Hen, Very Squishy Overflowing Crop, Weak

[BaltimoreWoolCo]

I have an almost 6 year old Auracana hen. Usually healthy with a good appetite. The day before yesterday when she was going for food I saw liquid leaking from her beak. I watched her for a while and she still wanted to eat. I picked her up and her crop was huge and squishy. I helped her drain some of it, and put oregano oil in their water. I let her have some kefir and olive oil. We repeated this yesterday morning as well. She's been drinking lots of water, and ends up with it spilling from her beak as her crop overflows. Up until last night she still wanted to eat, despite the big squishy crop. I don't feel any mass in the crop, just squish.

Last night I carefully helped her vomit some of this up and brought her inside and tucked her in a crate. My husband gave her a dose of miconazole this morning and let her have some water. I checked on her when I got home from work tonight and let her drink a bit more. My husband just now gently picked her up and she had a little bit of crop overflow.

She's currently quite weak and I'm very worried. I'll give her another dose of miconazole in just a bit but I don't know if I can let her eat or drink anything else? She definitely hasn't eaten anything since yesterday evening. The weakness is very worrying. I'd appreciate any and all advice. I can call our vet on Monday but I'm not sure what to do now. Offer her a little food?

 

[Eggcessive]

Be careful handling her with the full and puffy crop, since that can cause her to choke on her crop contents. Ditto for trying to make her empty the crop. I would separate her and give her water with electrolytes only, no food, for the next 24 hours. Give the miconazole twice a day for 7 days. After 24 hours, offer some probiotics or plain greek yogurt a litte cooked egg and water. It is possible that she may have a reproductive problem, infection, or ascites that is putting pressure on organs and slowing down her digestive function. Here is @azygous ‘s article about sour crop treatment which has more info:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

 

[BaltimoreWoolCo]

Thanks very much for replying! My vet talked me through helping empty some of her crop and I was very careful. Same for handling her. My husband has very large hands and may have had a hand in the wrong place. She's been separated since last night. I'll let her have a bit more water with electrolytes.

I read through that very good article about crop function but didn't find anything that really fits what seems to be happening here. I'm definitely concerned that something else is going on that's slowing crop function. It's been about 24 hours since she has eaten anything. 48 hours isn't too long without food?

 

[Eggcessive]

Then try the cooked egg and a little plain yogurt or buttermilk for probiotics now. As long as she is drinking plenty of water, she will stay hydrated. Is she passing droppings? I am not a good person to help with crop problems, but @ azygous is helpful. The main idea is to treat the infection which is frequently a fungus or yeast and give fluids until the crop functions. Most hens that I have treated with sour crop have not made it due to another problem such as reproductive disorder.

 

[azygous]

@Eggcessive has just about covered it, and I have nothing to add to it except that if your hen hasn't started to improve by tomorrow, you might try a crop bra to lift the contents of the crop up so the crop can drain more efficiently.

If you read my article, you probably saw the part about pendulous crop. Older hens can begin to have chest sag. (gosh, does that seem familiar?) The crop hangs too low for the contents to reach the crop drain which is about a third of the way up from the bottom. (I'd like to have a word with the "engineer" who designed chicken crops without taking advantage of gravity.

Anyway, when a case of sour crop doesn't respond to treatment, I always suggest the crop bra. That usually gets the patient over this hurdle.

 

[BaltimoreWoolCo]

Thank you both very much for the advice! We got her 2nd dose in, she drank some water, then went to sleep while I was cooking her egg. I put a bit of it in her crate in case she wakes up hungry. Fingers crossed that we see some signs of recovery soon. We can certainly make her a crop bra and give that a try.

 

[wkshaddon]

@Eggcessive has just about covered it, and I have nothing to add to it except that if your hen hasn't started to improve by tomorrow, you might try a crop bra to lift the contents of the crop up so the crop can drain more efficiently.

If you read my article, you probably saw the part about pendulous crop. Older hens can begin to have chest sag. (gosh, does that seem familiar?) The crop hangs too low for the contents to reach the crop drain which is about a third of the way up from the bottom. (I'd like to have a word with the "engineer" who designed chicken crops without taking advantage of gravity.

Anyway, when a case of sour crop doesn't respond to treatment, I always suggest the crop bra. That usually gets the patient over this hurdle.

What the heck is a crop bra, and are they home made or manufactured?

 

[azygous]

A crop bra is a sling that straps onto a hen and supports the heavy crop so it will drain more efficiently. Poor muscle tone in older hens often causes the crop to droop and that prevents normal emptying of the crop.

You can purchase crop bras online, but making your own is very easy if you sew. Here's a do-it-yourself thread on making bras. https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/making-a-crop-bra-for-a-hen-with-pendulous-crop.1464848/ One size does not fit all hens, so being able to customize the bra will make it more comfortable for the hen to wear.