Sooo much pooping

[darthwenger]

Henrietta has been ill for approx 4 days now - hasn't laid an egg and isn't eating or drinking hardly anything. Her vent is clean and no diarrhoea. She has been fluffed up and walking around slowly - sometimes she cranes her neck upwards like she is trying to be sick. Also she has lost a LOT of weight.

 

I've thought it may be a stuck or soft egg but cannot feel one and she had some sort of salvia come out of her beak the other day (not a lot)

 

I have just picked her up again to check her bottom (after feeling her crop that doesn't feel hard but soft and spongy) whilst I was holding her upside down - she threw up a lot of fluid out of her beak - cannot check the colour of it as it landed on the grass. I was thinking she had a stuck egg but could this now be sour crop?

[Chucky Mama]

Sounds like it could be sour crop. Details here:

 

viewtopic.php?f=41&t=59754

[darthwenger]

Thanks for that.

 

Worked out that it might have been that when I tipped her upside down and a load of fluid came out of her beak.

 

Ended up taking her to the vets that afternoon and he did diagnose Sour Crop. He managed to get a bit more out and gave her a injection and a course of antibiotics (Baytril) and some Liquid Parafin to be given over 7 days.

 

As soon as she was home, she rushed to the feeders (thank goodness!) and has been her normal self these last 2 days - doing the usual eating, drinking, dust bathing etc. She is still on the skinny side but hopefully she is on the road to recovery. I'm nervous for when the antibiotics are finished incase she goes downhill again but I'll have to wait and see.

[staceychristie]

Baytril is the first action usually taken. Don't forget w don't go downhill when we finish our antibiotics

Well done you for getting it sorted. Just keep an eye on her poops and any sign of her being bullied.

 

Stacey

[The Dogmother]

Great news

 

In case she is prone to it, you may want to make a habit of adding ACV to their water and giving them some Bokashi Bran in live yoghurt once a week - this will help to stop the yeast infection getting a hold again.

 

Do you give them extra grit? It's handy to ensure that their gizzards are working properly, and thus the crop is emptying as it should. If the gizzard doesn't have enough of the right sort of grit in it then it can't process the food quickly enough and it backs up into the crop, which can then become impacted and stands the risk of turning to sour crop.

[Egluntyne]

There has been advice posted previously that hens with crop problems should have layers mash instead of pellets. Might be worth considering.

[darthwenger]

Thanks for that - she has been pecking away at the pellets normally but will consider the layers mash if she is still having problems.

 

I already add ACV to their water but have tried Barn before but not with probiotic yoghut - so will go out in the next day or so and pick up some bran and yoghut.

[The Dogmother]

There has been advice posted previously that hens with crop problems should have layers mash instead of pellets. Might be worth considering.

 

It's good advice - eating mash slows down the rate at which they take on food as they tend to graze through it more naturally; one of the main causes of impacted crop (which can lead to sour crop) is when hens guzzle too much food too quickly. The gizzard can only process food at a certain rate, so the excess gets stuck in the crop instead of passing through, leading to a risk of impaction and so forth. The crop doesn't have any muscles like the gizzard; it is just a floppy sac which stores the feed and adds digestive juices to it, too much food will stretch it and over time it won't spring back so well, allowing more food to be crammed in and so it goes on.....

[darthwenger]

Thanks for the advice....

 

A little update. Henrietta has been her normal self for these past few weeks, we went away at the weekend only to come back and Henrietta seems to be poorly again (crop is large and spongy & is not eating or drinking)

 

Managed to drain a bit from her crop (smells!!) and popped her back down to the vets who once again gave her an injection and some Baytrill and Liquid Parafin but she hasn't perked up like she did last time.

 

I'll try her on the layers mash from now on. What is it? Have seen it down at the place where I buy their food - will my other chook have a problem eating Layers Mash?

 

Has anyone else had repeated cases of Sour Crop and had no problems afterwards or is this going to keep repeating?

 

Just ordered some Bokashi Barn and going to pop out tomorrow and get some Live yoghut (probiotic?) and some Layers Mash and see whether that helps.

[Egluntyne]

Your other hens will love layers mash!

 

Unfortunately, once they have had sour crop, it does tend to be an ongoing problem.

 

I would keep the drinkers spotlessly clean, and add a drop of Apple Cider Vinegar to the water.