Equate miconazole monostat for doughy sour crop now lethargic HELP

[Yellow321]

My 4 month old blue copper maran has had a big doughy crop for about a week now. Can mold it like clay. It is not hard and I've squished it around and do not feel any hard masses, so I don't suspect impaction, at least not in the crop. Possibly further in the gizzard or digestive tract but I wouldn't know. She did eat a bunch of dry straw over the last week while I was out of town until I got back and caught her red handed so it's still a possibility.

Anyway, after reading a billion articles on here, many mentioned to give monostat (or generic) orally to treat doughy, yeasty crop and sour crop. I gave the Walmart brand Equate Miconazole 7 vaginal cream yesterday evening at around 5pm. I gave it mixed in with some scrambled eggs. Today she woke up with the same sized big crop but now it feels like a water balloon crop (no longer moldable like dough) with I can tell some old scratch pieces from a few days ago, which I thought was an improvement. However, now she is not eating - even her favorite snacks, barely drinking anything if at all, and just wants to lay down all day. Barely pooping. When she does poop, it's not solid but not total liquid, and green likely because she isn't eating.

I'm forcing some water in her with a dropper by putting drops on her beak. She does take it when I do this. I have her in a separate cage in the run with the other mates. Ive tried twice to remove her completely and bring her in the air conditioned house to treat her, but she immediately gets depressed, won't eat or drink anything until I put her back outside with her friends.

I'm terrified I just doomed her to death giving this Miconazole. Did I poison her or something?! Everyone on here said they've given this stuff and it worked great. Is this normal for the first dose to do this to her?

Yesterday, although she had the firmer doughy crop, at least she still ate a small amount of food (not her normal amount), some of her treats (scrambled eggs and watermelon - I'm trying to only give soft foods) and drank water. Then this today with the lethargy. WHAT DO I DO FROM HERE?!

 

[Eggcessive]

How much did you give? I think most give 1/2 inch of the cream or 1/4 of a suppository twice a day. I doubt that she was overdosed or had a reaction to such a mild medication. Did you press on her crop, and maybe she aspirated some liquid? Here is the good article with dosage:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

 

[Yellow321]

How much did you give? I think most give 1/2 inch of the cream or 1/4 of a suppository twice a day. I doubt that she was overdosed or had a reaction to such a mild medication. Did you press on her crop, and maybe she aspirated some liquid? Here is the good article with dosage:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

1/2 inch? I went off of this article that said to give about 1cc https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...ntion-and-treatments-of-crop-disorders.67194/

And this article says to give 3 times a day! So which is it?!

And the many other comments on other articles that mentioned they just squirt some in their mouth and don't measure! I eyeballed it and just squirted probably 1-1.5cc into some scrambled eggs and mixed it up. She didn't eat all of the scrambled eggs, but ate most of it.

Considering shes 4 months old, do you think it was too much for her? I'm so worried. Shes my favorite lap baby.

 

[Yellow321]

Update: She just pooped and it was not green! Solid with the white stuff. She has started eating a few bites of the watermelon but that's all she wants to eat. And she's normally a piggy with watermelon so this is out of character for her to only eat about 5 or 6 nibbles. She goes to lay back down with her eyes closed as soon as she's done.

 

[Eggcessive]

Both Two Crows and Azygous have articles that help with crop disorders. I can’t say if 1 ml 3 times a day is harmful or not. I doubt it. But Azygous recommends 1/2 inch. You would have to measure it to see if the amount is equal. Two or three times a day may not matter, but I can’t say. There is no medication book that recommends these meds, only people’s experience and recommendations. It I kind of up to you whether or not to follow their advice. Many people on here use Azygous’s dosage with good results. In my experience, I have never had a hen survive longer than 6 weeks with an impacted or sour crop. I have never tried to miconazole or the acidified copper sulfate.

 

[Yellow321]

Both Two Crows and Azygous have articles that help with crop disorders. I can’t say if 1 ml 3 times a day is harmful or not. I doubt it. But Azygous recommends 1/2 inch. You would have to measure it to see if the amount is equal. Two or three times a day may not matter, but I can’t say. There is no medication book that recommends these meds, only people’s experience and recommendations. It I kind of up to you whether or not to follow their advice. Many people on here use Azygous’s dosage with good results. In my experience, I have never had a hen survive longer than 6 weeks with an impacted or sour crop. I have never tried to miconazole or the acidified copper sulfate.

Aw man. That doesn't give me hope . I'm hoping there are others who can chime in that have had successful experiences.

I just tried the spices concoction on that article link I commented earlier. I'm not sure if it's coincidence her acting this way but now I'm afraid to continue using the miconozole.

I just got her to eat a bit of cut up cucumber, so that's something at least

Thanks for your help

 

[Eggcessive]

I would not be afraid of the miconazole. So many use it without an issue. Your hen just may be showing more symptoms of an illness, and is more lethargic. My hens with impacted crop eventually got sour crop, and their symptoms were usually due to a reproductive disorder or something else. Are you giving her a balanced diet mostly of chicken crumbles or pellets? Do you have poultry grit available in a separate container? Worming her may be something you need to do, since worms can sometimes affect how the crop, gizzard, and intestines work. I never saw a crop problem until my original hens were about 5. Other health problems are frequently the reason the crop is not emptying.

 

[Yellow321]

I would not be afraid of the miconazole. So many use it without an issue. Your hen just may be showing more symptoms of an illness, and is more lethargic. My hens with impacted crop eventually got sour crop, and their symptoms were usually due to a reproductive disorder or something else. Are you giving her a balanced diet mostly of chicken crumbles or pellets? Do you have poultry grit available in a separate container? Worming her may be something you need to do, since worms can sometimes affect how the crop, gizzard, and intestines work. I never saw a crop problem until my original hens were about 5. Other health problems are frequently the reason the crop is not emptying.

I know shes been munching on some dried straw for about a week so impaction could very well be a possibility. I tried to feel around the crop for a staw ball tangle. I did feel some in there yesterday but after a bunch of massaging and coconut oil, and then after the miconozole treatment yesterday evening, I don't feel the straw in there anymore. I haven't seen any straw-filled poop around either though.

She does jerk her neck now, though I guess due to her crop being uncomfortable? She is also mouth breathing sometimes, even when she's inside in the AC - so shouldn't be hot.

I have an appointment with the vet but the soonest they have is Tuesday.

What are your thoughts about me starting a round of antibiotics? I have some Tylosin I could give? As well as some Amoxicillin.

 

[Eggcessive]

It sounds like she is adjusting her crop,and they tend to do it more if something is stuck in the crop. If her crop is impacted, antibiotics would not help. If sour crop develops, that can be fungal or bacterial. Does she get grit free choice? I would try to get her drinking fluids and offer some egg. In addition to coconut oil, you can offer a Colase stool softener to swallow to try and break up an impaction. I would keep up the crop massage.

 

[ChicNmom]

I also had a hen that ate a lot of straw. I used a stool softener a couple of days in a row but I had the most success with digestive enzymes and crop massage. I used a mixed digestive enzyme that has cellulase. The crop massage was more aggressive to break up the straw ball. The ball got harder before it got smaller. At that point I gently, through her crop pulled it apart. Not too aggressively on that. Maybe 2 pulls 2 or 3 times a day.
***You should be able to feel the straw fibers. At least I could tell it was stringy and fibrous*** I'm adding that JIC it's not straw.

I also limited dry and hard foods.

Eventually bits of straw were coming out the other end. It's good that she is pooping. That means that right now she's not totally stopped up.


My hen's crop was huge and it took almost a month to totally clear it. She had a saggy crop for the rest of her life so I had to keep an eye on it.