Surgery a few days ago, was doing great, now lethargic

Pics
Hi all

You all are wonderful. Thank you for your support.

Today is her fourth day waking up without a flat crop and she'll have been on meds for four full days starting this evening.

It's hard to tell for sure but it seems to me like it's draining very slowly. I say this because by the end of the day, it's not really big, but appears to stay about the same size, as if it's a very slow drain after feedings. In the morning, it's not huge but also not empty. I would say it was golf ball sizes this morning. I have noticed she's really going for the grit though as of last night and this morning. I don't know if that means it's bothering her, something is stuck, or if it's just because I added in some mashed chicken crumble. Thoughts?

Do you all think she should solely he on yogurt and raw egg? Or also crumble/other foods?

I have added a tsp of olive oil to attempt to break up whatever may be in there? I really don't know what I'm doing so again, please correct me if I'm in the wrong!

She is still not eating on her own. Should I start cutting back on the amount I tube feed to see if she'll eat on her own? She is getting about 70 to 80 ml a day right now.

She seems bright-eyed and eager to get back to her flock! She's certainly bored though! She looks amazingly well, especially compared to Saturday!

@azygous
 
I urge you to trust your instincts. Down deep, you've stored information about all of your chickens, and trusting your intuition will unlock this stored information.

I think at this point I would be inclined to suspend tube feedings for now, return her to her flock mates, and allow her to eat what she will.

No need to hover over her spying on what she consumes, but watch her behavior. If she continues to gain strength and her crop is full at bedtime, she's likely getting enough to eat.

But do try to monitor her poop. If it is firm and normal, then she's doing okay. It is pretty normal for a crop of a chicken who's had serious crop issues to remain a little full come morning, but this usually corrects in about a week.
 
Do you have a kitchen scale or some other means of weighing her? It's not a bad idea to get her weight now, normally it's best to do this first thing in the morning when the bird has an empty crop ideally, but either way you want to make sure she's not losing weight. It's difficult to notice a slight weight loss in a bird that's been unwell, but it's important to keep an eye on especially in a bird that's experiencing digestive issues. I would weigh her first thing in the morning and at night before bed. You're in good hands with these other knowledgeable ladies that have offered suggestions and support. I wish you and Maybelle the very best 💜
 
Her stool is watery. Pic below. Would that be normal based on her eating only liquid food?

I don't have a kitchen scale but I can get one.

Pics of her below from today. She's such a good girl. PXL_20221006_145318231.jpg PXL_20221006_144726569.MP.jpg PXL_20221006_145236738.jpg PXL_20221006_150119989.jpg
 
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Her poop indicates she isn't out of the woods yet. Is she still on an antibiotic? The poop indicates she probably should be. Her poop should be more solid at this point. But let her go back to the flock today and eat what they eat and see how she does.
 
Her poop indicates she isn't out of the woods yet. Is she still on an antibiotic? The poop indicates she probably should be. Her poop should be more solid at this point. But let her go back to the flock today and eat what they eat and see how she does.
She's on two antibiotics...SMZ (sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim) and Clavamox. Been on SMZ for a while now, since after surgery with just a two day break from it.
 
she is looking much better- if you don't have a kitchen scale you can always get on the scale with her and without her and do the math.

She is very pretty- what breed is she? She definitely is appreciative of all of your care!!
 
she is looking much better- if you don't have a kitchen scale you can always get on the scale with her and without her and do the math.

She is very pretty- what breed is she? She definitely is appreciative of all of your care!!
She's a light Brahma. :) I will start weighing her.

I bought her a crop bra online but won't be here for a while.

I'm a bit worried that with all the antibiotics she's been on, she may get sour crop again even if this clears up.
 

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