Sour Crop, anti fungal medicine?

[LindaBer]

My chicken (probably around 5yrs old) had a sour crop 2 weeks ago (she was lying in the coop with liquid dropping out of her mouth). We let her throw up a few times, kept her off of food and seperated her from the other chickens. She seemed to be doing fine again, but she developed an impacted crop. She didn't want to drink anymore and slept the whole time. She seems to have a swollen belly as well. We also have an other chicken who developed a sour crop a few days ago (she also stopped drinking).

We went to the vet yesterday ($180!). He said she lost too much weight (3.11lb) and was dehydrated. We have to put some medicine (neopectin), water with electrolytes and insure into her crop for a few days. He also gave us enrofloxacin. Her crop is still quite full in the morning, she eats a little wet pellets and half an egg a day.

I thought the medicine we got was something anti fungal, but it turnes out it's not.... Do I need to buy something else to give to her (like nystatin) as well, or do I just follow the vet's advice? Both chickens seem to have vent gleet as well (poop keeps sticking to their butts for over two months now).

THANKS!

ps I always put a bit of ACV in their water.

 

[Mother Hen]

Wow! I'm so glad I found BYC and now BYH so much information that I didn't know but that's what happens when a country girl turns into a city girl than back to a country girl.

 

[Arrakis]

I used generic monistat 3 from walmart. Cut the cones into thirds and give twice a day. I kept mine inside, warm, electrolytes, and her normal feed. The first few days i used a syringe (without the needle) to get warm water in her and massage the crop. It helped to loosen up the impaction. She was ready to go outside in a week. She had lost alot of weight but now is back to normal.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

knock on wood I have not had this chicken problem. But had a friend that did. There are some cockatiel care sites on the internet that give excellent explanation and direction to getting birds back on track after slow crop or impacted crop. Often yeast is lining the crop if it is sour and the bird needs an empty crop for nystatin or an anti fungal to be most effective. Also external pressure on the stretched out crop - birdie bra (seriously) - has been shown to be more than beneficial but also very key while the crop heals and gets some tone and function back. @TwoCrows is a fabulous resource on sour crop

 

[Wyorp Rock]

My chicken (probably around 5yrs old) had a sour crop 2 weeks ago (she was lying in the coop with liquid dropping out of her mouth). She seemed to be doing fine again, but she developed an impacted crop. She seems to have a swollen belly as well.

We went to the vet yesterday ($180!). He said she lost too much weight (3.11lb) and was dehydrated. We have to put some medicine (neopectin), water with electrolytes and insure into her crop for a few days. He also gave us enrofloxacin. Her crop is still quite full in the morning, she eats a little wet pellets and half an egg a day.

I thought the medicine we got was something anti fungal, but it turnes out it's not.... Do I need to buy something else to give to her (like nystatin) as well, or do I just follow the vet's advice? Both chickens seem to have vent gleet as well (poop keeps sticking to their butts for over two months now).

THANKS!

ps I always put a bit of ACV in their water.

@LindaBer how are your hens?
Crop issues can be a symptom of an underlying condition like internal laying/reproductive disorders, Cocci or worms. You noticed that your 5yr old has a swollen belly as well. She may have something like Egg Yolk Peritonitis, Ascites, cancer, tumors or Salpingitis. Did the vet make any comment on the abdomen?

Anti-fungals like Nystatin may be helpful, but as @TwoCrows mentions in her article (linked below), Nystatin isn't quite as effective as something like Clotrimazole (your vet can prescribe it or like mentioned in previous posts, some use Monistat). Since you have vet care, you may want to discuss treatment options - I understand it's $$$ and we all have a limit, so home treatment may be necessary.

The Enrofloxacin may help if she has an infection in the abdomen. Depending on how advanced and what the cause is. Is the abdomen hard or does it feel like it has fluid in it? Your vet can xray to see if there are masses in the abdomen. If it's fluid, then it can sometimes be drained to give relief.

Do your best to keep the fluids going, make a source of grit available and continue with the wet feed - you can give some yogurt and hard boiled egg as a welcome treat, but avoid "hard foods" like cracked corn, scratch, etc. For Vent Gleet, give their bums a wash up and apply some anti-fungal cream topically.

Let us know how she is doing.

