4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[Goldie]

Hi all - can't believe it....

We've just lost a hen after a 9 month battle with a large hard crop after being on long grass And now we have another one. Moved them straight off the long grass last time it happened but I've just seen some straw hanging out this girls mouth so I assume she has been helping herself to the nest box

 

The crop is 'swooshy' and quite move-able, not a hard rock like my other's was. I have just held her upside down and massaged and some liquid came out, but it didn't smell.

She's is throwing her head around to try and dislodge it...would this mean it's impacted? Are the treatments different? I've just seen if it's sour not to give ACV, but bicarb to neutralise the acidity? But the lack of smell is making me lean towards impacted. Wouldn't it be hard though?

 

Aargh really not happy this has happened Who doesn't keep their chickens on straw?? Feel so sad because we haven't had her long. The others have no problems with eating the nest box! Nightmare all over again

 

What would be your diagnosis??

[Egghead68]

Straw isn't advisable for several reasons including harbouring mites.

 

Can you feed her some live maggots to see if this shifts the mass?

 

Good luck.

[Goldie]

Yeah I'm getting some tomorrow although this didn't help with my last hen. Think she pecked them dead before they reached the crop!

 

So do you think it is a mass even though it's not hard?

[Egghead68]

I don't know. Fluconazole (oral thrush treatment from the chemist) is good forsour crop. I suppose you could try this (around 1 10th capsule twice a day) as well as the maggots and cover both bases (not licensed for chickens). Sorry about your last hen.

[The Dogmother]

Re treating sour crop - I've been reading up on the pros and cons regarding using either Bicarb (alkaline) or ACV (acidic); there seem to be conflicting opinions (although mostly leaning towards using acidic stuff) which puzzled me, so I checked with my poultry vet this week, and he says this (quoted more or less verbatim):

 

Yeast infections such as sour crop rely on an alkaline environment to thrive, they set in when the normal acid balance of the digestive system is altered by an immune system problem, or when a blocked crop starts to ferment and alter the PH balance. I would recommend using either Apple Cider Vinegar or live yoghurt to rectify the problem

 

I guess it's just a case of using what you find to work, but I'll stick to ACV myself.

[surf_space]

one of mine has sour crop at the minute and she swooshes her head trying to dislodge it even though its liquid. I think its just due to discomfort, not if its impacted or sour

[Goldie]

Hmm well we're on with maggots, massage and ACV at the moment (as I don't believe it is sour from me seeing her with the straw) but it isn't shifting it. How quickly should we see an improvement? Luckily she's stopped the head bobbing and eats just as voraciously as the others. I just know this is how my Black Rock started and it didn't end well!

Any other ideas?

[solo kittenho]

I bought some pekin bantams last year, two of them were unwell so I took them to the vet, he gave them some antibiotics, but they always became ill again a few weeks after treatment finished, after one died I realised she was full of fluid, went back to the vet and told him I thought the problem was sour crop, he gave me some dog ear drops for candida, worked a bit, but no cure, he said nothing he could do except operate but it would be very expensive. He suggested trying a mouthwash called corsodyl, didn't know how much to give. I bought the original pink one as I thought the peppermint in the others would be too strong, I gave her 0.5ml of 1ml for 4 doses every hour to start then every four hours for 10 days. She has now been ok for 2 weeks. I did empty her crop before I started this treatment although the vet said she could expirate, and die by breathing in the fluid, a very experienced chicken keeper said I should because if the fluid was not removed she would die anyway. If you don't want to risk emptying the crop this treatment is worth a try anyway.

[The Dogmother]

Never heard of using Corsodyl before I always empty the crop before starting treatment.

 

I hope your bird gets sorted and that you find a chicken-savvy vet.

[Egghead68]

Corsodyl is antifungal so it should work. Hope your hens are doing OK.