Question about sour crop treatment

[Rhyara]

Everyone suggests https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/
Very helpful, but I'm wondering when I should provide her with food again.
In general people day no food or water for 24 hours. Or to give garlic water or vinegar from a dropper. I just want to make sure we're not starving our little one. The guide says eggs and yogurt after the treatment, but that can't be after 7 days... is it after the first treatment? After the first day? Please help

We just lost a rescue chicken to impacted crop last week so we started checking everyone's crop regularly, she was perfectly fine and fully empty last week.
This little lady is about 5 months old, raised from day old so we know her behavior, and just a couple days ago started acting a little lethargic. But that came exactly with the coldest day she's experienced so we thought her hanging out in the coop and not moving was normal, everyone else besides the cockerel stayed inside too.
Felt the difference in her crop last night to this morning and it's definitely like a waterballoon so we immediately took her inside and ran to town to pick up the suggested 7 day miconazole.
She vomited a little when we scooped her up, so I'm hesitant to give her any crop massages...
About to try to give her the first dose.

Edit: she took it pretty well. Tasted it and didn't like it, but putting it piece by piece under the tip of her beak she licked it off to clean herself up. One dose down.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

If the crop is sour, then don't massage.

Make water and feed available during waking hours.

I'm sorry that you find the info confusing.
Hopefully Carol @azygous that wrote the article can clarify some of your questions.

 

[Rhyara]

Thank you

If the crop is sour, then don't massage.

Make water and feed available during waking hours.

I'm sorry that you find the info confusing.
Hopefully Carol @azygous that wrote the article can clarify some of your questions.

Thank you, I got a little confused from looking at so many different articles. Maybe massaging was meant just for the impacted-sour combos, it's just listed under many sour crop treatments I saw.

Should I make garlic water or plain?
I'll make her some wet crumbles, she always loved that as a chick.

 

[azygous]

On the topic of withholding food from a chicken suffering from a crop disorder, I feel it defies common sense, in my opinion. In addition, my opinion is bolstered by observation and experience. I've found that crop patients self regulate food intake when they are having crop issues. Most do not feel like eating when their crop is full, same as us humans when our stomachs are full. But on top of that, chickens with crops disorders feel awful, and that affects appetite.

I believe part of the confusion over what and how much to feed a crop patient stems from foods that have the risk of aggravating the disorders, such as foods containing sugar and food comprised of high fiber. The first feeds and aggravates yeast in sour crop issues and the latter adds indigestible material to an impacted crop, both working against treatment.

I've found that sour crop patients prefer dry crumbles to wet or fermented feed, and impacted crop patients far prefer drinking water to eating food. If you note what these two groups prefer, it's not difficult to see they are regulating their intake very wisely all on their own.

 

[azygous]

The time for adding garlic to the diet to combat sour crop is before a chicken has sour crop. Garlic is not a cure after a chicken gets sour crop. Plain fresh water is the best thing for any sick chicken unless it's a copper sulfate solution or Epsom salt solution intended as a sour crop cure.

Vomiting a chicken is almost never a good idea because the risks far outweigh any benefits. The only time I will do it is to facilitate getting treatment into the chicken by removing enough liquid to make room in the crop for it. There are safer ways to remove the liquid than vomiting. Making vomiting a treatment practice is not gaining anything because the crop will fill right back up again.

 

[Rhyara]

The time for adding garlic to the diet to combat sour crop is before a chicken has sour crop. Garlic is not a cure after a chicken gets sour crop. Plain fresh water is the best thing for any sick chicken unless it's a copper sulfate solution or Epsom salt solution intended as a sour crop cure.

Vomiting a chicken is almost never a good idea because the risks far outweigh any benefits. The only time I will do it is to facilitate getting treatment into the chicken by removing enough liquid to make room in the crop for it. There are safer ways to remove the liquid than vomiting. Making vomiting a treatment practice is not gaining anything because the crop will fill right back up again.

Thank you ❤
I'll switch out the wet for dry and get her plain water. I felt horrible withholding these things too, but so many guides said to... I'll trust the pro (you) here

I definitely don't want to make her vomit, I'm terrified of making her aspirate
She took her first treatment just fine so I won't be giving that a try at all.
I'll stick by her side all week and try to be consistent with her treatment times. Her wings are a little droopy... after a couple days of meds hopefully she'll perk up a little bit? She's a bantam cochin, I'm guessing illnesses hit the little guys faster.

 

[Rhyara]

She looks so sad

3 treatments down. My husband is wondering... he did throw a lot of scratch grains as a distraction during the integration of our raised and rescue chickens. He wants to know if there's anything else we should do if that's maybe left behind in her crop? I've heard of stool softeners (definitely not laxatives). Or if we should just continue with just the yeast treatment.

She had a lot of watery brown poop last night, went straight for the grit this morning and water right after her treatment.

 

[azygous]

What all has your treatment consisted of? Was her crop empty this morning except for the apparent grain particles?

 

[Rhyara]

What all has your treatment consisted of? Was her crop empty this morning except for the apparent grain particles?

Just getting her to eat the half inch of 2% miconazole 7 twice a day.
Took to the forums as soon as we noticed the problem since this is our first time dealing with it.

I couldn't feel anything specific in her crop, he's just concerned it triggered or agitated her situation. Feels like he's blaming himself
It was smaller than yesterday morning, but still very much a waterballoon.

Edit: she is moving around a lot more today and one of her wings isn't dropping anymore. Heard the cockerel crow and started making more noises. Cutest little honks. Maybe I should bring up the livestream so she can hear the rest of them too.

 

[azygous]

Increase the miconazole to a one-inch squeeze or you can pry open her beak and squeeze enough to fill her mouth. That's my system and it's proven easier than trying to get a measured amount into the chicken. She won't overdose. It's not that sort of med.

As long as the crop is decreasing in size overnight, that's good progress. Continue the miconazole twice a day for the full seven days. No need for a stool softener for sour crop. That's strictly for impacted crop.