Sour crop or something else?

[wt190141]

I have a 6 month old hen, Dottie, who I brought inside (along with 2 others) because she was acting lethargic, figuring it was due to our Texas heat. I put them in the same bedroom as my brooder with my chicks in it. But then the babies started showing signs of cocci so I treated them with corid.

When the 3 bigger hens started showing more signs of being lethargic and not wanting to eat, I figured maybe they had cocci too from being in the room with the babies and I’ve been treating them with corid as well. But then one hen died. I don’t know why

Dottie hasn’t been eating much still and yesterday, I saw her drinking the water and then she vomited water & maybe saliva? It looked kind of mucusy. I’ll include the video of that below. But that made me think sour crop? But there isn’t a smell and her crop was empty this morning. But again, she’s hardly eating so that could be why. She pooped green and white this morning.

She’s been puffed up, lethargic, and won’t lay down. She slept standing up.

One more thing is that she was holding one eye shut for 3 days. I think it maybe was hurt somehow, but it is looking better today.

Her crop isn’t swollen or anything. And I’ve never been able to confirm that she has started laying eggs yet, but she definitely hasn’t in the last 3 days. But I don’t feel anything like a stuck egg.

Is this sour crop or something else? How can I help her?

 

[coach723]

If the crop isn't emptying normally then she is probably bringing crop contents back up. There are many reasons that can happen, narrowing it down can take some time. I will link to a couple of good articles that cover crop issues extensively, hopefully that will help. I do want to ask what you are feeding them? Is that in the dish their regular feed? Reason I ask is that it looks like whole grains and seeds? Sometimes, with some birds, that can be a problem. They pick out the bits they like and leave the bits they don't, and that can lead to deficiencies. They particularly tend to like the corn and sunflower seeds, which is not really a good diet in excess. For that reason I prefer a pellet or crumble (which ever they seem to like best) so that they can't pick and choose and will get all the vitamins and minerals. EVERYTHING else should be less than 10% of the diet.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...ntion-and-treatments-of-crop-disorders.67194/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

 

[TillyPeeps]

Where did you get these hens? From a store/hatchery as baby chicks or from a breeder as pullets? If she doesn't have crop issue but threw up mucus, I suspect Marek's disease. I saw my pullet died from Marek's doing that. Of course, if you got them from a safe source and keep good biosafety, then it's most likely not Marek's.

 

[wt190141]

If the crop isn't emptying normally then she is probably bringing crop contents back up. There are many reasons that can happen, narrowing it down can take some time. I will link to a couple of good articles that cover crop issues extensively, hopefully that will help. I do want to ask what you are feeding them? Is that in the dish their regular feed? Reason I ask is that it looks like whole grains and seeds? Sometimes, with some birds, that can be a problem. They pick out the bits they like and leave the bits they don't, and that can lead to deficiencies. They particularly tend to like the corn and sunflower seeds, which is not really a good diet in excess. For that reason I prefer a pellet or crumble (which ever they seem to like best) so that they can't pick and choose and will get all the vitamins and minerals. EVERYTHING else should be less than 10% of the diet.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...ntion-and-treatments-of-crop-disorders.67194/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

Thank you for the links! The food in the feeder is their usual feed. It’s Kalmbach’s henhouse reserve. In the white bowl is scrambled eggs with a few dried mealworms and beetles.

 

[wt190141]

Where did you get these hens? From a store/hatchery as baby chicks or from a breeder as pullets? If she doesn't have crop issue but threw up mucus, I suspect Marek's disease. I saw my pullet died from Marek's doing that. Of course, if you got them from a safe source and keep good biosafety, then it's most likely not Marek's.

Thank you for the response! I got her from TSC as a baby. I’ve had her for her whole 6 months of life. Could it still be mareks?

 

[coach723]

It is impossible to diagnose Marek's without testing or a necropsy. There are many things that can look like Marek's and are not. Unless you have had Marek's confirmed in your flock, I would not just assume that. If you lose the bird, have it necropsied to find out. You can also have a live bird tested with a blood sample. Link below.
Anything that causes the crop to not empty properly, slow or stopped digestion from many causes, can cause them to bring contents back up.

If you want to test the bird, call here and ask for particulars:
https://www.vetdna.com/application/forms/aviansubmittalform.pdf

 

[TillyPeeps]

Thank you for the response! I got her from TSC as a baby. I’ve had her for her whole 6 months of life. Could it still be mareks?

Although it's possible, it's very rare that a chick from TSC coming home with Marek's. If her crop was empty in morning, it shouldn't be sour crop. Since all your pullets and chicks get sick, I suspect some contagious disease. Is it possible wild birds can get to their feed? Rodents and wild bird can bring in diseases. It's hard to tell what it is though. Keep giving her vitamins and probiotics to see if she recovers.

I feed my chickens whole grain type feed too, but I fermented their feed so they eat everything. I always has dry crumbles available too, but they like the fermented feed the best.

 

[wt190141]

Although it's possible, it's very rare that a chick from TSC coming home with Marek's. If her crop was empty in morning, it shouldn't be sour crop. Since all your pullets and chicks get sick, I suspect some contagious disease. Is it possible wild birds can get to their feed? Rodents and wild bird can bring in diseases. It's hard to tell what it is though. Keep giving her vitamins and probiotics to see if she recovers.

I feed my chickens whole grain type feed too, but I fermented their feed so they eat everything. I always has dry crumbles available too, but they like the fermented feed the best.

We have seen a few rats recently near the coop at night. So it’s very possible they got to the chicken feed. If that’s the case, what can I do for her to get better? I’ll take care of the rats ASAP.

I think what got the babies in the brooder sick was me bringing in patches of grass for them to play in. I guess it over exposed them to the cocci in the yard and gave them coccidiosis. So I was thinking that since Dottie is in the room with them, maybe she was exposed too.

She’s currently on Corid. Should I take her off of that? I haven’t seen any blood in her poop.

 

[wt190141]

I really don’t think it’s Mareks and really truly hope it’s not. What else can I do for her if it’s not mareks or sour crop?

 

[TillyPeeps]

I would finish the Corid treatment to see if it helps. If not, consider deworming. Heavy worm load could cause crop issue too. No vitamin B supply when using Corid though. Does her lower bell feel full of water? Did you notice any sign of short of breath, sneezing, runny nose (beak), yellow diarrhea, etc.? I also put a little pinch of oregano powder on a sick hen feed to help her fighting sickness.