Solitary chicken - need advice

[hilda-and-evadne]

My beautiful young Maran has had sour crop for about 10 days now and, although she is perky, eating well, and it isn't getting worse, I thought that I would like to have Nystatin ready in the fridge to give her if the daily probiotic yogurt doesn't get rid of the sour crop.

 

So this morning I rang the vet and spoke to the receptionist. She said that as Nystatin requires a prescription, I would have to take my hen along to see the vet. I didn't actually ask how much the vet knows about poultry but when I asked about what it would cost, the receptionist replied - not "our fees for seeing poultry are", but - that the fee would as if "for a small pet like a hamster".

 

I really think that taking my hen to the vet - in a box, on the bus, in all the noise of a London street when she is used to a quiet life in the garden - would be too stressful for her just now. And then only see a non-avian vet.

 

I stopped giving her the Daktarin Gel about a week ago but I will resume this and hope to help her immune system to see off the sour crop.

[Biker Betty]

I can't offer much help with the sour crop I'm afraid as I haven't really experienced it - though I know feeding her olive oil as a lubricant and a bit of a massage is supposed to help - and I've even heard of live maggots to get rid of it.

 

I just wanted to sympathise with you on the vet problem - it makes me really angry - I feel like every time I go to the vet, they just say they're not really sure what it is and it might be time to think about putting them to sleep. I end up telling the vet more about chickens than they tell me! And they won't give you a prescription without seeing the chicken. Makes me angry. It feels like they just don't care - I'm sure they wouldn't be saying that if you took a cat or a dog to see them!

 

Fancy starting a petition or something to get vetinary colleges to start teaching vets more about chickens? They are becoming an ever increasingly popular pet and there's very little care for them out there!

 

I don't know what I'd do without this site and the support of the lovely people on it.

 

I hope you manage to get your poor girl better.

[chelsea]

it makes me really angry - I feel like every time I go to the vet, they just say they're not really sure what it is and it might be time to think about putting them to sleep. I end up telling the vet more about chickens than they tell me.

.

 

I agree.

 

I am sorry to hear your hen is poorly, I dont have any experience of sour crop either but there are forum members that have and am sure will add to Biker Bettys advice.

 

Hope she recovers soon.

[Sheilaz]

Yes, I do see what you mean about causing the least stress. The live maggots are worth a try, from a fishing suppiles shop, make sure they're undyed. The idea is that maggots will eat through the yukky stuff, and hens usually go crazy for them.

Good luck, and keep us posted.

[hilda-and-evadne]

I just wanted to sympathise with you on the vet problem - it makes me really angry - I feel like every time I go to the vet, they just say they're not really sure what it is and it might be time to think about putting them to sleep. I end up telling the vet more about chickens than they tell me! And they won't give you a prescription without seeing the chicken. Makes me angry.

 

You put it better I did. I wanted to write that I felt that I would be paying £25.00 to a vet who very likely knows less about chickens than I do, even though I have been keeping poultry for only a year. I felt that the "give away" was that, when I asked how much the consultation would be, the receptionist quoted the "hamster rate". If the vet treated poultry, I can't help feeling, that there would be a poultry consultation rate already.

 

It would make me angry, too, if the vet - on the basis of perhaps no experience at all - were to suggest that my maran had something else which (of course) would cost much more to treat.

 

This happened once before, with my dog: I asked the vet to look at what turned out to be a canine sort of skin tumour, and she wanted to put him under a general anaesthetic straight away and cut out the tumour. I said that I wanted the weekend to think about it, went home, went on the web - and found that this sort of tumour withers away and disappears by itself in 18 weeks. And that is exactly what happened.

 

Anyway, back to my maran. I went on the web again today, trying different ways of searching. And, as her breath doesn't smell, it is possible - just possible - that her symptoms are a sign of stress. She may be taking longer to settle down than the other hens (the Light Sussex in particular is incredibly relaxed and tame).

 

Edited to add: thinking about possible causes of stress, I could be wrong but it looks as if my new flock of four still doesn't have a top hen. The Light Sussex can't be bothered with all that pecking order stuff - she's interested only in comforts (food, dust bath, hogging the nesting box) - and the Cream Legbar is the youngest and smallest. Which leaves the Maran and the Exchequer Leghorn, and neither seems to have gained the ascendancy yet.

 

Thank you for your good wishes.

Edited April 26, 2009 by Guest

[purplefowler]

Definately try the maggots. I was recomended it for my chook who has been poorly for the last 2 weeks and over the weekend was suffering from a very full, spongey crop and was vommiting ( a secondary problem I think). I drained the vomit minging job, and threw some maggots down her and within 24 hours the crop problems have cleared up and is nearly back to normal. They are amazing. I would recomend doing it when there are no other chooks around tho. I tried to give knickers so more today and got mobbed by the other two

[hilda-and-evadne]

Definately try the maggots. ... threw some maggots down her and within 24 hours the crop problems have cleared up and is nearly back to normal. They are amazing. I would recomend doing it when there are no other chooks around tho. I tried to give knickers so more today and got mobbed by the other two

 

Sounds amazing. Must source live maggots in Greenwich - I already know that Pets At Home don't do them. (Can one grow one's own, I wonder, are they fly maggots?)

 

Thank you for the tip about doing it when the other chooks are not around.

[Hen Watch]

I had a chook that came through a crop problem last year. It did take a while. Still not sure to this day if it was impacted crop or sour crop.

 

However, I did give her probiotic yoghurt. And live white maggots. If you've not got a fishng tackle shop near you, then buy them online. I got mine from this place, but you do need to be in to accept delivery and sign for them, and also they need to live in the fridge....

http://www.wormsdirectuk.co.uk/acatalog/Maggots.html

 

Also I made sloppy feed for my chook of pellets and lots of warm water, so it was easier for her to digest.

 

viewtopic.php?f=41&t=25052&view=unread#unread

[Egluntyne]

Was reading on another forum that someone cured their hen of persistent sour crop by feeding it on nothing but an active yoghurt and water for several days.

 

Might be worth a try.

[sandyhas3chucks]

think draining it is the key, not letting them drown, could try sending sick sample to Retfords who will test & send Nystatin, cheaper than a visit to the vet esp if they are not good!

Amazing 10 days & still perky?

Wonder what is going on to cause it?