Please help. pullet has sour crop, what more can I do????

[Kathryn4629]

Ok, so I have been reading everything I can about impacted crop and sour crop. The information is great, but I just want to know if there is anything else I can do for her?

Advice please!!! is there maybe something else going on that is causing this?

Information.............

1) What type of bird , age and weight. 20 week old, French copper marans. she seems to have lost weight.

2) What is the behavior, exactly. It started with shaking her head about 3 days ago. Enlarged "squishy" crop. I dont think its impacted, but rather "sour." She is not really eating anything and is still drinking water. Seems sad. Lays around a lot.

3) How long has the bird been exhibiting symptoms? 3 days, maybe longer.

4) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma. NO

5) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation. Might have eaten a lot of grass clippings.

6) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all. Layer crumbles. Scratch. free range.

7) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc. Runny yellow/greenish poop

8) What has been the treatment you have administered so far? So far I have been reading everything I can find here, lol. I have given her some olive oil, and a tiny bit of baking soda.

9 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? I can't take her to the vet. So I would have to do this at home.

10) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help. No picture, but she seems very sad, and is losing weight rapidly.
11) Describe the housing/bedding in use. I use pine shavings in the coup, and they free range all day.

 

[Kathryn4629]

 

[wolftracks]

I have been reading about this too lately.

Seems like a lot of people are having the same problem.

Wish I could help you, but think I have the same problem with a new hen I bought last week, so researching myself. FBCM also.

Sorry I'm no help.

I really feel for you.

 

[Quillgirl]

Hi,

If she has a full crop, she should not be eating anything else. It just compounds the problem. Isolate her and don't give her food for a couple of days while you address the problem. You need to see if she is passing poops, how often, and what they look like. My experience is that they may be small and dry because little or no food is passing, but as things begin to move through, they become sloppy and large. You need to be able to watch her. (You say she has runny yellow/greenish poops. Are her vent feather's dirty with this? Is she laying?)

Have you been massaging her crop? It helps break up the sludge accumulated at the bottom that won't pass through. Just stand her up, put your hand on her back so that she can't back away, and firmly stroke her crop in a downward motion. Do this several times a day.

Does she vomit when you pick her up? If her crop is very full and tight, you may help relieve some of the pressure in it by holding her like a football, bend at the waist until her head is pointing at your feet, and knead the crop so that some liquid passes out of the beak. It will be gross and thick and smell. She may sling her head around and get some on you, so be prepared. Don't do this for very long. Just for a few seconds, and then let her breathe. Make sure she is upside down while vomiting so that she doesn't inhale the goop. It also helps to massage the crop a bit before doing this procedure. You may dislodge an impaction and get her to expel it.

Make sure her water has Apple Cider Vinegar in it, a somewhat more potent solution than normal. 2 tblsp. ACV per gallon of water. The acidic ACV will help break up the mucus in the crop that accumulates and is part of the sludge that won't pass.

Once she begins pooping, and you know her GI tract is moving food, you can try feeding her small amounts of softened food. "Exact" brand baby bird hand feeding food is a good way to start. You mix it into a porridge/pudding consistency and she'll wolf it down. Good calories and vitamins for her. Begin with one scoop mixed, given in the morning and again in the afternoon. Watch to see how she does with it. If she does well and her poops begin to look fairly normal, you can go to regular crumbles moistened with water, yogurt, and a little applesauce. Just be sure her crop is emptied over night. Keep to this regime for about a week. If all goes well, you can move her back with the other girls.

I have a hen that is chronic. Ended up being a large grass impaction (golf ball sized) that had to be removed surgically. She still has a slow crop because it was so stretched out and has not yet regained good muscle tone. I have to monitor the food she eats so that she doesn't overfill the crop. Just know that resolving a crop issue sometimes takes a long time and a lot of extra care.