Swollen crop?

[Gencab]

Confused on this one and could use some opinions/advise.

Chicken Breed: Columbian Wyandot Bantam
Source: Chackle Hatchery
Age: 8 weeks
Type: Cockerel
Diet: Kalmbach chick feed. Chick grit added few days ago.

Current Symptom: Enlarged fluid or air filled sack covering all of front breast. Soft to touch. No pain to chicken when handled or depressed gently. No limited range of movement . No drastic change in general behavior. Note in previous weeks chicken did crop adjust more usual. No foul odor in breath.

Current working theory: Problem with crop function. Suspect infection to crop. Unknown cause or impact to the chicken.

Current treatment: Treat with apple cider vinegar with Mother culture and Probiotic administered in water.

 

[Chicken poppy]

Can you smell her breathe and see if its stinky?

 

[Gencab]

Can you smell her breathe and see if its stinky?

No odor when checked

 

[Chicken poppy]

@azygous

 

[azygous]

To verify a crop disorder, you need to take his food and water away after he's gone to sleep and not give it back until you check his crop in the morning. This will be a baseline where his crop stands. It should be flat and empty after resting all night.

Read this. It's your homework. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/ It will clarify what sort of crop disorders he could have, and it will give you background in the various treatments we might decide on.

He's awfully young to have a crop issue. Usually, we see them in much older chickens when underlying health issues cause crop problems. Has he had any health issues?

Was he much smaller than the others when he was a small chick? How is his appetite? Does he get grit?

What is your location?

 

[Gencab]

Much appreciated azgous.

Has he had any health issues?

No this is the first issue we have notices with him or his hatch mates.

Was he much smaller than the others when he was a small chick? How is his appetite? Does he get grit?

Same size as the other 2 hatch mates of the same breed. Eats and drinks in normal frequency expected of a healthy chick. Grit recently introduced as part of the chick feed.

verify a crop disorder, you need to take his food and water away after he's gone to sleep and not give it back until you check his crop in the morning. This will be a baseline where his crop stands. It should be flat and empty after resting all night.

Food and water removed till mid morning. Crop slightly smaller when compared to last night. Still enlarged and more squishy as if a half full bag of liquid.

Read this. It's your homework. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/ It will clarify what sort of crop disorders he could have, and it will give you background in the various treatments we might decide on.

This is a great article. Based on the information here it does lean to Sour Crop matching symptoms with the exception of smell. Still no odor from chickens mouth. Did have other family members validate the lack of smell.

What is your location?

Northern Arkansas in the Ozarks

Here is a picture of the same chicken at 6 weeks.

 

[azygous]

He's a handsome lad. He's at the age where a chick can eat too much and also too much of a hard to digest food, such as grass or high fiber veggies and fruit. I've had a chick of this age get clogged after binging on live meal worms, it being my fault, not hers.

Try giving this little beast a teaspoon of coconut oil, all of it, right into his beak. It helps to chill the oil in bite size bits and keep it hard on a chilled saucer until you feed it all into the beak. Just shove the little pieces in.

Then gently massage the oil into the crop, focusing on clearing the crop. This will distribute the oil into his digestive system and hopefully clear any blockage. Be sure he has access to water as he will likely feel like drinking as the blockage moves.

 

[Gencab]

Teaspoon of chilled coconut oil administered in small bits. After a few massage and cool downs I now have a tired loaf. Have kept him away from the food for half of the day with plenty of water available.

 

[azygous]

He's adorable. A real keeper.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

What's his poop like?

At 8weeks of age, in addition to treating the crop problem as suggested, if he were mine, I'd treat for Coccidiosis as well.

I'd drench him for 3 days in addition to him drinking the mixed Corid water.

For 9.6% Liquid Corid drench, give 0.10ml per pound of body weight orally once or twice a day for 1-3 days.

For 20% Corid powder drench, mix 1/2tsp powder with 2tsp water.
Give 0.34 ml of this solution per pound of body weight orally once or twice a day for 1-3 days.

IN ADDITION to the drench above which will help give a kick start, offer mixed Corid in the drinking water as follows:
Corid liquid is 2tsp or Corid powder is 1 1/2 tsp per gallon of water given daily for 5-7days in a row. Don't give any extra supplement/vitamins that contain B1(Thiamine) during the course of Corid treatment.