sour crop - more questions and strange walnut sized lump in throat

[top of the hill]

ok, I know I keep posting about this but just as I thought my girl was gettting better, she has a squishy crop again today. Just now when I felt it, I noticed a hard walnut sized lump. The "squish" is located (almost hanging like a sack) infront of her breast bone, but there is this walnut size hard lump up more in her upper neck (what i would call the throat). I compared to one of her sisters and I felt a hard bump, but not nearly as big, which has me thinking perhaps something is stuck or inflamed?

Anyone know what this could be or what else I can do to help her clear this up (short from going to the vet or making her vomit) I've had her seperated for a week, she has not laid an egg (as far as I can tell) in that time. she was chipper and high energy yesterday, and actually ate her food...some oatmeal with probiotics mixed in and she always has acv water available. Today once again lathargic and not eating.

plus, she her crop / stomach / something is making gurgling / digestion noses.

Help!

 

[branston]

I really can't help about the lump but for the sour crop, I stopped food for 24 hours and just gave her honey mixed with plain yogurt. For impacted crop I gave my hen olive oil 3 times a day (about a 1/4 teaspoon) and massaged her crop for 10 minutes as often as I could. Don't know if it would be worth you trying a little olive oil?? If it is a blockage it may help it move. I'm sure someone more knowledgable will get back to you soon. Good luck!

 

[chickoman]

Hi. I'm new on here but just read your thread. I've had problems with sour crop and the only way to resolve this is to make your chicken sick. First thing in the morning is the best time. If her crop is squishy like a balloon when you let her out then she needs to be held upside down and her crop massaged until she has sicked everything out and the crop goes down. Do not hold her upside down for to long (no more than 30 seconds at a time). I then syringe about 2 - 5ml of live yogurt into her and segregate her leaving her with just layers pellets and water with ACV addded to it. This may need to be done for up to 3 days in a row.

Never ever feed chickens bread that has not been soaked in water or pasta products - these ferment and can cause sour crop especially in older birds!

With regards to the lump if something is stuck you could try syringing a little olive oil into her and this may help dislodge whatever it may be. It won't do your hen any harm.

Good luck and I hope she is ok in a few days.

Sorry if you knew all this anyway but I thought I would write. Best regards.

 

[Schwartzfarmnc]

Quote:
I'm sorry you are dealing with this issue, as did I back in August with one of our BR's.
I can tell you we did everything, the olive oil, stopping all hard foods and just giving eggs or yogurt and nothing worked.
It took about 3 days and she never got any better, took her to the Vet and she must have gotten an infection due to her crop not emptying like it should and passed away that day. I say this because we learned our lesson and would now have done the crop surgery much sooner or at least had the vet do it, I know exactly what you are dealing with, our girls crop allways seemed to be the size a medium sized marble and it was very squishy and yes the girgling thing we delt with, but please don't turn her up and make her throw up it's way to dangerous. My suggestion is to take to the vet if you can afford it or be prepared to do the surgery, but don't waste time like we did, it cost us my wife's favorite bird. I wish you much luck.

 

[top of the hill]

Thanks all for the responses. I'll give it a few more days and see if there is improvement, otherwise I guess I'll give the whole "vomiting" thing a go. its just crazy how one day she was fine and the next she was full and squishy again. Poor girl, I feel bad for her keeping her cooped up in the dog crate all day, part of me is just like, let her out and let nature take its course, good or bad. idk, I'm so confused.

 

[OregonChickenGal]

Quote:
This method is no longer advised. Do not make your chicken throw up! You may kill her. You need to keep massaging the crop after giving her olive oil. Mine will just drink it from the dropper. You will need to do this every couple of hours. Withhold food for 24 hrs. Give water with ACV. After 24 hrs. start on soft diet, scrambled eggs/ with yogurt, soft oatmeal, etc. Always check the crop in the morning. that's when its empty since they don't eat at night. Gently massage the crop pushing towards the back of the crop, not upwards.

 

[top of the hill]

I think I'm just frustrated because she was getting better and now it back to square one.

She had no interest in coming out of her cage and joining the other girls for bed tonight (I've been letting her roost with them at night and removing the food). The last 3 nights she was all about it. I hope she pulls through this.

Tommorow morning I'll use the eye dropper and try to get some acv water in her (not sure she's drinking and I know she didn't eat today) and no food again for 24 hours.

btw: does anyone elses chickens hate yogurt? The others love it, this one girl can't stand the stuff!

poor girl.

 

[chickoman]

I spread the yogart on my hens layers pellets and she wasn't interested at all. I think the only way is to use a syringe and open her beak and place on top of the tongue and slowly syringe in tiny amounts at let her swallow as you go along. The yogart is greatly important because as i understand it it destroys the bad bacteria which is causing the sour crop. Sorry if, as advised by others, the making sick method isn't avised but I would say it is the life saver! The crop needs to be emptied in the morning, followed by the yogart which destroys the bad bacteria. The hen will then want to eat as it is on empty. My hen took 2 days to recover and has been like a new chicken ever since. I've kept my hens to a strict diet of pellets and corn since this and all has been well for a couple of months. Once a chicken has sour crop it's easy for it to get it again because the crop has been stretched and weakened.

 

[epeloquin]

The hard spot in the throat I don't know.

The sour crop, I successfully treated two of my girls with that. I gave them four ounces of yogurt mixed well with a couple tablespoons of olive oil. I use plain Chobani Greek yogurt because it has a lot more enzymes than regular yogurt. I also added 2-3 tbs of cider vinegar to a quart of water.

Also, watch how much grass they are eating. They love grass but if they eat too much it can cause sour or impacted crop.