Update: Sour Crop - Now think it's a stuck Egg

[britinpa]

I'm sure one of my chickens has sour crop. She was last off of her perch this morning (didn't really want to move), when she went out into the run she did not eat, and I noticed she does have the 'lump' there this morning. She did a small runny white poo while I was watching her. Best tips please on how to deal with this. Should I isolate her?

 

[Perris]

these should help
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...ntion-and-treatments-of-crop-disorders.67194/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

 

[britinpa]

these should help
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...ntion-and-treatments-of-crop-disorders.67194/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

Hi, I think I may have discovered what the real issue is. She had a poopy butt so I have just given her a bath to wash her behind. While doing that this small white sack came out, then while drying her back area, I noticed she has a large bulge in the lower region close to her vent, which I'm assuming is a stuck egg. What to do now? Do I just regularly bath her? Is the crop lump to do with the stuck egg? Will that sack coming out help her get the egg out?

 

[Perris]

I have no idea, but I know some people who might be able to advise:
@azygous @Wyorp Rock @Eggcessive can you help here please?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Did you take some photos of the sack?

Sounds like a soft shelled egg, was it intact?

I would give extra calcium (1 Caltrate once a day for 3 days). Make sure she's staying hydrated. Do check to make sure her crop is emptying. Often with reproductive issues a crop will slow due to inflammation.

 

[azygous]

It sounds like a double egg episode, as many egg binding cases are. The white blob that has already been expelled may have been a shell-less egg. There is likely another one right behind it.

The calcium will increase the strength of contractions and help get the second egg out.

Pay attention to what she expels. If there is broken egg yolk anywhere in there, she will require an oral antibiotic to prevent infection in the reproductive tract.

Continue the calcium, one tablet daily until she is laying a single egg per cycle and it's got a normal shell. Failing to follow through on this calcium treatment may result in more egg binding and eventually she could die.

 

[britinpa]

I have no idea, but I know some people who might be able to advise:
@azygous @Wyorp Rock @Eggcessive can you help here please?

Did you take some photos of the sack?

Sounds like a soft shelled egg, was it intact?

I would give extra calcium (1 Caltrate once a day for 3 days). Make sure she's staying hydrated. Do check to make sure her crop is emptying. Often with reproductive issues a crop will slow due to inflammation.

It sounds like a double egg episode, as many egg binding cases are. The white blob that has already been expelled may have been a shell-less egg. There is likely another one right behind it.

The calcium will increase the strength of contractions and help get the second egg out.

Pay attention to what she expels. If there is broken egg yolk anywhere in there, she will require an oral antibiotic to prevent infection in the reproductive tract.

Continue the calcium, one tablet daily until she is laying a single egg per cycle and it's got a normal shell. Failing to follow through on this calcium treatment may result in more egg binding and eventually she could die.

Thanks guys. The sack is dried out now but I have just taken this picture of it. I have some caltrate tablets, but because her crop wasn't empty this morning I wasn't sure whether to give her any (my husband noticed her bring up a small amount of liquid this morning as well. So I should go ahead regardless of the crop issue?. Should I massage the crop lightly. The bath I gave her this morning was a short one, so am thinking of giving her a longer one with some Epsom salts again this afternoon. The bulge is egg sized at front of vent

 

[Kiki]

What exactly do you feed your flock each day?

 

[britinpa]

What exactly do you feed your flock each day?

They have Dumor layer feed. And they have oyster shells and grit close by in separate bowls. A neighbor suggested to me today to maybe grind up the oyster shells finer and add to their food. They get some weeds thrown in - chickweed, and dandelion mostly. They had some watermelons rinds to share the other day.

 

[azygous]

Friends can be very generous with advice on matters they know nothing about. Oyster shell particles are more effective at raising calcium levels in the blood stream if they are larger and not pulverized into powder for the simple reason they take longer to dissolve and that gives a hen's body more opportunity to absorb the calcium.

Giving your hen the calcium tablet will not make her crop issue worse. In fact, it will help to clear the likely egg blockage that is slowing down her crop function.

You do not need to bathe your hen. It will only add more stress to the stress she's already experiencing, and it can make matters worse.

No one can really know why egg binding happens. It can be diet. Some veggies contain oxalic acid which slows down calcium absorption so treats must be watched carefully. Some hens don't absorb calcium at a fast enough rate to replenish blood calcium after laying eggs. All we can do is treat with a calcium supplement when a hen has a crisis and to make sure oyster shell the hen has access to is of sufficient quality to serve her needs.