AyeAyeMagpie Posted May 31, 2019 Share Posted May 31, 2019 Hello folks, I hope you can offer some advice/expertise. I've had my chickens since September and Myrtle, my blue Marans is out of sorts but I can't place why. She is off her food but still drinking. Only occasionally will leave the coop to freerange but is mostly just standing with the flock in a hunched position and is unenthusiastic about scratching and pecking. Mostly she is sitting on a roosting branch in their run and not coming down much. I've been treating my flock for lice and she is virtually clear now. I'm also giving worming feed this week but I think she was already under the weather before starting that treatment and hasn't eaten the food to my knowledge (so in effect, if it is worms, she's not allowing herself to be treated). Any thoughts on what I should be looking for to determine what could be going on? Thank you in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AyeAyeMagpie Posted May 31, 2019 Author Share Posted May 31, 2019 (edited) Forgot to say - she's not been laying for a week or so. I'm inclined to think it might be impacted crop or egg bound, given that she's off food but I could do with outside thoughts. Edited May 31, 2019 by AyeAyeMagpie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted May 31, 2019 Share Posted May 31, 2019 Give her a good feel. Check for a squishy crop, smell her breath. If it is squishy and her beak smells, it might be a crop infection. Give her bottom a feel too. This too shouldn’t be squishy like a water filled balloon. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AyeAyeMagpie Posted May 31, 2019 Author Share Posted May 31, 2019 Her crop is small and hard. I compared it to Rosie, our Wheaton Marans this evening and they're completely different. We've used a Calpol syringe to give her water and massaged her crop, which now feels squishy and gritty but not as full as Rosie's. (Belatedly) putting our children to bed now, then we'll give more water and try to get her to throw up. I've not felt the bottom end, I'll check that in a bit too - thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted May 31, 2019 Share Posted May 31, 2019 If she hasn’t been eating, it isn’t strange her crop is small. I would leave her be right now. If there was some hard obstruction in her crop, it sounds like it has dissolved right now. What did you worm them with? You can get oral wormers too, that you syringe into their beak. Flubenvet isn’t a thing in the Netherlands, so I get an oral wormer from my vet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted May 31, 2019 Share Posted May 31, 2019 This reminds me, I need to repeat the worming today! Almost forgot... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AyeAyeMagpie Posted May 31, 2019 Author Share Posted May 31, 2019 We're worming with Marriages in feed wormer. It's layers pellets containing flubenvet, which you give them it in place of their feed for 7 days. She's not touched it though, completely off food. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted June 1, 2019 Share Posted June 1, 2019 Could be any number of reasons, but you do need to ensure that she has nutrients, so syringe a dilution of Vit Boost into her beak, or give her some NutriDrops. If her crop was hard after not eating,, then it may have been impacted, you say that you have massaged it and it's gone down, so keep an eeye on it and see if she starts to eat now that it is less uncomfortable. Is she pooing? I am trying to work out whether she has a digestive blockage further down her system It's hard to tell what's wrong over the internet, so I would suggest that it's high time that she went to a chicken-savvy vet. If she is pooing, then it would help them if you took along a poo sample. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AyeAyeMagpie Posted June 1, 2019 Author Share Posted June 1, 2019 Thank you, very much appreciated. She has perked up a little today. She is pooing today, when she wasn't yesterday, and it's a little loose but surprisingly within normal range. Still off her food but is drinking and did gobble down some white maggots (recommended for breaking down contents of crop) so that's something. We've been syringing and massaging today. I'll check her crop first thing in the morning and make a decision from that re vets. Our local vets knows nothing about chickens though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AyeAyeMagpie Posted June 2, 2019 Author Share Posted June 2, 2019 Update: Myrtle is a lot better this morning. She's rearranging with the others, pecking and dustbathing as normal. Her comb even looks better. We're going to the farm store today to pick up a supplement for her. I think massaging and maggots have done the job. Maggots are super cheap and easy to buy from a local fishing shop so we're going to start giving them to our flock once a month as an extra treat/protein boost/digestive. