7 week old chick with a possible sour crop???

[jamieburnett]

I have a seven week old olive egger I am "baby sitting" right now while her family is away and I noticed when I got her that she looked really fat compared to her hatch mates. I felt her crop and it is completely distended and boggy? I have been massaging it and tilting her at a 60 degree angle but can't get much expelled. I have no idea how long she has been in this state, but it seems debilitating in several ways. I don't know how much nutrition she is getting since her crop is so very full. I put baking soda and probiotics in her water??? Should I just take her to the vet? The massaging doesn't seem to be resolving the issue.

 

[aart]

If you don't know how long it is going on, then you should desist from 'treating'.
Do you have any experience in raising chicks? That full crop can be alarming when first discovered.


Check her crop at roost time, it should be pretty full.

Remove food from the coop/brooder.

Check the crop again first thing in the morning, it should be pretty empty.

If still full in the morning, post what they are bedded on and everything they are being fed.

 

[jamieburnett]

Yep, raised several batches of chicks and never had this happen. Its not my chick. I use nipple waterers and I think they use regular waterers. I know what a regular crop feels like when empty and full, this is not that. It's distended beyond regular feeding and doesn't fully empty at night. I am assuming the waterer they were using was contaminated and it's some kind of fungal infection. Anyone else have a suggestion? I read on the chicken chick that you treat with epsom salt.

 

[aart]

Or maybe the chick isn't acclimated to the nipple waterer and combined with stress from the move (I assume chick has come to your house because of different waterer?) may not be drinking as much as usual?

I think sour crop is caused by ingestion of too much long fiber that then won't move thru the crop.......bacterial and/or fungal infections can result secondarily from the stagnation of crop function?

I've never dealt with it personally so cannot recommend a remedy, although I know there's lots of different theories on what will fix it.

I asked a moderator to move this to the emergencies forum four hours ago, hasn't happened yet.
You might want to repost there to get a faster response.
Sorry I can't help.