Chicken boarders

[Surfnirvana]

Hi there,

Just wanted to share my experiences with you as we have now come out the other side of a 3 week treatment session and all seems to be OK!

 

My lovely Louie, was a very poorly chicken about 3 weeks ago. She was all hunched over, tail down, wanting to eat, but each time she went to peck at anything she stopped. She was getting thinner & thinner. I was trying to tempt her with sweetcorn, mealworms, and in the end was so worried about her not drinking or eating, I was syringing water down her beak with a touch of honey.

On the Sunday morning I picked her up and noticed her crop was really full and squishy. I thought it might be sour crop, so I gently tipped her upside down, and much to her shock and mine, a whole load of brown, ghastly smelling liquid came out. After massaging her crop a little I gently turned her head down a second time and some more came out. After about 20 minutes resting , she seemed to perk up a little and she was almost a normal chicken that afternoon, scratching around with the others and I gave her bio yoghurt.

However, she started going downhill again a few days later. No squishy crop but a hard one this time. So I syringed olive oil and water down her again. This time I decided to take her to the vets.

Jason the vet was brilliant - her temperature was right off the thermometer and he diagnosed impacted crop. Her treatment plan - Baytril antibiotics syringed once a day for a week and an injection into her chest muscle once a day.

 

As we were due to go away for a weekend (and couldn't ask my friend who was staying over to do all this for Louie), Louie had a sleepover at the vets for 3 nights, complete with overnight bag of grapes, food, & straw (only £5 per night - so worth it).

We collected her on Monday this week and she was fine going back with the other three chooks. Louie is a changed chicken - eating like mad and putting weight on everyday. So pleased at her improvement. The vet said that sour crop is a fungal or bacterial infection and can be picked up from wild birds. It is quite common for it then to move onto impacted crop and quick medical treatment can really help.

[Egluntyne]

Am glad she is OK.

 

It is usually the other way round, an impaction leading on to sour crop.

 

I see that you mentioned straw. If the hen is in the habit of eating this, it can cause an impaction.

[Surfnirvana]

Oh that's interesting.

 

No she doesn't eat the straw, that was only for her bedding at the vets, so she could be comfy and I didn't want them to use hay. They have a bit in their nesting box with Aubiose, but I've never seen them eat any yet, but perhaps I will remove it just in case.....

 

Thanks for the tip!