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Having blood in the stool is concerning.
Did you get the monistat? I would begin with that but also consider deworming her and treating for Coccidiosis as well.

Safeguard dewormer can be found at TSC, dose is 0.25ml per pound of weight given orally once a day for 5 days in a row.
Corid treats Coccidiosis you can find it in the cattle section of TSC. Liquid Corid dose is 2tsp per gallon of water or Powdered Corid is 1 1/2tsp per gallon of water given for 5-7 days as the only source of drinking water.

Follow the instructions for the yeast medication from the article that @azygous gave you