Suspected sour crop... (possibly coryza?)

[AmyRey]

One of our girls is having problems this evening. I check them every day and didn't notice anything amiss yesterday, so I gather this is a new development.

She's not very active and has clear, foamy, foul smelling discharge coming from her mouth, nostrils and eyes.

I haven't observed her long enough to note any elimination or eating.

Does this sound like sour crop and if so, what do I need to do to help her out?

Will check back in a little while.

Thanks in advance!

 

[AmyRey]

Okay. No replies yet.

I've searched and come across advice for sour crop. Will try that tonight and check back in tomorrow.

In the meantime, she's in quarantine.

 

[rcentner]

I haven't had any issues like this, but I have seen a lot of posts about bubbly or foamy eyes..like this one
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=90925

 

[AmyRey]

Yeah, I read a lot of threads that make it sound like an infectious disease.

But last night, her crop was full of air. I massaged it for a good half hour last night. (Got to cross "hear a chicken burp" off my list of things I never thought I'd do.)

The air was making her sinuses bubble up as it was expelled. Really gross and smelled AWFUL.

But she did act like she felt some better this morning. I put her back in the coop for the day.

Is there any reason I SHOULDN'T think this is sour crop?

 

[speckledhen]

I've never had nose or eye discharge with sour crop, and one of my hens actually died from it as I was taking her to the house to deal with it. If it's sour, take her off feed ASAP. Only water with some unfiltered apple cider vinegar in it for a day, crop massage, yogurt, oil syringed in her mouth prior to massage. Feed only yogurt for a day (plain, no sugar), then the next day, only yogurt and scrambled eggs. Massage several times daily, but do not push up! She could aspirate and choke. Not sure about the eye involvment, but since throat, sinuses, etc are related, guess it's possible. Does it feel "gassy"?

Could be she has more than one issue, a respiratory thing plus sour crop. In that case, she's in bad shape, I'd say.

 

[tulie13]

If she did BURP, then it sounds like it probably is, although foaming eyes is not usually associated with it. She could have two things going on, but if her crop was full of air and she let out a foul-smelling belch when you pressed it, then YES, it's sour! Could be associated with a secondary problem, crops don't just usually go sour without some other disruption (gastrointestinal infection, ate moldy food, etc.).

So first things first - you do need to isolate her if you can, so you can watch food and poop, and medicate as needed without necessarily having to do the whole flock. But foaming eyes sounds like Coryza, and Coryza also smells - ISOLATE HER NOW and watch the rest of the flock.

To treat the crop get an eyedropper full of Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) and dribble it down her beak, or you can open her mouth and squirt it down her throat (behind the tongue, they breathe out of a hole under their tongue!!). That will help immediately acidify the crop, reducing the fungal growth (yeast) that causes sour crop. Add some ACV to her drinking water, 2-3 Tablespoons per gallon, to keep her acidic. Feed her soft foods for now, applesauce is good that also helps keep the crop acidic. Don't do yogurt for a day or so until you are sure the crop is MOVING. pretty much emptying overnight - otherwise you get "cheese" (sort of kidding, but not fully, I actually had this happen in a bird with pendulous and sour crop!)

ISOLATE, then ACV in beak and in water. Applesauce for acidity and scrambled egg (fully cooked) for protein, and keep an eye on her and the rest of the flock, and keep us updated!

Edited to add: Hey Speckledhen, I noticed you recommended yogurt, and I agree for the most part, but I did have a hen make "cheese" in her crop when it wasn't working from being so sour (it was pendulous). Have you ever seen or heard of that? And if so, what do you think about trying yogurt after the first day, as long as the crop is moving? The next sour crop I have from antibiotics, I am giving yogurt if I am sure it's still moving/working, but I won't give it if it's badly gone and possibly in crop stasis.

 

[AmyRey]

Quote:
Yes, the crop last night felt gassy, although I didn't feel any clump of food or other undigestables. The fluid being discharged was clear and somewhat slimy. And when I held her upside down, there was nothing expelled.

 

[AmyRey]

Should I treat with antibiotics as well in the event that this is a respiratory issue as well?

 

[tulie13]

I think if she's that lethargic that suddenly, with discharge from the nose and eyes, she probably does have something respiratory. It may be viral, and I'm not usually one to throw antibiotics at stuff without knowing that they will help, but she sounds pretty bad. If you isolate her and keep her warm, treat the crop issue, and she doesn't show some improvement in a day or so, I think I would consider giving her some antibiotics. But keep in mind that antibiotics will kill the natural intestinal flora, making her prone to (drumroll, please...) sour crop! But since she seems to already have that and you are going to treat for that with ACV (don't skimp on the ACV, feel free to dribble some directly in her mouth!) you will probably be OK on that end.

But if the rest of the flock has this respiratory whatever-it-is, and you end up treating ALL of them, you will want to watch them ALL carefully for signs of sour crop, and definitely put ACV in their water after their treatment. Someone else posted on BYC that you shouldn't put ACV in the water at the same time as antibiotics, but I'm not sure why, I would think it would also depend on which one you were using.

I'll leave it to more experienced members as far as antibiotic recommendations - the only one I've ever used was injectible penicillin, specific to clostridium infection (gastrointestinal bacterium). So I'm not the expert for respiratory. Anyone have a recommendation?

Personally, after injecting all of my chickens with penicillin, I would choose injectible antibiotics over stuff that goes in the water. Mine didn't want to drink water when they were sick, so they weren't getting their meds anyway!!! (Coccidiosis - they weren't getting the Corid!). We ended up squirting doses down their throats to get them to really start turning around. We lost 9 out of 22 hens. So just a word of warning - medicating their water doesn't necessarily work if they aren't drinking it!

Good luck, and hopefully someone else will recommend a good respiratory antibiotic soon.

 

[AmyRey]

Does GNC carry unfiltered ACV?

I've looked everywhere I routinely go to and haven't found it available yet.

And she is the only bird showing ANY symptoms whatsoever. They haven't been around any other chickens but the five of them. No new chickens. We haven't been to any other chicken homes. And there aren't even many wild birds in the area at the moment either.

Edited to add: Yep, they do have it in store.