Sour Crop or Something More Serious?

[lmterp]

I have a 4 year old hen, Billie, who about a month ago (?) had two issues that seemed to coincide. She laid a shell-less egg, something that is a recurrent problem (egg shells and oyster shells available) and she seemed to have sour crop. I took her to the vet to check her out. He said rather than spend a lot of money on expensive diagnostics, most hens will get better by giving both an antibiotic and antifungal. So we did that. She seemed better, but then up and down, and then about two weeks later I noticed that she was regurgitating. I brought her back to the vet, left her for observation (they did not see her regurgitate) had them do a crop swab (clean) and an xray (my husband's fear was she'd swallowed a stable or something) - also nothing showed up. He sent us home with stronger antibiotics and the same antifungal. It seemed torturous for her to receive the antifungal and on the last dose she regurgitated before I even gave her the syringe. I decided at that point that she clearly had something more serious (like cancer), and as long as she didn't seem to be suffering, I'd let her just live out her life in peace without further intervention. She continued to drink, but at least as far as I observed, would not eat her normal feed. So I gave her whatever treats she wanted. One day she eagerly ate eggs. But the next day. not. A little yogurt. Not again. The last two days she has eaten watermelon. I'm thinking she really wants to live. This morning after she ate a good amount of watermelon, she was moving her neck around to adjust her crop which is big and squishy. So now I'm thinking - is it just sour crop that the western medicine route didn't resolve. Has anyone had a chicken that persisted with this route and then went a more natural route and had success? Also, I have not seen her poop AT ALL, including the last hour + when she has alternately cuddled in my lap and is not sitting on my shoulder. So I'm wondering if a shell-less egg is inside her - but wouldn't the xrays have picked that up? Here she is on my shoulder which I think is because I brought her in the house, which she associates with administering meds.

 

[talkinboutchickens]

Ok; I am not a vet, but when I took my puppy to the vet they took x-rays and said that some things don't show up on an x-ray, such as clothing, paper etc. So if his intestines were obstructed by paper or clothing, they wouldn't be able to tell on an x-ray. Things you can't see on an x-ray, he said, are called radiopaque.

I would think that the vet would consider that as a possibility, that it could be radiopaque, but I don't know.
Do more research and consult your vet before giving your chicken any meds.

 

[talkinboutchickens]

 

[Eggcessive]

Since she has a problem with shell-less eggs, she could have a reproductive infection or salpingitis. Those could cause more pressure inside the abdomen, putting pressure on the digestive tract where the crop slows down. That can lead to impacted or sour crop. Do you notice a fowl odor from her beak? Has the vet prescribed a probiotic? What antifungal did the vet prescribe? Is her lower belly enlarged under her vent?

 

[lmterp]

Since she has a problem with shell-less eggs, she could have a reproductive infection or salpingitis. Those could cause more pressure inside the abdomen, putting pressure on the digestive tract where the crop slows down. That can lead to impacted or sour crop. Do you notice a fowl odor from her beak? Has the vet prescribed a probiotic? What antifungal did the vet prescribe? Is her lower belly enlarged under her vent?

The antifungal was Nystatin. Her crop does not feel hard - rather, large and squishy at this point, but during this course of illness has also been empty. No foul odor. No probiotic was prescribed, though I have given her yogurt. (She's not eating it now, but did before.). Lower belly not enlarged.

 

[Debbie292d]

Hopefully, she's doing better but if not, or for the future, here are two excellent articles, by esteemed members of ours, about crop issues.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...ntion-and-treatments-of-crop-disorders.67194/