Sick hen - SOUR CROP

Hi everyone.

It's been a while since I have been on this site and am back to seek some opinions and suggestions.



My hen, Penny, is 'sick' again. A while ago, I posted about her being ill and it was concluded that she most likely had sour crop. I ended up vomiting her a few times (seemed to have dislodged what ever was suck and rotting), had her on antibiotics, plain cultured yogurt, a bit of watered down gatorade, and chick starter crumble (since it was small and medicated). She had seemed to recover after a week and joined her flock as a happy, normal hen.

This morning, I noticed Penny was a bit off again. I've noticed a lot of poo stuck in her feathers. I brought her in to clean her up and sure enough, a few hours later after I put her back out, I noticed she had 'diarrhea' and had dirtied her back end again.

I checked her over and her crop felt weird again. This time, instead of being squishy and fluid filled, it's almost non-existent feeling. It's squishy, but small and flat. It's really hard to feel it unless you really press into her. Her breath doesn't seem to smell bad though, so I'm not sure what is wrong now...


Her personality seems great. She's still pretty active: eats, drinks, wanders, rolls in dirt, socializes with the other chickens - she keeps close to the flock which is something she didn't want to do when he had sour crop before. It's just the diarrhea and squishy crop that is worrying me again.


She also hasn't laid an egg since she first got sick... I'm not sure if that really has anything to play into this. Could she be egg bound? Would that cause diarrhea and crop issues?

(All of my other chickens are fine and don't seem to have any problems or sign of illness).




An idea of what is wrong and what I can do to help her?

can't say I know what is wrong with your hen, but I have had hens seem off for a few days and with some extra attention seem to recover. I will give them some electrolyte solution in her water and make sure they are getting some food, I feed a favorite treat to get something into them. Check her over each day, feel her belly, look for a change, check for bugs and worms. you can give her some ACV too, not with the other solution. Could she be in a molt, mine act tired and depressed and don't lay while in a molt and it is that time of year. hope she gets better

Thanks for the reply.


No, she's not currently molting. She came down with sour crop a few months ago and hasn't laid since than. She has seemed to recover since then, but now is back to dealing with this....

I haven't noticed any parasites or worms and my other chickens are fine and have been fine, so I can't seem to think it's a disease or anything contagious. I have been keeping an eye on everyone, but don't feel like separating her from the flock at this point because they seem to up her morale.


Penny is fine overall - like I said she still keeps up with the rest of the chickens, she eats, drinks, etc. I'm just worried because of the diarrhea and mostly because of the squishiness of her crop. She is a bit lethargic, but nothing still seems to have enough energy overall (just not quite her usual overly perky self).


I'll definitely monitor her and take some extra treats out to her.


Thank you.






Anyone else have any ideas?

I think she does have sour crop again after all...


When I checked on her this morning, I noticed that smell to her breath. She is very lethargic today and her comb is a bit purplish and droopy. She refused any food or treats, but luckily took some yogurt.

She seemed to perk up a bit after eating some of that and tried to pin down a few flies that buzzed by, but other than that she seems like she's going down hill.

I tried to vomit her before I fed her but nothing came up - her crop is small, about golf ball size and squishy; I can't seem to get enough squeeze and push to actually completely empty the fluid from it...



I'm not sure what to do at this point. Should I keep up with what I've been doing and keep messaging her crop? Or is this something that's going to keep coming back? Should I put her down?

Just had one die on Wednesday with sour crop - I had been treating her off and on for ever it seems and I just could not get it cleared up

I'm so sorry for your loss



If you don't mind me asking, how have you been treating her for her sour crop?


Like I've said, this seems to be a reoccurring issue now with my hen - I just want to know that I'm doing everything I should be or if I'm missing something...

I was giving antibiotics in her water and she was eating yogurt - vet suggested leafy greens, not sure why, and so she also got bits of her favorite greens. she got almost over it three times but it always seemed to come back. This is my second loss due to sour crop and the vet seems to think it was an internal issue that also effected the crop. She smelled foul and I could vomit a lot out of her - real nasty The first one I lost to this was a month ago and hers was a bit different - it started with sour crop and led into a fleshy kind of tumor. This is the first problems I have had in three years. Hope you get yours cleared up - do you have a vet in your area that will treat chickens? I am lucky that my vets office has a vet who loves to treat the odd critters.

No, unfortunately I don't.

I did take a hurt chick to an avian vet before - they treated it as an 'exotic animal' and it cost me a load of cash.... I love my animals and I hate to say it, but that wasn't worth the money, the chick ended up dying anyways...

I can't afford to do something like that again.


I have been talking to our equine vet - figured he specializes in large farm animals, might know a bit of chickens. He pretty much told me the same as what I found on the internet...

- try to vomit
- antibiotics
- electrolytes/gatorade
- yogurt
- greens
- chick starter/oatmeal


Like I've said, I can't vomit her this time - crop isn't full enough. The first time she came down with this I was able to get a lot out too.

I have a really bad feeling about her this time... She seems to be deteriorating really quickly. She's still eating and likes her flock members around her, but today she was much more lethargic than the other day... she sort of just sat/layed in the tomato plants today and didn't move.

Poor girl. She is such a sweet hen, I hope she pulls through again, but I'm not one that like to see them suffering either...

I just wish there was more I could do for her.

So I just put her down...



When I checked on her this morning she was laying on her side, no energy left to move, but was still able to squawk unappreciatively at me when I went to scoop her up. I kept her in my mud room for a bit - cleaned her up, fried up an egg, syringed a bit of gatorade, etc

She refused to eat anything at all. She kept deteriorating and her entire body started to feel bloated and fluid logged, which is organ failure, and she became so weak, I just decided to put her out of her misery right then.



Penny was such a good hen. She's the only one from my flock who would come running, wings'a flappin', when I called for them. I actually have a lot of funny stories which involve Penny, so I guess those make for good memories.

RIP girlie, I'll miss you

Im so sorry about your loss!!