What should you do if you’re SUSPICIOUS about digestion issues in your coop?

[madfisch]

I just lost a 4yo hen from what turned out to be a reproductive issue that caused sour/impacted crop. I had been treating her for a few weeks, and of course throughout the process I was closely watching and very paranoid about the health of my other chickens bc I feared that something in the coop had been the cause of the problem. The vet said she felt a mass on the bird that wasn’t able to recover, but I’m still very paranoid and suspicious about the crop activity of the 6 surviving hens.

I have been supervising the contents of their crops almost every morning (removing food and water at bedtime to get a good feel) and it’s a little bit all over the place. I also have them off scratch grains and they are just getting 16% layer pellet, grit, and oyster shells. Crops wise, one of them tends to feel completely empty just with a few almost fleshy feeling small lumps (like dime sized, not doughy or hard), and a couple of them had some small kinda ball like doughy ish things but they tend to change (getting smaller/looser with time not bigger) so I don’t know whether to be worried. They are all about 4-5 years old and acting completely normally behavior wise as far as I can tell. The one with the small fleshy lumps doesn’t seem to be eating to the point of getting her crop super full, but I see her going for food and eating totally normally when I bring stuff out there, so I’m not sure if i’m just reading too much into things because of what I just went through. It’s also extremely hot, so it makes it a bit more of a challenge to scrutinize the poops since they already are a bit different than normal in high heat. Most of the poops I see in the coop and that I witness them doing seem totally normal. One hen seems to have slightly more watery poops now and then, but her crop has been less suspicious than the 3 i’m more concerned about. This morning I didn’t have the food out of the coop, but 2 seemed to have firmer crops than I would expect (and than I would like when I’m this paranoid about everything) like they just ate a ton so I brought out the yeast buster yogurt and tried to massage it in as best I could. I will be monitoring them throughout the day to see how it changes in size, feeling and shape. Fingers crossed.

As far as treatment goes, at first I had them drinking some copper sulfate solution out of an abundance of caution while I was extremely preoccupied with the sick hen. I saw the 1/4 tsp to 1 gallon and 1 tbsp ACV and used that for a day or two, but then I saw someone had said 1/2tsp to 1 gallon and 1tbsp ACV (give EVERY OTHER DAY changing with electrolytes) and swapped them to that for like 1 day on 1 day off. I don’t feel good about just giving the medicine because I know that there can be risks involved with the acidified copper sulfate, but I’m so worried about leaving this unattended and having another crop issue develop that I am just not prepared to go through at the moment. Currently they have been on electrolytes for a few days to rebuild them in case I need to run the ACS solution through them again.

I have been doing some of the more homeopathic things in the meantime to help boost digestion since I assume they can’t hurt. Papaya enzyme pill for each of them mixed with raw papaya for like 4 days. Also been giving a cup of raw unripe papaya for the group almost every day to share since I’ve heard that can also help break things down. Greek yogurt in the mornings. I read about the “yeast buster mix” that uses ginger, cinnamon, cayenne and lemon juice, but since they are all completely spry, fast, and strong, I would not be able to give that in the liquid form as intended. I don’t know if diluting it ruins its effects, but I threw that into their yogurt for the past couple days also to allegedly work at the yeast/dough if there is any.

I know CORID can also be given at a lighter ‘preventative’ type dose, so I am considering picking that up just in case. I have nystatin on hand as well in case things develop further, but I’ve heard that it’s better not to give that unless you have definitive proof of fungal activity. Is having the ball in the morning enough to count as proof of the fungus? In that case should I be medicating those hens?

I need to get this under control so that I can have some peace of mind after this absolutely heart wrenching month of chicken struggles, so any advice on what to do when you can’t just isolate each questionable hen would be so helpful. Thank you

 

[DonyaQuick]

Corid is a thiamine blocker, which is a nutrient your hens need, not just the bugs the meds fight by depriving of it. If you don't see signs of blood in the stool I would never use Corid as a "just in case" since it does technically harm the bird, just not nearly as much as an active protozoal infection does. But it sounds like there's no sign of such infection.

