Sour Crop and Mites

[Heatherella]

In my 10 years of chicken keeping I’ve been able to avoid mites. I became complacent and lazy this winter with coop maintenance. Now I have a hen with sour crop on top of mites. I took her to the vet yesterday. Eeeek! I’m feeling sooooo guilty.

It was $170 for her crop to be drained, and I don’t think I got very good advice. The vet told me just to get Diatomaceous Earth for a dust bath and to treat with Corid and apple cider vinegar in the water. We caught the mites early. There are no scabs or feather loss on anyone yet. I feel stupid to have spent that much money for no real solution.

Has anyone had luck with a chicken recovering from sour crop? Any advice for the mites? I’m thinking only treating with DE might be wrong. I’ve read it’s dusty and ineffective. I’m a bit annoyed that I spent so much money for bad advice and ineffective treatment. I did some research and ordered Effector PSP and plan to spray the hens and coops. Is there anything else I should be doing? I can’t use permethrin sprays because I have a cat that roams the coops occasionally.

 

[nuthatched]

DE won't work, unfortunately.
When the psp gets here, completely clean out your coop, apply the product a d get all new bedding and litter.

 

[Eggcessive]

Why did the vet start or recommend Corid? That is for coccidiosis. If your hen has sour crop including symptoms of a squishy full crop with a bad odor first thing in the morning, an antifungal medicine may help. Those include using miconazole/monistat cream or suppositories twice a day, Medistatin powder, or nystatin liquid. If those don’t help, acidified copper sulfate 1/4 tsp per gallon of water can be used. Usually, there is a reason for the crop to become impacted and slow, and then turn sour. Reproductive disorders, cancer, worm blockage, or water belly are some possible reasons. Here is a good article about various crop problems that many use:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

 

[Heatherella]

Why did the vet start or recommend Corid? That is for coccidiosis. If your hen has sour crop including symptoms of a squishy full crop with a bad odor first thing in the morning, an antifungal medicine may help. Those include using miconazole/monistat cream or suppositories twice a day, Medistatin powder, or nystatin liquid. If those don’t help, acidified copper sulfate 1/4 tsp per gallon of water can be used. Usually, there is a reason for the crop to become impacted and slow, and then turn sour. Reproductive disorders, cancer, worm blockage, or water belly are some possible reasons. Here is a good article about various crop problems that many use:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

Thank you very much! The vet told me that coccidia is the most common cause of sour crop. That was a surprise to me but as I was there in the appointment I went along with the things he was saying.

I am open to using an anti fungal to help her and it makes a hell of a lot more sense than anything the vet said. Do you know the dosage recommendations?

Thank you for your help! Truly appreciated!

 

[Eggcessive]

The dosage of the monistat cream is 1/2 from the tube given orally twice a day. Coccidiosis is very common in young chickens between 3-12 weeks, or in older birds with immune problems. Read this link posts 1-8 for nystatin/Medistatin dosage:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/medistatin-nystatin-dose.1211995/
Medistatin powder is available from jedds.com online.

 

[Layenna and chicks]

One of my Jens had sourcrop. I had ng her upsidedown and massaged her crop. She threw up and it was pretty gross, but she's healthy as a horse now!

 

[Eggcessive]

Chickens can choke to death on crop contents if tipped forward and made to vomit. I would avoid doing that.

 

[Layenna and chicks]

Chickens can choke to death on crop contents if tipped forward and made to vomit. I would avoid doing that.

Oh my goodness!!! I did not know that!!!