I'm pretty sure my hen has sour crop, need advice

[TwoCrows]

Ah, that makes much more sense. So probiotics not the yogurt itself. Excellent advise - thank you!

Keep me posted on her condition! If you need more help, you know where I am at.

 

[sagechickens]

OK - this am her crop went down almost 1/2 from last night. More of a firmer, squish ball feeling. She ate all her soft food today and it's all bloated again. She will not "burp" up anything since yesterday. She seems more alert than yesterday though. Took the soft food away for the evening and just giving her organic apple cider vinegar in the water. Anything I'm missing?

 

[TwoCrows]

OK - this am her crop went down almost 1/2 from last night. More of a firmer, squish ball feeling. She ate all her soft food today and it's all bloated again. She will not "burp" up anything since yesterday. She seems more alert than yesterday though. Took the soft food away for the evening and just giving her organic apple cider vinegar in the water. Anything I'm missing?

You can't judge a crop during the day as they can feel funky all day long. The only time you can really make a good judgement is in the morning. All birds go to roost with a full crop. So let her do so as well. It is whether or not the crop can empty during the night.

So check on the crop first thing in the morning before she has had anything to eat or drink. So take away all food and water at roosting time if she has access to it before you get there in the morning. If it is bloated, vomit as much as you can get out of her. Only hold her in the vomit position for 2 or 3 seconds max so you don't aspirate her. Give her a short break and vomit her again.

Keep her on wet damp feed tomorrow. Sour crops can take a week to heal over so if her breath still smells ok by tomorrow morning, she is probably on track for quicker healing. Keep up this program until she can go 2 mornings with nothing in her crop. She can then go back to her regular routine of diet, free ranging, etc...

 

[sagechickens]

OK - my girl is all better. Thank you again for the advise. Such a blessing!

 

[sbrooks88]

Just

I have also since learned that you do not want to use oil for impacted crop cases. Water water and more water!!

Just wanted to comment that I LOVE your profile pic! I have one hen who looks exactly like that nobody likes her but me because they say she looks like a crow. I think she's beautiful. Her feathers have a shiny green tint in the light.

 

[TwoCrows]

Just
Quote: Thanks! I love chickens that look like Crows!

She is a young Black Australorp named Tillie, She was about 2 months old or so there. She is 3 years old now and STILL a ham for the camera. LOL Love my Aussies! If you like chickens that look like crows, you need Sumatra's! WOW they really look like Crows, at least the hens do. Roo's not so much. Sumatra's are next on my list of Must Haves!

 

[Taylorgirl15]

The first thing you need to do if you think a bird has a sour crop is start by checking the crop first thing in the morning. Crops can be full and feel funky all day long, however a crop should be completely empty first thing in the morning.

If the birds crop feels like hard rock is in there, then you have an impacted crop. The first thing you need to do is isolate the bird entirely. You do not want the bird to ingest any more food until you can get the impaction moving. This is the time to offer up olive oil. You can use a medicine dropper or a syringe, (without the needle of course) A few teaspoons throughout the day with 10 min massages several times a day. Offer no food for 24 hours. Usually the oil will loosen things up and it will begin to move the following day. You would then ONLY offer damped layer feed.

If the birds crop feels soft and squishy, then you have a slow crop on your hands. The crop does not sour right away, usually takes several days of being slow. The gunk that is in the crop will grow bacteria and needs to come out. Chickens can not vomit and if you do not get this stuff out, it can kill the bird over time. So a vomiting is needed first thing in the morning. Hold the bird like a foot ball in one arm and support the bird by it's crop with the other. With bird facing out, lean your body forward, with birds beak straight down. With your other hand supporting the crop, massage the crop till the gunk starts to come out. ONLY hold the bird in this position for 5 seconds so it can breath. Repeat this process several more times or until you can get most of it out. You will never completely get it all, but this WILL be relief for a bad crop ache for this bird.

Next, you may want to isolate this bird as well. You can offer feed, but ONLY dampened layer feed. NOTHING else. Of course water. Yogurt will only cause mucus production so it is not good to use during a case of sour crop. Apple Cider Vinegar is best. It starts out as an acid, however after a day or so of consuming, it causes the body to become alkaline, which is what you want the crop to be. Alkaline. ACV also has tons of good bacteria which is what the crop is lacking during a slow or sour crop episode.

Keep the bird isolated for 3 days, eating only layer feed and ACV. Vomit the bird the first thing EVERY morning. This will usually clear up a wicked case of slow crop. Should the crop go sour, and you will know not only from the smell of the gunk and breath, but there will be white chunks in the vomit, then you can turn to vaginal cream. I know, sounds wrong, But trust me on this, it WILL work wonders and will not harm the bird. I have a chicken that has chronic sour crop and regularly gets this treatment. It is the only thing that saves her. I tried Nystatin, what vets recommend and it is useless. Anyway, 1 teaspoon in a syringe 3 times a day will cure the biggest case of sour crop out there.

Keep this up for several days until the slow crop moves. The bird will have diarrhea for several days later until the crop gets up to speed and moves the food thru faster.

Check this birds crop every morning. Vomiting will safe their lives as that stuff is toxic and WILL kill them if not removed.

Good luck and keep us posted!

Hello- thank you for this I have a young hen going through this right now. Unfortunately, when I made her throw up she smelled and I can’t get rid of it that smell if all of this happened should I hold food and water for 24 hours?

 

[TwoCrows]

Hello- thank you for this I have a young hen going through this right now. Unfortunately, when I made her throw up she smelled and I can’t get rid of it that smell if all of this happened should I hold food and water for 24 hours?

No always offer water and chicken feed. Don't let her free range until you get this cleared up. Is her crop hard like a softball or soft and squishy? Are there bits of grass in her poop? (I'm trying to figure out if she has an impaction or not)