I have to say it doesn't sound like there's anything alarming going on, so I'm not sure what it is you're trying to get under control? If it's weird poops, do you have pictues of that? Too much fiddling with supplements can make poop weird though...and may affect feeding habits and therefore crops.

I will admit I too have been ultra paranoid about crops after loosing birds in the past but the key thing to look for is what changes are sudden and abnormal for the individual bird. Different birds hold their crops differently. Some keep it a tight ball, others let it be squishy sometimes. Feed + water in the crop can feel doughy, but if it comes and goes and the crop changes size and is minimal in the morning then things are moving through and it's fine.

 

[madfisch]

Corid is a thiamine blocker, which is a nutrient your hens need, not just the bugs the meds fight by depriving of it. If you don't see signs of blood in the stool I would never use Corid as a "just in case" since it does technically harm the bird, just not nearly as much as an active protozoal infection does. But it sounds like there's no sign of such infection.

I have to say it doesn't sound like there's anything alarming going on, so I'm not sure what it is you're trying to get under control? If it's weird poops, do you have pictues of that? Too much fiddling with supplements can make poop weird though...and may affect feeding habits and therefore crops.

I will admit I too have been ultra paranoid about crops after loosing birds in the past but the key thing to look for is what changes are sudden and abnormal for the individual bird. Different birds hold their crops differently. Some keep it a tight ball, others let it be squishy sometimes. Feed + water in the crop can feel doughy, but if it comes and goes and the crop changes size and is minimal in the morning then things are moving through and it's fine.

Great to know, thank you so much for the response. Yeah, I will continue to remove the food in the morning and try to get a better idea of the baseline for each bird so that I can relax a bit. Thoughts on the copper sulfate and when I should start to reintroduce scratch grains? They had access to a little bit for a couple hours the other day when my brother mistakenly put some in there, but there weren’t any apparent issues the following day so maybe it was fine. I had them out for 2 hours on friday for the first time since i’ve been watching them so I’m also keeping an eye on how they tolerated the grass and whatnot. They are all also quite dense and heavy so none seem to be growing weaker by any means.

I love my birds so this weighs heavy on the mind! I really appreciate your feedback so much—thank you!!!

 

[Eggcessive]

I would be cautious using a lot of supplements, and also make sure that there is a problem first. Many hens who are a few years old may have reproductive disorders or worms, or may have other issues that lead to crop problems. Having poultry grit available even though they are free ranging on soil with pebbles can help. Not feeding a lot of extras to dilute the balance of a good chicken feed is good. Scratch is not balanced and should only be given in tiny amounts if any. It is very good for catching chickens if you need them to come though. A little egg once in awhile is a good treat. Acidified copper sulfate dosage is 1/4 tsp per gallon of water when treating a sour crop or canker infection. It does not need to be acidified with vinegar. If using plain copper sulfate, that does need to be acidifed with vinegar or citric acid, but I would play it safe and stick with acidified copper sulfate since it is very inexpensive. Accidentally using plain copper sulfate wound be a bad thing waiting to happen. Some throw a lot of herbs and remedies without knowing if those things will work or be harmful. I used to believe a lot of the hype about ACV, pumpkin seeds, cayenne pepper, oregano, garlic, etc, and the benefits of fermented feed. Fresh decent brands of balanced feed and clean water are the best things I recommend. Clean waterers and feeders help. Grit, occasional worming since worms can also lead to crop issues, might help. Still I have had the occasional hen who died from crop problems, and who would eat algae and dried twigs rather than the healthy food they had in multiple locations. The longer you have chickens the more relaxed you will be hopefully, about potential problems. A hen who isolates herself and sits around puffed up, not eating, is the one to really be concerned about. Crop slowdowns seem to occur with illnesses such as coccidiosis, and my broody or molting hens may not empty their crops right on schedule .

