Possible sour crop

[nikirushka]

This girly has an absolutely enormous crop which is squishy, not firm. Bout the size of a grapefruit (she's 2.5kg so a big girl already).

There is also an unpleasant smell if I sniff her beak, so I'm assuming I'm dealing with sour crop. She looked normal before today, but has been slightly off the past couple of days - nothing huge, I've seen her still and a little hunched a couple of times but no change in appetite.

Currently I've popped her in my hospital cage to stop her putting more in there, as she was still happily foraging away. I've been putting ACV in their water, once a week a t5ml/litre but I've just learned that this is not enough so will be upping that, and they have grit. Everyone else is fine.

What else do I need to do to help Prannet recover?

 

[ChattyChickens4Life]

I would withhold food for 24 hours, and only give her water with the ACV. Massage the crop for about 5 minutes once every hour. Supply grit. Once the 24 hours are up, see if the crop has gone down. If so, great! Feed her some plain Greek yogurt or unsweetened applesauce. You could also take her regular food and add warm water to make it a mash. Just keep her away from any sugars that could feed the yeast in her crop. Keep her quarantined for another day, and then try feeding her regular food. Make sure her crop is empty by the morning. If you have any questions, let me know. Good luck!

 

[nikirushka]

Brilliant, thanks. I've just massaged her and I can feel bits of straw in there - I'd put a layer down for the really cold weather as they are on sand and she must have picked them up. Dozy bird. I've cleared all that out now and lesson learned!

 

[ChattyChickens4Life]

Brilliant, thanks. I've just massaged her and I can feel bits of straw in there - I'd put a layer down for the really cold weather as they are on sand and she must have picked them up. Dozy bird. I've cleared all that out now and lesson learned!

Yes, straw can definitely cause sour crop. It gets tangled up into a ball and ends up blocking the food's way out into the crop! The food then sits and ferments, which causes sour crop. I hope your chicken gets better! Good luck!

-Chatty

 

[nikirushka]

Yeah, I read about that just before your first reply! Straight out to clear it out. Needed doing anyway, now it's warmer. The pieces I can feel seem to be separated now, but when I massage her I'll keep making sure they are. I guess the grit will break them down in the end?

 

[ChattyChickens4Life]

Yeah, I read about that just before your first reply! Straight out to clear it out. Needed doing anyway, now it's warmer. The pieces I can feel seem to be separated now, but when I massage her I'll keep making sure they are. I guess the grit will break them down in the end?

The massaging and the grit will help break it down. However, grit should be provided at all times to help with the digestion process. Although, depending on what type of sand is in your coop, it will work just fine for grit. The ACV water will help kill off bacteria. Hopefully, this helps!

 

[nikirushka]

It's soft, fine stuff. It has done the trick until recently but as they don't free range, they look to have picked it clean now so I've had extra grit down for the past couple of weeks.

 

[ChattyChickens4Life]

It's soft, fine stuff. It has done the trick until recently but as they don't free range, they look to have picked it clean now so I've had extra grit down for the past couple of weeks.

That sounds perfect.

 

[Peppercorngal]

Interesting. My hen, Beverly had sour crop yesterday too. I constantly observe my chickens and knew right away that something was wrong. She wasn't acting like a chicken (no scratching, pecking or roaming) she just stood in one place with her eyes shut. I picked her up and her crop felt like it was full of water! I turned her sideways (not upside down) and massaged her crop around and up. She spit up a bunch of nasty yellow water and stuff until it felt empty. I had a syringe and put water, nystatin powder and some Apple Cider Vinegar in it and pumped that down her. She actually seemed to feel better immediately. I put her in the coop for the night right away (no more free ranging for her!) This morning her crop was empty and she is back to acting like a chicken again! I'm glad I caught it quickly, it can be fatal. It looks like Prannet may have "pendulous crop". If so, she will need a "bra" to keep it lifted up and not get food stuck in it again and again. I wish the best for Prannet!

 

[ChattyChickens4Life]

I turned her sideways (not upside down) and massaged her crop around and up. She spit up a bunch of nasty yellow water and stuff until it felt empty.

Although this can be an effective method, this is actually quite dangerous. She could end up breathing in some of the fluid, filling her lungs and killing her. I strongly warn against this method. Now I'm not sure if you were aware of this and had already tried other methods to no avail, but I would not use this method unless you are completely out of options. I am glad Prannet is feeling better. Good for you to be able to recognize something was off!

- Chatty