Update: crop surgery with graphic photos

[Emilysclukscluks]

Fingers crossed for internal worms. Keep an eye out for any respiratory symptoms; labored breathing or nasal discharge.
How are the poops on your bird not displaying symptoms? Green at all?

Valerie's poops are beautiful, nicely formed, urates on top. As of now no sign of any discharge or respiratory problems

 

[twendt]

If she's laying soft shell-less eggs, I read that Tums crushed up is recommended. I had one of my older RIR do this last summer, I didn't intervene, she's still alive, She just went through molt, not sure she's laying, she's going on 3yrs old. I might have to change her name to "SOUP"......

 

[azygous]

I'm a bit confused. Is this golden hen our patient? Is she the only one we're addressing in this thread? Is Valerie another hen? Does the subject of this thread have a name? I find it easier to refer to them by name.

The watery poop pic may indicate material still stuck inside her from those two small mysterious eggs you mentioned. When a hen passes two eggs at a time, it can signal a problem. @micstrachan has intuited correctly that this may be the source of this hen's problems.Clear water in the poop is what happens when a hen's body is trying to flush out the foreign material.

One egg is a miracle when it manages to travel all the way down the reproductive tract without incident, but two eggs really increase the risk of something getting hung up, mostly because it's not usually possible to build shells around both. The minute you suspect an egg being stuck or an egg having broken in a hen, calcium should be given immediately. Ordinary people calcium, the whole pill once a day until everything resolves. This is very, very important.

Crop issues can occur as a secondary issue due to the hen's body being stressed by the primary issue. We need to consider both and treat both. You need to verify the crop disorder by checking her crop in the morning. Withhold food and water from her when you retire tonight. If the crop is full of liquid in the morning, I suggest treating for sour crop. Most of the time, sour crop has no odor.

You will suspect pendulous crop after the treatment for sour crop fails to get the crop to empty. That is when we employ a crop bra to help the crop to empty. This is addressed in my article.

Back to the possible obstruction in her reproductive tract. The calcium will strengthen her contractions and this will help her to expel any material stuck inside. Watch her poop very closely. This is a very good reason to keep her in an infirmary crate in the house where you can closely monitor her.

So, give her a calcium tablet, or a Tums if you don't have a calcium supplement on hand. Remove all food and water from her crate when you go to bed. Check her crop in the morning and post another pic of any poop. We'll be here to continue helping in the morning.

 

[micstrachan]

The two weird eggs, were like half the size of her regular egg so I guess therefore not ready to be laid. I kick myself now for not paying more attention to them I assumed she must have been spooked in the night and "dropped them" like I had read. Im pretty sure they looked quite bloody inside, they were intact but just the membrane. I don't notice any tail pumping, when I look at her vent it does seem to be moving quite a bit I wish I could post a video. So my dog and cat vet will look at the poop for me, we have an exotic vet near by but they have been awful I have brought my chickens there before and they just start googling stuff. I have a friend who has had the same experience there.
As for the mites, I can't see any on her. Are mites more active during night? she just ate some tofu. I feel she would be more comfortable outside in her home, so unsure if I should keep her in or let her be in her house.

Don’t kick yourself. Just do your best to help her and move forward. Have you given her calcium?

 

[micstrachan]

I forgot to say... I am REALLY glad to hear the eggs were intact. I 100% agree calcium is key here. Did your flock have any mild respiratory symptoms (sneezing) this fall? I ask because Infectious Bronchitis can have very subtle outward symptoms, but then wreak havoc on the reproductive system (shell gland specifically, I think?)

 

[Emilysclukscluks]

Good Morning! Yes it is my Buff Orpington Regina that is our patient the golden one, her sister Valarie is a lavender orpington who has no issues what so ever.
Ok so i'm going to try to go into a little more detail, I can't thank you guys enough for helping me.

So I remember now the day I found the two small strange shell less eggs, was also our first real cold day (here in Ontario) so im going to say that was sometime late October maybe early November, because I remember thinking maybe the cold night stressed her out, and that was why she laid them. So quite a while ago. I remember I put them in my compost lol and one of them was quite full of blood but both were intact, they were just directly under where she roosts. Im like 99% positive that she did lay after that, I still have two of her eggs inside right now (which now that im looking at them look smaller than usual). But I don't think she has laid very many since then. At this present time im unsure how long its been since she has laid. (moving forward I will keep better record of things) If I am remembering correct I think she did also have some diarhea back then but it cleared up.

So now to present day, she has been under the weather for about a week and a half (maybe longer and she hide it from me) so I was just giving her acv and kefir and greens. But with no change im worried which lead me here.
So just as you guys expected I checked her this morning and her crop is full. She was still on her roost so I know she didn't miraculously eat a whole bunch this morning. Now last night her crop felt squishy and saggy very full of liquid. This morning underneath her was a whole bunch of water poo's and her crop felt way less full of liquid and felt like it was more full of food, also felt less saggy like a little tighter and harder. So it seems to me that the water she drinks is able to pass through but the food isn't?

No they didn't have any signs of respiratory symptoms this fall, that I noticed at least.

So should I start will calcium and sour crop treatment? Im worried that no food seems to be able to get passed her crop. Thanks so much again!


@micstrachan @azygous

 

[azygous]

Good morning. We've been waiting for your report on Regina.

Yes, let's start crop treatment with miconazole. Are you on board with the dosage?

And yes, give her a calcium tablet right into her beak. This is a precaution in case the watery poop is from an obstruction in her reproductive tract. Both these treatments are very low key and won't cause any problems but could have a positive effect if our guesses are on target.

The miconazole should have her feeling better as early as tonight if we are correct that her crop is yeasty. Then tomorrow morning will be the real test. We would expect for her crop to be nearly empty by then.

Continue to monitor her poop today for anything unusual appearing in it besides bile and clear fluid. Let her have all the water she wants and maybe offer her some boiled egg and kefir.

 

[Emilysclukscluks]

OK sound good, I will just run out and get the calcium and Miconazole and get her situated inside! Do you prefer the suppository or the vaginal cream?

@azygous

 

[Emilysclukscluks]

@azygous So I gave her calcium and miconazole cream approx 1/2 inch. She is all set up inside. Fingers crossed im going to boil her and egg and give her some kefir in a little bit. Her crop seems so full of food, its less watery and squishy today, and just feels full not rock hard but very large and full?

 

[Emilysclukscluks]

Should I give her a bowl of her mash while she's inside or just keep it to egg and kefir?