 

[madfisch]

I would be cautious using a lot of supplements, and also make sure that there is a problem first. Many hens who are a few years old may have reproductive disorders or worms, or may have other issues that lead to crop problems. Having poultry grit available even though they are free ranging on soil with pebbles can help. Not feeding a lot of extras to dilute the balance of a good chicken feed is good. Scratch is not balanced and should only be given in tiny amounts if any. It is very good for catching chickens if you need them to come though. A little egg once in awhile is a good treat. Acidified copper sulfate dosage is 1/4 tsp per gallon of water when treating a sour crop or canker infection. It does not need to be acidified with vinegar. If using plain copper sulfate, that does need to be acidifed with vinegar or citric acid, but I would play it safe and stick with acidified copper sulfate since it is very inexpensive. Accidentally using plain copper sulfate wound be a bad thing waiting to happen. Some throw a lot of herbs and remedies without knowing if those things will work or be harmful. I used to believe a lot of the hype about ACV, pumpkin seeds, cayenne pepper, oregano, garlic, etc, and the benefits of fermented feed. Fresh decent brands of balanced feed and clean water are the best things I recommend. Clean waterers and feeders help. Grit, occasional worming since worms can also lead to crop issues, might help. Still I have had the occasional hen who died from crop problems, and who would eat algae and dried twigs rather than the healthy food they had in multiple locations. The longer you have chickens the more relaxed you will be hopefully, about potential problems. A hen who isolates herself and sits around puffed up, not eating, is the one to really be concerned about. Crop slowdowns seem to occur with illnesses such as coccidiosis, and my broody or molting hens may not empty their crops right on schedule .

Thank you. Good to know. I will cool it on the extras and just continue to monitor. All behavior seems good and I don’t see blood in the stools so I will just keep these things in mind. We are rebuilding our coop at the moment because the muddy run was also a concern of mine so they will have a fresh new space soon. They have been using the grit and oyster shells along with their pellets so that should be good. They have not been wormed in a long time so if you think that would be a good thing to do in general then I can absolutely do that, I just wasn’t sure if I should do that if I wasn’t confident about their general state since they have no signs of worms aside from my potential concerns about the digestion.

Thank you so much for the response, this community is such a huge help.

 

[Eggcessive]

Be sure to alway put the grit and crushed oyster shell in separate pans from feed, so the ones who need those can take free choice, and nit get too much when it is in the feed.

Worming is one of those controversial things that people argue about here. Most of us don’t have vets who may do fecal floats on droppings of our chickens, but some do. A bottle of wormer costs about the same as a fecal float, and may be the easier thing to do. Some buy a microscope and learn to do fecal floats at home themselves. The 2 best and safe wormers are Valbazen 1/2 ml orally and repeat in 10 days, or SafeGuard Liquid Goat Wormer 1/4 ml per pound given orally for 5 days in a row. Those given at that dosage will treat most chicken worms, round, cecal, capillary or thread, and gapeworms. The problem is there is a 14 day egg withdrawal time with either, but some people just ignore that. Some people worm once or twice a year while others in tropical regions worm as much as every couple of months. Some don’t ever worm chickens. A lot has to do with if there is a problem and how you keep your chickens, if it is muddy, if you use deep litter, and if they get out to free range.

 

[madfisch]

Be sure to alway put the grit and crushed oyster shell in separate pans from feed, so the ones who need those can take free choice, and nit get too much when it is in the feed.

Worming is one of those controversial things that people argue about here. Most of us don’t have vets who may do fecal floats on droppings of our chickens, but some do. A bottle of wormer costs about the same as a fecal float, and may be the easier thing to do. Some buy a microscope and learn to do fecal floats at home themselves. The 2 best and safe wormers are Valbazen 1/2 ml orally and repeat in 10 days, or SafeGuard Liquid Goat Wormer 1/4 ml per pound given orally for 5 days in a row. Those given at that dosage will treat most chicken worms, round, cecal, capillary or thread, and gapeworms. The problem is there is a 14 day egg withdrawal time with either, but some people just ignore that. Some people worm once or twice a year while others in tropical regions worm as much as every couple of months. Some don’t ever worm chickens. A lot has to do with if there is a problem and how you keep your chickens, if it is muddy, if you use deep litter, and if they get out to free range.

I have been providing the grit separately but good to know to continue that way. I may worm them soon as a maintenance/precaution but maybe not right away since there aren’t any glaring signs it’s never been an issue in my 15 or so years of having chickens. I’ll just work on keeping an eye on things and keeping them happy Thanks again