Very good article on crop issues - you may want to read the whole thing:
http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/impacted-slow-and-sour-crops-prevention-and-treatments

Peritonitis and internal egg laying issues:
http://scoopfromthecoop.nutrenaworld.com/tag/laying-issues/
http://www.hobbyfarms.com/livestock-and-pets/6-causes-of-chicken-swollen-abdomen.aspx
http://www.theveterinaryexpert.com/backyard-poultry/egg-yolk-peritonitis/

 

[TwoCrows]

I am so sorry about your hen. Did you say she has a swollen belly? Is it squishy like a water balloon? If this is the case, the sour crop is a symptom of what ever is causing the ascities, (water belly). It can be caused by internal laying, reproductive cancers, heart failure or some other organ failure. And what happens is the distended belly clamps off the intestines, waste can't be passed out the vent and everything backs up, including the crop. Of course the crop sours and later impacts. Until you lessen the swelling in the belly, the crop is not going to move.

You can try to drain her although if you have a qualified vet, I would take her in for a draining. I have drained a couple of birds and can help you do it, but this is not a cure, it will only buy her some time on life. None of the birds I drained survived, both were internally laying and this is a tough one to stop.

In the mean time, Wyorp Rock has left you with some great ideas to help lessen the fungal growth, but do address the water belly if it's a huge problem as this is no doubt the cause of the crop issues. I am a huge fan of Acidified Copper Sulfate because it takes care of nearly all issues that afflict the waste system of the bird, beak to vent.

Keep us posted!!

 

[Bogtown Chick]

I skimmed over the swollen belly part right over to the crop. The swollen belly is a tough one and not a good sign. Thank you twocrows and wyorp for the more logical answers. LindaBer

 

[LindaBer]

Wow, everybody is always sooo willing to help! Thanks a lot

I was very worried about the swollen belly as well! I did tell the vet about this, and he touched the belly for a second and said there was no liquid in there. At the end I let him check it again and showed him her yellow feet. He didn't know why the feet were yellow, and thought we should just stick to the treatment for now. He said it feels swollen because she has no muscles anymore, so you can feel all the intestines. When we finished everything he told me that it also could be cancer, I had to check the weight (if she keeps losing weight, it is most likely cancer). I checked the weight, and she seems to be doing a little better (from 3.11 to 3.12lb). That makes me more optimistic about it all, right?? I still feel like her belly is quite full with liquid, but well, probably the vet knows better ?

I don't think she is blocked, because she still poops (a few times a day, looks normal, but very tiny). The vet checked if there were parasites in the poop (I think for worms and cocci?), but the poop was fine. So I just hope it is something she ate, because an other chicken has developed the same thing. I know she was fed moldy food, although she seemed to be doing not so well before that.

She still has a littlebit of an impacted crop each morning, she isn't interested in water and yoghurt, and eats very little (soaked pellets and egg). I am giving her water with electrolites 2x a day, sometimes mixed with a little ensure. She seems to be doing a bit better, hope this will continue, it takes such a long time!!!

I want to buy the anti fungal stuff. The other chicken still has a sour crop, so I think that she will benefit from this the most (I will make sure to give it to her when her crop is 'empty'). I think "Acidified Copper Sulfate Supplement" can only be ordered online, so it will take too long to arrive. Monistat 3 seems to be a better option because of this. I can only find monistat 3 cream , should I give the cream into her mouth?

Thanks a lot again!!!!!

 

[TwoCrows]

Great that you did get a vet check up on her. Chickens can get simple cases of Sour Crop and yes, vaginal creams work well on these simple cases. Monistat is fine to use. There are many strains of fungal infections and Monistat never seemed to cure the strains I have, only tame them down a bit. So if this Monistat doesn't cure her up within 5 days, I would switch over to Gyne-Lomtrimin (Clotrimazole) I have had better luck with the Clotrimazole. You can use generic too, I get mine at Walgreens.

Give her 1m, orally under the tongue, twice a day on this stuff being that it is the 4% stuff. With the 1% and 2% stuff I give it 3 times daily. Keep her on soft foods only like warmed chopped hardboiled eggs, chopped apple is wonderful for fungal infections as it fights yeasts, yogurt is great, water soluble things. Meal worms, believe it or not, help too. High protein foods are yeast busters. You can dampen layer feed too. No free ranging, no seeds, grains or things that require the gizzard.

If all else fails, get some Acidified Copper Sulfate. It WILL knock out ALL yeasts, beak to vent, along with a host of other issues she may have.

Good luck and keep us posted!!

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Clotrimazole also falls into those antifungal med categories. Can get super cheap tubes of it on the off brands at Target or Walmart. I'd totally put it in her mouth and see if some that gives her some relief.

Edited to add that I see Two Crows beat me to the punch. Ha. This new format doesn't refresh as often as I'd like...or I have to manually do it.