LeMaurand Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 Our chicken has been under the weather for the past week. By last Wednesday it seemed that she may have sour crop -it was enlarged and squishy each morning, when I massage her chest she is bringing up smelly brown fluid. We took her to the local vet (bear in mind we live in France and it seems a great source of hilarity that we would even consider taking a chicken to the vets ), who said she thought she had a hernia and we should put her to sleep. I tried to explain about the possibility of sour crop but was told it was nothing like that at all. In the end she has given me a week's supply of baytril to give her. I'm no vet but I'm not convinced she's right, and wondered if anyone can offer any advice other than giving her yoghurt and fluids for a few days to see if she improves. She's not eaten any solids that I know of for a week now, and although not seeming to get any worse neither is she getting any better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 Welcome to the forum . Sorry to hear about your poorly girl. There's some useful info here. Not sure if you'll get it in France but I've used Daktarin Oral Gel along with the protiotic yoghurt as suggested and the sour crop cleared up successfully. Sounds like your instincts are better than the vet's advice . Good luck, keep us posted . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeMaurand Posted July 21, 2013 Author Share Posted July 21, 2013 Thanks for your help, will try to buy the gel tomorrow if I can get it here. Without sounding silly, what do I do with it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 Not silly at all! It's a bit tricky but you try and get a small blob into their beak - I usually end up smearing it all over their face but as long as some goes in, it should do the trick . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeMaurand Posted July 21, 2013 Author Share Posted July 21, 2013 Will keep you posted. Would you carry on with the antibiotic? Seems contradictory to be using an anti and a pro-biotic at the same time.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 Sorry, not sure, I'm not any sort of expert regards medication! Hope someone else may have an idea . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
good_egg Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 Never thought of anti vs pro... I would keep going with the baytril as it may help and I don't think the probiotic will counteract or vice versa... I know that probiotic yoghurt can be eaten by people when they are on antibiotics so I would assume same, but not an expert!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plum Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 I'd hold off on the probiotic until she's finished the course of antibiotics. I don't know if it applies to probiotics but some supplements can compete for the carrier that take the antibiotic around the body then it's less effective. Antibiotics can kill some of the guts normal flora so the probiotic will help things return to normal afterwards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeMaurand Posted July 22, 2013 Author Share Posted July 22, 2013 Just to keep you posted..... No change in her at all today, was unable to buy the Daktarin gel, so feeling quite helpless about it all. She has stayed inside in the cool all day, but then this afternoon started drinking water like it was going out of fashion, she drank half a bowl. By then her crop was enormous, so I wrapped her in a towel and tipped her upside down and out came all the horrible brown fluid, plus what appears to have been the back end of a mouse in two parts, as we could see tiny feet and a leg! No wonder she has felt so bad. I dosed her with 3ml of red wine just for good measure, she has drunk another huge amount of water, and I've just made her vomit again. This time not so foul-smelling, and she has just ventured outside to have a look round. I know she is not out of the woods yet, but we do seem to have some improvement. Am going to hold on everything now apart from antibiotics and see what happens tomorrow. Watch this space...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plum Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 Amazing, well done. Fingers crossed for you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 With no mouse in her crop, she must be feeling better now . Fingers crossed . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
good_egg Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 OMG - no wonder she felt under the weather... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egghead68 Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 Yuck! Hope she feels better now. There are various threads with home remedies for sour crop including apple cider vinegar and human thrush treatments. It's often fungal. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeMaurand Posted July 23, 2013 Author Share Posted July 23, 2013 Today's news- not so good.... She was just the same this morning, with her crop all squishy, so had to make her sick again to get rid of it all. She's still very quiet and can't get her to eat a thing. Have just made her sick for the second time today, and now all the fluids gone and she has got so thin, I'm thinking she may still have an impacted crop as I can feel something like grit inside her crop. Can't bring myself to cut her open, sooner leave that to the experts, but there is no way I am taking her back to that vet, and would not know where else to take her. Am going to try some olive oil and massage, see if that helps. One step forward and two back.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
