Signs & Treatment for Candidiasis/Thrush/Crop Mycosis/Sour Crop in Poultry

PictureThrush on the roof of chicken's mouth and under the tongue. Photo courtesy of Chicken Heaven On Earth. 2016
Candidiasis, thrush, crop mycosis, or sour crop are caused by a yeast called Candida albicans . It is a fungal infection, clinically referred to as mycotic disease of the digestive tract and can be contracted by many kinds of avian species, including chickens, turkeys, and quail usually after being given antibiotics or from unsanitary drinking water. Thick, almost white mucous lesions are usually discovered in the crop but may also be found in the mouth and esophagus. Sometimes shallow ulcers and sloughing of dead cells (necrotic epithelium) are also visible. The only way to be completely sure of the diagnosis is with tissue invasion to determine the culture of the organism but even then it is not 100 percent diagnostic of the disease.
Symptoms: Listlessness and loss of appetite, gross lesions in the mouth, crop, and esophagus
Most susceptible: Young chicks and poults (pullets)
​"Diagnosis can be confirmed by demonstrating tissue invasion histologically and by culture of the organism. However, culture alone is not diagnostic of disease, because the yeast-like fungus is commonly isolated from clinically normal birds" (Dr. Jean Sander). 

Treatment for Candidiasis, Thrush, Crop Mycosis, or Sour Crop in Chickens and other poultry

Isolate the affected birds from the flock, clean or change all food and water containers. If you have been treating the bird with antibiotics, stop all antibiotics and medicines. Clean all feces from the coop. Keep water, feed and living conditions as clean as possible. Do not use antibiotics in poultry unless you have too. Administer copper sulfate at 1:2, 0000 dilution in the drinking water. Some people mix it with vinegar, I do not.
"Improving sanitation and minimizing antibiotic use in poultry help reduce the incidence of candidiasis. Candidiasis can be treated or prevented with copper sulfate at 1:2,000 dilution in the drinking water, but its effectiveness is controversial. Nystatin, an antifungal medication, in the feed (220 mg/kg of diet) or drinking water (62.5–250 mg/L with sodium lauryl sulfate, a surfactant, at 7.8–25 mg/L) for 5 days may be effective for the treatment of affected turkeys" (Dr. Jean Sander).

How I successfully Treated Thrush and Sour Crop in my chickens

I do not usually give my chickens antibiotics except in extreme cases but on the one occasion that I did, I encountered 10 incidences of sour crop, thrush in the flock of 100 chickens. The first thing I did was isolate the affected birds, and put anti fungal cream inside their mouth. I also gently rubbed some on their beak, wattles, comb and legs. Then I put a few drops of copper sulfate supplement in their gallon water drinker. The next step was to protect my healthy birds and I gave the water, feed, and chicken coop an over haul cleaning. After a few days I gave them probiotics (yogurt with active cultures) for a few days in addition to moistened feed and fresh water. I had to administer this with an eye dropper orally because most of the birds would not eat the first three days. Out of 10 birds treated only 1 bird died (Rev. Penny Dean).

See more about thrush in Chickens (Poultry)

Go to Thrush in chickens
References:
1. Poultry, O. (2018). Overview of Candidiasis in Poultry - Poultry - Veterinary Manual. Veterinary Manual. Retrieved 30 January 2018, from http://www.merckvetmanual.com/poultry/candidiasis/overview-of-candidiasis-in-poultry