Emergency, lethargic Hen

Sllovenberg

Chirping
Jun 22, 2020
28
52
69
Rockaway, New Jersey
Hen down! Not sure she is going to make it. I went out to get eggs and saw her just sitting there. She got up when I entered but just sat back down and closed her eyes. I picked her up and her crop was squishy. I massaged it and this aweful sourkraut smell came pouring out her mouth. I brought her in the house and after looking at few articles think it is sour crop? Will she get so lethargic, she was fine yesterday. No chicken Vet here in NJ where I live. I just massaged it again and eww, more came up. I gave her some garlic water and wrapped her in a towel to keep her warm. She will be a year old next month. Should I do anything else? FYI I've only had chickens for about a year now, so i'm new at this.
 
If it is. a fungal infection apple cider vinegar in her water (only a teeny bit) should help. Be very careful when massaging that you do not choke her. Wish I could help you more!
 
Hi,


This sounds like sour crop to me. A squishy/liquid filled crop, a lethargic chicken and a pungent smell are telltale symptoms of sour crop; however, I would check in with a vet, if possible (as it could be another issue, or there could be an underlying primary disorder at hand). But from my understanding there are none around, which makes this more difficult. Unfortunately sour crop degenerates pretty quickly due to poultry not eating nor drinking properly over the next few days; thus if this Sour Crop (which it seems like) this needs to be treated pretty much immediately. I would not feed her for the next couple of hours, and see whether the sour crop goes down by itself - massaging her crop every now and then. If not, I would start treatment.

I hope these posts can help you out a bit more (in which you can compare symptoms, the medication/dosage used etc.):

Link to my post (my experience with sour crop): https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/how-to-treat-sour-crop-seemingly-effective-updated.1451264/
A helpful link to treating sour crop (or impacted crop) from another user: https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

Best of luck! ☺️
 

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