Troubleshooting please.

[LaFleche]

Every time I rub her crop, when I put her back in her box she attacks the corn bread like she's starving.

She indeed is starving, hence the green liquidy droppings. This is a life threatening condition.
Please, proceed as advised in the provided links.
Fingers crossed that she will recover soon and there is no other underlying issue like cancer or EYP.

 

[Jackie-83]

I rubbed her crop several times yesterday afternoon and evening. Because I did not have coconut oil, I fed her a small amount of shortening. By bed time, the only thing I could feel in her crop was either grit or scratch. I offered her some mashed pellets and cornbread. She ate some of both and her crop was about the size of a golf ball. Then I removed all food and only gave her water overnight. This morning she was empty again. She was then given a fresh 2 FL oz of water, fresh mash, cornbread, and a half a boiled egg chopped. She guzzled the water, and is picking at the food. Her preference for cornbread still stands.but she will eat the mash or egg with encouragement.

I'm keeping a check on her crop to make sure things are passing through, and am only giving her "soft" food at the moment. At what point do I start giving her dry pellets, scratch and raw veg again? Should I offer her grit and or oyster shells?

 

[Jackie-83]

Also, food suggestion to help her recovery? She's not only thin and underweight, but still physically weak. She lays down unless she has to poop. But is it awake and alert.

 

[Jackie-83]

So I may have jumped the gun on awake and alert. She's alert when she's awake, but napping more. She only seems to want the cornbread and water. Her crop is currently what I would consider doughy. It seems full of the water and little bit of cornbread. Approximately a tablespoon full of cornbread and a half a cup of water consumed so far today.

I didn't want to rub too much for fear of the water coming back up and her inhaling it.

 

[LaFleche]

This morning she was empty again.

Well done, your work seems to pay off.

I would stop the cornbread and offer scrambled egg with millet and fine rolled oats for several days, but always provide her normal pellet feed as well free choice.
And add some poultry vitamins to her water.

 

[LaFleche]

So I may have jumped the gun on awake and alert. She's alert when she's awake, but napping more. She only seems to want the cornbread and water. Her crop is currently what I would consider doughy. It seems full of the water and little bit of cornbread. Approximately a tablespoon full of cornbread and a half a cup of water consumed so far today.

I didn't want to rub too much for fear of the water coming back up and her inhaling it.

Well, I wrote my previous text at the same time you posted yours. Just like I said: If it was me, no more corn bread as this can add to the crop issue.

You could also sprinkle some sand on top of the scrambled eggs to help with the digestion.

 

[Jackie-83]

I have vet rx as well as a chicken electrolyte mix. Sand I have. I can pull the cornbread and make scrambled eggs. But she doesn't actually like eggs.

I've read about people giving sugar water as a booster on occasion. Could this be good for her? And if so, would honey be better than white sugar?

I can hear gurgling in her belly. Is this a good or bad thing?

 

[Jackie-83]

Quick night time update. Still drinking a lot of water which I have added electrolytes to. She seemed to be somewhat perkier this evening than she has been the past couple of days, but still weak. I got brave and offered her pellets that had not been turned to mash and she ate fairly well. My other girls did away with the eggs (boiled and scrambled). Flop really doesn't like eggs. I gave her her very own supply of grit as well as oyster shells. She was uninterested in those items. But I had some pellets and grit pieces in my hand that she thought was awesome. She also had better color in her comb this afternoon. She still has diarrhea, but she is pooping more and has some urates with it. She doesn't seem to eat much on her own, its like she doesn't think about food, but with a little encouragement she chows down. Crop was full of pellets and water when I put her to bed for the night. If her digestive system seems to be functioning properly tomorrow, I MIGHT try giving her some fresh fish. Any opinions or comments about pros and cons about the fish? And what about sugar water as a boost? Thanks for the advice! Your time and experience are much appreciated.

 

[Jackie-83]

Well, I don't need to worry about giving her fish. She did not make it through the night. I'm so confused. I was positive she was on the mend yesterday and making steady progress. There were no signs of distress, her appetite was returning, her color and overall demeanor were better.

For reference, I don't know how old she was or anything about her health or care prior to when I got them. I had her for 2 years. There were 2 pullets in the flock (just beginning to lay) and the rest were mature enough to be laying already. By looking at them I'd guess that their ages ranged from pullet to probably 4 years old. And I believe her to be on the older side. When she arrived her comb was flopped over, and had a paler color than the others. Her color improved but the comb never stood up. She played everyday until the first winter. When colder weather hit she started laying every 3 days. When it warmed back up she kept the same pattern. This winter she stopped laying completely. I didn't think too much of it due to the cold and she was also molting. In the spring and after the molt, she never went back to laying eggs. I assumed she was still recovering from the molt and a hawk attack. Now I'm wondering if she had an underlying condition or she was older than I had previously guessed.

Other than her comb when I first got her, and a brief illness about a month ago where she was lethargic with loss of appetite, she has never had anything wrong with her that I was aware of. That said, I do not have a lot of experience with chickens or birds of any kind. This is my first flock, so I've had on the job training the last 2 years.

So far I have successfully treated Colitis and Bumblefoot. I have not had success with some other ailments. And more general illness. My local farm vet will not treat chickens because he said 1) by the time most people notice a problem, its too late. 2) success rate vs cost is not good. 3) chicken keepers tend to be somewhat crazy and he doesn't want to deal with the fallout when a chicken is unsavable. He will however do fecal floats and things like that for me, or provide meds that I request.

I write all of this so that if I missed things that I should be paying more attention to, someone may point that out, and I can do better in the future. Of the 8 chickens I started with I only have 3 left. One died by predator, 2 by preexisting conditions, and 2 by general/unknown illness. The 2 who had preexisting conditions, there was nothing I could do. The predator was my fault, but in the real world... There is only so much that can be done when they free range. The general/unknown illness bothers me. Did I do something wrong? Did I not treat something that would be painfully obvious to someone with more experience? I read constantly, but it doesn't seem to be doing me much good.

 

[LaFleche]

I am very sorry you lost her

The fact that she did not start to lay again in spring hints to a disorder of her reproductive tract (EYP, salpingitis, cancer etc.), which occurs quite often in older hens and, sadly enough, cannot be prevented or treated successfully. The impacted crop is often just a symptom and consequence of the expanding lesion.

Don't beat yourself up, there is nothing you could have done but the palliative care you provided.

If you feel up to it, you could perform a home necropsy and post pictures of it for us to help you determine the cause of death, or you could send her in to have a necropsy done by your state vet laboratory.

These necropsies often help to understand what happened and bring peace of mind.