Sour Crop?! Help please

[Bella the Chicken Lover]

my rooster is not moving. He is throwing up feed, won't eat or drink, even when I offered him some electrolytes and eggs but he won't move. He is definitely in pain and he is suffering. I am clueless. I don't know what it is, I don't know what to do, someone please help

 

[Bella the Chicken Lover]

His breathing is worse. I am considering culling him but I don't know if it's the right thing to do or not

 

[Fwoof]

Does his crop feel sort of like a water balloon? How does his breath smell? If it smells slightly or very rotten, give him miconazole twice a day for seven full days.
Here's a link on crop problems, and the best of luck with your rooster!
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

 

[Bella the Chicken Lover]

Does his crop feel sort of like a water balloon? How does his breath smell? If it smells slightly or very rotten, give him miconazole twice a day for seven full days.
Here's a link on crop problems, and the best of luck with your rooster!
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

Yes, his breath does stink. I don't know know what his crop feels like because the slightest touch makes him start gagging
Thank you

 

[Bella the Chicken Lover]

His. Crop is full and in between squishy and hard. I've had some advice that I should do the throw up method, but others strongly advise against it...

 

[Fwoof]

My New Hampshire had sour crop before and miconozole worked wonders on her, so that's all I can suggest.
I'm sorry I don't have further advise for you, but these people have helped me greatly in the past...
@azygous
@Eggcessive
@speckledhen

 

[speckledhen]

Don't make him upchuck because they can choke easily. He has to be separate, only water for a couple of days while you gently massage her crop a few times each day. You can give him something like Gas-X by mouth, squeeze one into her beak and follow with a few drops of water. He can't have food at all, though. Best to keep him where she cannot get to it for a couple of days and monitor the situation. That has worked for us here. The Brahmas I have do experience crop issues from time to time. Eating moldy feed, maybe in a compost pile, can cause it or moldy feed that was like that in the bag.

Spoiler: Just in case...

Note: Have you by chance fed fermented feed? That can easily result in sour crop. I know someone who lost half her flock because of it...and before anyone jumps in to defend it, the birds had necropsies that showed the fermented feed caused the sour crop. It's not a natural food for chickens because of the crop digestive system. If you haven't, that's not the issue, of course.

NOTE: I kept saying "her" for some reason, sorry! I never have roosters with crop issues unless they have heart problems/are failing at the end of their lives, may have treated two roosters in 19 years for crop issues, but a lot of hens.

 

[azygous]

In reply #3 @Fwoof posted a link to my article on how to diagnose and treat crop disorders. Please read it, and pay special attention to impacted crop. I will be around to answer any questions you have after reading it.

You are going to need to handle your rooster. To make this easier, install him him a dog crate for today and tomorrow. That way, you have easy access to him and will not need to stress you both by catching him. When it's time to treat him, use an old bath towel to wrap him snuggly to confine wings and legs. It will both calm him and make it easier for you.

You will need the following supplies: Miconazole women's vaginal yeast cream found where they sell the menstrual products, coconut oil, and stool softener (not laxative).

 

[speckledhen]

As I added to my first post above, I kept saying "her" for some reason, sorry! I have never had roosters with crop issues unless they had heart problems/are failing at the end of their lives, probably treated two roosters in 19 years for crop issues, both they were in the state I mentioned, end of life systems shutting down, but quite a few hens. Hens tend to pig out a lot more than roosters, packing good on top of bad. I hope you can save him.

To touch on what azygous said, I do use stool softener gel caps for impacted crop. I use Gas X for a bloaty gas filled crop that is not truly impacted. Sometimes you have both, impacted that leads to soured. I have used the athlete's foot yeast cream/yeast infection treatment on a comb with favus, but not for crop issues so I can't speak to that. Sometimes, one thing works better than another depending on the situation and maybe even the bird itself and why it's soured in the first place. If it's end of life system shutdown, you can do all you can and it may not be successful. You'll have to try what feels right to you, lots of good experience here on BYC. I find that most chicken reference books never address sour crop. My Brahmas have always been prone to any crop issue they could drum up though they eat the exact same feed as the entire barn, all my other breeds. My Blue Orpingtons were the same. Crop issues are generally a symptom of something internal, though, not the primary issue.
A long time breeder and state tester for my state, Pine Grove here on BYC (William) once told me that tomato juice, salt free or low salt if you can find it, seems to help for crop issues, guess it's the acidity, same as lemon juice, but they like tomato juice a whole lot better, as you can imagine. He's been breeding almost as long as I've been alive, I think, and I generally take his advice to the bank.
So, lots of information for you. Good luck with your boy.


This is definitely where having a rooster used to being handled comes in handy. It's no fun treating one that completely freaks out when you take his feet off the ground, ugh. I've had one that did that, sweet as could be...until you tried to pick him up. Still sweet, never would bite, but he would flail around like a crazy thing and he was an armload. He hated losing control that way, while my huge Brahma rooster literally asks to be handled. Best of luck to you with the rooster-it will be a several day process most likely.

 

[Bella the Chicken Lover]

Ok thank you all! He is separated from rye others, I am only giving him water, and medicine.is on the way. He isn't wheezing now, and I am massaging his crop, a few times a day. I believe he is already feeling a bit better, again thank you for your advice and help!