good_egg Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 I know other people have had success with white maggots for impacted crop - perhaps worth trying? Poor you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
libby22 Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 Definitely worth trying the maggots and even if they are off their food, they will still tend to eat some. The white maggots will sit in the crop and munch through any blockage there. I have one hen who lays occasional soft eggs and then eats them, together with the sawdust they land on - hence blockage. The maggots shift the lot, especially if you can give them to her first thing so they have the longest possible time to work. The live yoghurt works wonders but again, if she is off her food it will be difficult to get this down. I use Avipro powder which is a strong probiotic and you can add it to their water so even if they are off their food, it still goes in. Good luck and I hope she is ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldie Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 My only experience with Sour crop was a lengthy one....but all I can say is live natural yoghurt (the ones with Lactobacillus etc). My hen started with an impacted crop, very hard and I spent ages with maggots, olive oil, massage etc....then it turned sour and I was holding her upside down every few hours as it had filled up so much. She wouldn't eat her pellets and I thought we were going to lose her. Got the syringe out as I thought I'd have to force the yoghurt down, but she loved it... couldn't get enough, which was a welcome sight to see after a few weeks of just picking at food. After the first treatment I didn't need to 'vomit' her ever again, I kept feeding little amounts of yoghurt, probably 3 times a day for the first day. Then morning and night the next day, and just once on the third day. Offer her it on a spoon first, on her own else the others will most likely get the lions share! It was a miracle cure for us! Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeMaurand Posted July 24, 2013 Author Share Posted July 24, 2013 Thanks for your reply -this sounds just the same problem as we have, the trouble is I don't know which one to treat first! I'm sure she has got an impacted crop from the mouse she has eaten, but she also has sour crop. She's always brighter in a morning, but goes worse as the day goes on. We've just bought some live maggots but she won't touch them either. I've already tried the yoghurt but she won't have it, so have to use a syringe to get it down, we managed to find a vet last night who prescribed Nystatin without even seeing her, but at least it's something. Using olive oil and massage hasn't seemed to make any difference, but will keep trying anyway. Just want to say thank you to everyone for your input, it's lovely to know there are so many people out there who care. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldie Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 As soon as our hen's impacted crop turned sour we just treated for the sour with the yoghurt. When the sour crop subsided over a couple of days we found the impaction wasn't there any longer and we haven't had any issues since (even though it is likely to reoccur). Surprised she doesn't like the live yoghurt...I couldn't keep all 4 of mine away from the spoon! I think mice are often eaten by hens, and since you have seen some come out I wouldn't say it was impacted any more. Treat for the sour and you might find it all works out. Syringe 3ml twice a day I'd say, if she's not interested in it. Do it just after you have 'emptied' her if you are still doing that. Sorry to hear she doesn't feel well, mine felt poorly for a day but picked up - hopefully she'll do the same and will feel brighter overnight. Fingers crossed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeMaurand Posted July 30, 2013 Author Share Posted July 30, 2013 Just as a final response to everyone who has been kind enough to offer advice - it's been a case of one forward and two back with her all week. The maggots seemed to help initially, but then she took a dive, and yesterday we thought we were going to lose her, she was so poorly. First thing this morning the second vet we had visited emptied her crop, which was full of all sorts of things, and now she is happily ensconced in the kitchen in a cage, and has just eaten a little bit of lettuce, the first food in almost 3 weeks. Still early days, but hopefully she will make a full recovery. Any advice on how to remove lots of very sticky white tape from round her neck and crop?!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldie Posted July 30, 2013 Share Posted July 30, 2013 Glad to hear she seems to finally be on the mend. When mine wouldn't eat pellets, I mashed them up with water and yoghurt and made a sort of paste which she loved to drink. Hopefully that should perk her up if she feels like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
