How to treat sour crop and impacted crop and how to know which one you're dealing with

I heartily agree with the other members that this was both informative and helpful. From the sound of it, the general consensus is that there are a great number of chickens who lived because of this post. Thank you ever so much and best of health to you and yours.

Excellent information

Excellent summary on how to treat impacted and or sour crop! Very good explanation on how to help!

Thank You so much for this artical our Chicken loved me massaging her large mass which is kinda squichy like a balloon so I figure it is sour crop so I ran to the store and got her the Miconazole 3 to start her on in the morning!!!! Scared us half to death seeing her like that. The last flock we had never got sick!!

Thank you for posting this information! I have dealt with both sourcrop and impacted crops in previous hens. This hen had an infection (treated with Bio-mycin injections), but I was not having much luck clearing her crop with massages. The coconut oil and several daily massages did the trick! (She even LIKED the little chunks of cold coconut oil!) She is now getting good "throughput" and is obviously feeling much better. She sleeps in the basement in a dog carrier, since NOT roosting on a perch with her crop hanging down seems to help avoid further impaction.

Extremely helpful article and follow up discussion. Practical advice and descriptions. Thanks so very much

This is really helpful. How do I administer the anti-fungal if she's refusing to eat or drink? I have a crop needle and know how to use it. Further instructions on this for sour crop, would be good.

Young hen with full crop, listless, urea stools for 48hrs. Not obviously egg bound - she got a few warm baths for her dirty bum & liquid calcium for birds. Yesterday followed the instructions for impacted crop: coconut oil (chunks) 1tsp x2 with massaging + 120mg ducosate x1. Started sour crop treatment - clotrimazole twice daily. Gave Avitrol Plus wormer. Looked dehydrated +++ despite oral electrolytes. Thought I’d be performing a necropsy in the morning.
This morning she was drinking, combs hydrated & ate some watermelon. She had pooed x1 (small normal colours with grass). Crop small firm not pendulous like yesterday. Went to give her some more coconut oil + fungal cream an hour later - yay! Crop empty + poops galore. Gave her the treatment regardless. Now eating, drinking pooping & feisty. Will keep her isolated so I can monitor her closely & give antifungal for 7 days. Thank you so much for these clear instructions. J

I wish I would have read this article before I lost my last chicken. I didn't realize that an impacted crop was probably the problem. Still a newbie at raising chickens, have so much to learn! Is there a good book on these issues I can get to keep on hand? Thanks

Excellent article; it helped to save my hen's life!

Thank you for this wonderfully information-filled article. We appreciate the time it took to write it and the energy it took to make it so thorough.

Fantastic detail for the layman!

Fantastic article, thank you

Great article with detailed explanations. Bookmarking for future reference.

Very helpful! I used this to help with a hen who had an impacted crop, and will continue to share with others!

Thank you for such thoroughness in explaining these afflictions. I haven't had chickens with either, but was just searching for an article to help someone on here who does. I'm sharing it with them.

How much docusate sodium?

This is excellent. I wish I had found it 48 hrs ago but better late than never. Thank you so much for every word including updates.

Wow, I have been very lucky. I have not dealt with any crop issues. I have two 8 year old hens, I will watch for any problems.
I thought I was somewhat knowledgeable, but I wasn’t even aware of impacted or sour crop.
Thank you for explaining everything in enough detail that even I could feel confident treating a hen. The pictures are amazing.

Hi this has been so helpful. I have one of my ladies inside with sour crop and I just started her on the nystatin. Just one question, do you keep food to just yogurt and boiled egg for the whole 7 days? I’m worried about withholding feed from my hen as she is severely emaciated already.