Fighting sour crop

[rumbleBee_STi]

Me & my little guy Slade have been battling his sour crop going on 1 week now. He’s lost weight, was very lethargic until I started feeding him a mash of boiled egg, damp crumble & yogurt & adding ACV to his water, then taking times to do garlic water only. In the mornings his crop is a hard ball that gurgles when massaged & results in a stinky burp (I guess) & I can feel the gas bubbles moving. Do I need to take the steps to treat this as impacted crop now? What are the best ways to help break up the ball in his crop? His poops were very watery with only small chunks of brown. Today, he had more actual poop, more than he has had in a week.

I just replaced the cardboard in his separation tub last night BTW. This is his poop from this morning.

 

[rumbleBee_STi]

I’ve also been doing the monistat syringe treatment x2 daily.

 

[rumbleBee_STi]

@azygous @21hens-incharge I’m not sure who else to tag. Can y’all give me a little guidance here?

 

[21hens-incharge]

I haven't had a sour crop incident that has gone on so long here.

@Eggcessive @casportpony @Wyorp Rock tagging you in for sour crop advice here.

 

[casportpony]

Is a vet an option? Do you have a food scale that you can weigh him on?

 

[azygous]

It appears, to me anyway, from his poop that he's impacted as well as yeasty.

I usually treat the impacted crop first with coconut oil, slightly chilled to harden it, then give him about two teaspoons, and then massage very gently to break up the lump. You should feel it break up if the oil is doing the job. Keep massaging, careful not to push the contents into the upper one-third of the crop so he doesn't aspirate.

You may need to repeat the oil and massage in an hour. After you feel all the lumps break up and go down, then start treating the yeast with miconazole. It's best to hold off on the ACV during crop issues as it makes an acidic crop even more acidic.

 

[rumbleBee_STi]

Is a vet an option? Do you have a food scale that you can weigh him on?

Yes, we do have an avian vet around. I planned on giving that vet a call yesterday but he perked up a lot & decided to hold off on calling. I don’t have a scale, he’s very light compared to his same-age flock mates. His comb was also a very dark maroonish color & looked deflated, but it’s starting to get bright again.

 

[rumbleBee_STi]

It appears, to me anyway, from his poop that he's impacted as well as yeasty.

I usually treat the impacted crop first with coconut oil, slightly chilled to harden it, then give him about two teaspoons, and then massage very gently to break up the lump. You should feel it break up if the oil is doing the job. Keep massaging, careful not to push the contents into the upper one-third of the crop so he doesn't aspirate.

You may need to repeat the oil and massage in an hour. After you feel all the lumps break up and go down, then start treating the yeast with miconazole. It's best to hold off on the ACV during crop issues as it makes an acidic crop even more acidic.

Yes, he’s very yeasty based off the smells of his poop & breath. He was so lethargic over the weekend, just sleeping with his head tucked & staying in one spot. He’s alert most of the day now but still doesn’t move around much.

okay, I will do that. I couldn’t figure out how to get the coconut oil into his mouth because it started turning into oil almost as soon as I would put it on my finger. I’ve felt so lost & alone during all of this, reading the articles & doing everything the articles have said. Live feedback from y’all points me in the right direction & gives me this giant sigh of relief. I’ll cut the ACV ASAP.

 

[rumbleBee_STi]

This was him earlier when I was trying to give him some coconut oil. I had no one else at home to help at the time being.

 

[casportpony]

Yes, we do have an avian vet around. I planned on giving that vet a call yesterday but he perked up a lot & decided to hold off on calling. I don’t have a scale, he’s very light compared to his same-age flock mates. His comb was also a very dark maroonish color & looked deflated, but it’s starting to get bright again.

If a vet is an option I recommend consulting with them since they have the ability to verify if it's a fungal or bacterial infection. If it's either, they will have the proper medications to treat him