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted June 2, 2019 Share Posted June 2, 2019 Glad to hear that. Not having seen her, I can't guess what is wrong with her.... all I will say is that you have to know when to stop treating them at home and go to the vet; it's a fine line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AyeAyeMagpie Posted June 2, 2019 Author Share Posted June 2, 2019 Yes, I wouldn't want to leave it too late. Speaking of vets, I did take one of the chickens to the vet not long ago to have the lice confirmed and she openly admitted that she knew about as much as I did about chickens...but happily took the £20 consultation fee. So I think I'm going to have to find a specialist vet, but I don't think we have any locally. I'll phone around tomorrow. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 Bets to ring around and find one. Roughly where do you live? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AyeAyeMagpie Posted June 3, 2019 Author Share Posted June 3, 2019 I'm in Lincoln. She's not improved today and her crop is back to squishy. Any idea what ball park figure I'd be looking at if she needed surgery? I can't imagine my vet trying to make her sick, I think they'd probably just go straight for the surgical option, which of course has it's own risks for Myrtle and I'm guessing would be expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 I paid £100 including VAT back in 2016 for a crop operation, if that helps. Very successful - 2 of mine had eaten stuff they shouldn't and ended up with clay like muck in their crops. I paid £100 including VAT back in 2016 for a crop operation, if that helps. Very successful - 2 of mine had eaten stuff they shouldn't and ended up with clay like muck in their crops. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted June 4, 2019 Share Posted June 4, 2019 19 hours ago, AyeAyeMagpie said: I'm in Lincoln. She's not improved today and her crop is back to squishy. Any idea what ball park figure I'd be looking at if she needed surgery? I can't imagine my vet trying to make her sick, I think they'd probably just go straight for the surgical option, which of course has it's own risks for Myrtle and I'm guessing would be expensive. If it is squishy, then I doubt that she will need surgery - this is usually reserved for an impacted crop, which will be hard. It's hard to advise when I can't see the bird, but I would suggest emptying it as much as you can, then syringing 2-3mls of neat ACV into her beak a couple of times a day to see if that helps. Aim to do this fr 3 days and see how she goes. What she doesn't need (by the sounds of it) is antibiotics; they can make sour crop worse as it's a yeast infection. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AyeAyeMagpie Posted June 4, 2019 Author Share Posted June 4, 2019 This is so helpful, thank you. I've just checked on Myrtle and her crop feels mostly flat (still off food) and I couldn't feel any blockage. I've given neat ACV (which she seemed to quite enjoy). I'll keep that up and see how she goes. I'm hopeful! If she's no better by Thursday then it'll be a trip to the vets, as apparently that's the day of the week the vet with experience of chickens is in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AyeAyeMagpie Posted June 5, 2019 Author Share Posted June 5, 2019 Another update, just in case this thread becomes useful for reference to someone else in future. I gave Myrtle breakfast of scrambled egg and raw, grated lamb's liver, mixed with olive oil. I checked on her after the school run and she's eaten some, which is great. She's also had a bowel movement in the crate, so all looking promising. I'll give more ACV after work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted June 5, 2019 Share Posted June 5, 2019 just don't tell DEFRA what you have given her! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AyeAyeMagpie Posted June 5, 2019 Author Share Posted June 5, 2019 Oh...Oh yeah, I did forget about that. I was just going off advice online about high protein soft food. At least it was lamb's liver and not chicken... Back to maggots tomorrow then. ...but, what about sardines? I've seen them recommended too. Are most people just flaunting the defra rules then? I honestly didn't mean to and hadn't given it any thought in the moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mullethunter Posted June 7, 2019 Share Posted June 7, 2019 If you buy them specifically for the hens and they don’t go via your kitchen it’s ok isn’t it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AyeAyeMagpie Posted June 19, 2019 Author Share Posted June 19, 2019 On 6/7/2019 at 5:07 PM, mullethunter said: If you buy them specifically for the hens and they don’t go via your kitchen it’s ok isn’t it? I think that's right. And apparently if you have a vegan kitchen it's fine too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AyeAyeMagpie Posted June 19, 2019 Author Share Posted June 19, 2019 Sad news update: despite resolving the sour/impacted crop problem and making a recovery, Myrtle took a sudden turn for the worst and passed last night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mullethunter Posted June 19, 2019 Share Posted June 19, 2019 Sorry to hear that - seems the way with chickens quite often 😔 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted June 25, 2019 Share Posted June 25, 2019 That's a sad update, I'm really sorry to hear that, especially as I just read that your other chicken is feeling better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...