Sour Croop?

shirley9937

In the Brooder
10 Years
Oct 2, 2009
15
0
22
Hi

I'm new to this chicken thing - 3 weeks to be exact - but I could get hooked!!! Have got 2 ISA browns (think that's what they're called) They eat a diet of mash, corn and anything they can get their beaks on in the garden!! Even go to the lengths of jumping very comically up to get the grapes off the vines!!

Today one of my girls didn't appear too well listless, not eating but drinking lots of water. I've looked on here and it appears that it could be sour croop - she has a soft bulge - held her upside down, massaged her and out came this fould smelling stuff all over me. Since then she has just sat around moping. Am aware that I now need to get some food down her throat - pro-biotic yogurt mixed with mash and warm water? Well, managed to syringe some water and a weak mixture of mash/water/yogurt. She's still not brilliant. What should I expect? Will she need to be turned upside down again tomorrow, how long does it take to get better, can I feed her anything else, is what I'm doing ok, or wrong? So many questions? Would appreciate a few pointers please.

Thanks
 
While getting the vomit up the stuff is helpful, you run the risk of the hen aspirating. Many people have success with it, but I am clumsy and worry that I'd kill my hen. So, here is my treatment method (that has worked everytime..so far). Bring hen inside and with hold solid food (we feed yogurt, etc for this). Massage the crop in a downward motion to help push the material through the crop. Don't massage upward since you don't want the hen to aspirate. Take a needle-less syringe (such as an irrigation syringe) and fill it 2/3 ACV (apple cider vinegar..preferably raw with mother) and 1/2 water. Carefully put a few drop in the beak of the bird. Don't squirt too much as the hen will likely inhale the water and choke. This takes a while, since at first you only get a few drop in at a time. Every little bit, massage downward again. You will hear gurgles and probably have the pleasure of being burped at in the face with the foulest smelling odor! I do this 2-4 times a day. I keep mine in a dog kennel inside and only give water with a splash of ACV (no metal bowls!! ACV corrodes metal!) and soft foods. After a couple days of this, she should be back to normal.
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I am not a believer in turning the chicken upside down
chickens do not vomit but you can simply have the bird on a table in front of you and flush her by pushing with your hands up on the crop from below it
so that she will have to open her beak and it will push out the sour ingriedients in there

Here is the flush you need with baking soda to help the crop inside
Also since it is later than first day the oil massage is not neccessary but I included it her
that is to be done on day one and then if still a mess of hard squissy stuff inside the crop do the flushing

One not to any one reading this
time is of the importance in the flushing and surgery if needed.

the stress for all of it and no food in the gut plays a big role in if the bird lives.

MASSAGE THE CROP WITH OIL
Day one
Take and use two eye droppers of mineral or olive oil inther morning and two at nite. Do this for 3 days and see if the crop material ever ever moves.
When using oli massage the crop to get the oil involved in the impactation.
Also the oil will make some of it either go thru or maybe disolve some of the hardness.
Get her on the milk and bread only. Do not over do it, but only feed her twice a day 1 slice of bread and milk, and yoguart.

CROP FLUSH WITH SODA WATER
Day two
basically you got to FLUSH her literally with
soda water
1/2 cup baking soda
i pint warm water mix good
and using CHILD'S EAR SYRINGE ( as it has a small narrow tube on it for insertion into the back of the throat to the right side, so as not to strangle the bird)childs ear syringe to fill the crop

Fill the syringe with the soda water mixture and insert the syringe into the back of the throat as denoted above.
Have the bird (either chicken or pigeon) on a table in front of you.
Then come up from under neath the crop on the breast with your hand and fingers tightly pushing
and push hard to make the sour material come out come out the mouth. Your force has to push the sour material out as chickens or pigeons do not throw up.

The bird will open her mouth BUT do not hold her upside down but straight looking at you, looking into her face.

Do this flushing at least three times at this time. Seeing if the crop is still hard or full?
If she is not full or hard crop Then take and put her in a cage alone for a week. Do not feed her for 24 hrs.
Then the next day do this, if she has not hard crop.
take slice of bread
put 1/4 cup yoguart
1/2 cup milk
and put in plastic feeder so she can drink the yoguart and milk.
Do this twice daily for the week. she should get good gut flora back and be okay.

If the bird has hard crop or definitly fuller than normal do the surgery right then.

I would do the crop flush immediately and then if the crop was still hard do the surgery. I have don many young and old powder Pigeons this crop surgery. It is easily done and all you need is a table and some one to hold the bird. I have done it by my self but I was very self sufficient in the proceedure.

You can go to my post for the surgery proceedure

also any questions just email me
 
Thanks guys for your help. You will be pleased to hear that I haven't hung the poor girl upside down again and she seems to be doing well. Gave her bread soaked in olive oil which she hated and then probiotic yogurt - which she loved and which I ended up wearing!!!

Hopefully won't panic so much next time and go for the gentle touch.

Thanks again.
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I seperated mine from the flock and only feed yogert, scrambled eggs with olive oil. I also add some applecider viniger to her water. I keep her away from her pellets and scratch as it seems to feed the infection. Every morining I check and if her croop is empty and the foul smell is gone then back in with the flock she goes. Usualy takes about 3 days
 
I just had one of my chickens die from a sour croop, and it is very sad she was a good girl. She was weasing and I massage her croop and she vomit up several times and let her rest gave her some more warm water and she vomit alot up, but I think it was to much for her she died about 10 minutes later. I had another chicken with the same thing and she died also. I wonder if making them vomit is such a good ideal, I don't know the answer to that but we are heart broken over the whole ideal.
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