Horrible smelling mouth

[Peytonandpancakes]

I have several hens that have HORRIBLE smelling mouths. I mean like a dead animal!
They are all eating, drinking and free ranging in the yard. Their activity is normal, no eye or nasal discharge, no respiratory problems or sneezing.
I have my Silkie in my lap right now and I can smell her rancid odor from here. Her crop has some material in it and when I squeeze it, it feels like memory foam.
They eat laying crumble, veggies, some fruit, a little cracked corn in the am as a treat, pasta a couple times per week. I HAVE been fostering a conure for a local rescue group and he came with some cheap, millet mixture food. My husband has been giving them this as a treat as well.
I’ll feel all their crops in the am to see if they’re empty.
what could this be? This smell is so bad

 

[Pyxis]

The smell you're describing is often one of the hallmark symptoms of coryza, an incurable respiratory disease that you can treat the symptoms of but never fully eliminate. But with no respiratory symptoms, it would be a little odd.

It might also be canker, which can also cause a strong smell. Check inside their mouths for signs of canker, which will look like a gross buildup in the mouth. It's caused by a parasite called trichomoniasis, which you would need to treat with something like ronidazole or metronidazole. It's pretty easy to find online sold for pigeons.

It would be odd for them to all get sour crop at the same time (another possibility for the smell), so that's unlikely.

 

[Fishychix]

Since they’re eating food other than just chicken pellets/crumbles, are you also giving them free choice grit?

 

[Peytonandpancakes]

Could the millet and or cracked corn be moldy or contain fungus? And although I’m new at the chicken thing, I tend to agree that it would be strange for them all to have sour crop at the same time.

 

[FarmerGirl101]

It might be canker. I had a hen a few months ago who had horrid breath and ended up having canker. Look into their mouths to see if there is anything there. @Pyxis has a good way to how to treat it (in a post above). I'm assuming they will be fine if you treat them (I sadly mistreated my hen and didn’t realize that she had canker until this post. She has since passed away due to being severely underweight for reasons unknown).

 

[Pyxis]

Could the millet and or cracked corn be moldy or contain fungus?

You could check that. If it did, you'd be able to see it.

Did you get a chance to take a look in their mouths?

 

[Eggcessive]

I agree that canker, sour crop, or coryza are all things that can cause a horrible odor from the beaks. Canker is carried by pigeons and other wild birds, and causes yellow cheesy growths inside the beak and down into the esophagus and crop. That might be more likely with the conure or the feed. Look into some beaks with a flashlight. Here is some reading about canker:
http://www.poultrydvm.com/condition/canker

Sour crop symptoms are a puffy soft crop that does not empty by morning.

 

[mviera101]

Mine had that foul mouth smell, the folks here helped me narrow it down. Vet verified it was Coryza and after a round of antibiotics she seemed better. She ended up dying suddenly about a month later. I am unsure if she ever recovered and while I had my eye on she seemed good one day and gone the next?