[Mrs S]

Hello, one of my 26 weekish ladies was diagnosed with sour crop on Friday. The vet flushed out her crop and she seemed to be halfway back to her normal self. On Saturday she drank ok and took some bio youghurt but didn't really bother with her food (I'm assuming she's lost her appetite or her throat is sore from the vets). Saturday evening, on the advice of some other hen keepers, I infused some extra virgin olive oil with oregano (hoping to give her some calories) and she again very willingly took this. However this morning she seems to have gone down hill again...

When I went down to their house this morning my other two girls were already out, but Michelle was just stood in the doorway. When I went to have a look at her her vent feathers are covered in a pasty yellow substance (much lighter than egg yolk but what else can it be?) Also she was stood with her beak open and I could literally hear her breathing! I left her in a sheltered spot with food and water while we went out and literally 6 hours later she'd only moved a foot. Her droppings were quite liquidy with a small amount of normal coloured waste and this yellow stuff. However she did take a little yoghurt with a small amount of Daktarin mixed in.

I've now brought her into the kitchen in a cage where I can monitor her better, She's had quite a bit to drink  (self) and I've offered her some softened pellets which she's not bothered with. She just seems to stand there with here head and tail down and her eyes closing....

Any ideas anyone? 

[symonep]

Could be the oil passing through her system, depends on how much she had.
I thought oil was only given if their crop was impacted but i could be wrong as (touch wood) i have never had to treat this before.

I would keep her on a diet of just layers and water for a while, someone will hopefully be along with some experience though. Hope she is better soon

[Mrs S]

Thank you. I'm pretty sure it's egg as she's displaying all the signs of egg peritonitis or at the very best trying to pass a shell-less or soft shelled egg. Hopefully it won't be too late 

[Sassy]

If you feel it is egg peritonitis you could give her a warm bath and dry he well with a hair dryer on lower heat setting. They enjoy and generally settle to a bath
The bath can help to pass the egg.

[kegs]

Any news Mrs S? 

[Mrs S]

Hi Kegs. I took her to the vet this morning (who keeps chickens himself actually) and having thoroughly examined her and found no soft/shell-less egg, concluded that it's most likely to be egg perotinitis. He's prescribed Baytril and I've brought her into the house to check she's taking on fluids, so it's just a case of waiting to see how she responds. Whilst she's not herself and obviously unwell, she's not on death's door and I managed to get her to eat some yoghurt this afternoon (the only thing she'll eat unfortunately and I want her to be strong enough to fight the infection). The next 24/48 hours will be crucial. If she deteriorates significantly I'll have no choice but to have her pts. I lost an ex-bat to the same thing and it was horrendous! I don't want Michelle to suffer....It just seems so unfair as she's only a baby really (this may even be her first egg - I've got 3 so I don't know whose started laying).

On a more positive note, she's not got any worse today and though she's not eating she had a little scrat on the lawn and generally seems to interact with her surroundings, so fingers crossed!