Sour crop

[lola123]

Hi, I'm a new member.
I've got my chicken who has had sour crop, she's been ill since Saturday, 5 days. We have got her crop emptying but I can't get her to eat or drink unless I hold it up to her beak. She is in a dog crate separate from my other 2 and I'm wondering if she's depressed cos she's on her own or whether she is still ill or recovering. I've tried scrambled eggs- won't touch, I've tried mashed pellets with yogurt- not interested. She will eat mash tomatoes ( I was advised to try that) she will eat, but only if I hold it up to her. She has been drinking. I don't know whether to continue this care routine or pop her back in with the others and observe her?? Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[sumi]

Welcome to BYC

Glad you joined the flock! @TwoCrows wrote a wonderful article on crop issues that should help a bit:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/impacted-slow-and-sour-crops-prevention-and-treatments

I'll ask her to pop in and see what she thinks you can do as well. Hope your hen feels better soon!

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Hi

Glad you could join the flock! Sorry to hear your girl is under the weather I'm sure the article by TwoCrows will help you, lots of great info and advice there. I found it a fabulous read and very helpful.

Fingers crossed your girl gets better soon, good luck with her

 

[lola123]

Thank you.
After reading the article I do believe I may of cured the sour crop, but I'm not sure if something else has been going on as leading up to this she was laying very infrequently and they were very soft shells so they were eating the inside of the egg straight away.
I can't get her to eat by herself. Should I put her back in with the other chickens and just watch her or does she need to be more back to normal? She won't eat soaked pellets, should I try the pellets as normal?
Thank you

 

[sumi]

Putting her back with the flock, so she sees them eating may get her going as well. Also treats (healthy things like cooked eggs, etc) may tempt her? She may be feeling a bit icky after the crop issue and not like eating, as we do, when we're under the weather. Good luck and fingers crossed for her!

 

[TwoCrows]

Hello there and welcome to BYC!

So sorry about your girl.

A few questions first. How old is she? And does she do a lot of free ranging or is she confined for much of her day? The reason I ask either of these is because a bird that is older than 2 and doesn't do a lot of free ranging, many times the sour crop is a symptom of something internal squeezing off the intestinal tract causing the crop to be slow. These internal issues are usually Internal Laying or Reproductive Cancer. It is also possible she has an impaction further on down the tract and the crop is still in the slow and sour stage.

I would stop with the tomatoes. I used to think tomatoes were great for birds with sour crop because they have great abilities to sour up the intestinal tract which is what is preferred to keep the bad yeast from over growing in the intestines. But as for the crop, it causes the yeast to explode which is what we are trying to avoid.

If she is not eating, chances are she still has a sour crop or something else is going on to cause the lack of appetite.

Unfortunately a sick bird can refuse lots of foods. Try to stick to things like eggs, yogurt, mealworms and other bugs, warm mashed potatoes, cooked pasta or cooked rice, warmed grits or warm oatmeal, other cereals, even soda crackers will work. These foods are not loaded with vitamins, but right now we want to keep the bird eating and the crop moving as fast as possible.

If I have a stubborn case of sour crop I use some or part of the Yeast Buster recipe on the bird... 1/4 tsp baking soda, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, a squirt of Lemon and 1 tablespoon of water, down the throat 2 or 3 times a day. This WILL take care of all yeast in the crop and intestines, however if something else is going on, it won't fix the other issues. Use an insulin syringe...one of those tiny 1ml syringes so you can control the liquid going down the throat so you don't aspirate her. 2/10ths of a ml squeezed under the tongue only, (anywhere else in the mouth and you can aspirate them) until you have gotten it all down her throat. It takes only a few minutes at this rate to get it all down there.

You don't have to keep her separate as she isn't contagious or anything, but don't let her free range as we don't want her eating anything that is going to slow her crop down more. And grass is very acidic and very hard to digest.

Keep me posted!

 

[lola123]

Thank you for all your information. She is about 18 months old, she isn't free ranging but the 3 of them are in a good sized run.
As I said she hasn't been laying properly for a couple of weeks. She went down hill very quickly on Saturday, didn't expect her to be alive the next morning. The only reason I kept her separate was to stop her eating the pellets, but if that's ok then I will definitely put her back.
Her droppings are white and watery but I guess that's because she's not eating much.
I'll try egg now then put her back with the others and observe her.

 

[drumstick diva]

Welcome to Backyard chickens.

 

[TwoCrows]

Thank you for all your information. She is about 18 months old, she isn't free ranging but the 3 of them are in a good sized run.
As I said she hasn't been laying properly for a couple of weeks. She went down hill very quickly on Saturday, didn't expect her to be alive the next morning. The only reason I kept her separate was to stop her eating the pellets, but if that's ok then I will definitely put her back.
Her droppings are white and watery but I guess that's because she's not eating much.
I'll try egg now then put her back with the others and observe her.

Have you checked her for egg binding? I doubt she is, but there could be either an egg or a broken shell inside her. Sounds like she could have some sort of oviduct infection or be internally laying. I would at least rule out egg shell or some sort of lash/cooked egg half way out from the uterus to the vent. Put on a disposable glove with some vaseline or ky jelly on the index finger and gently insert your finger into the vent. If she has anything in the oviduct your finger will go straight back. If not, you will be in the intestines and your finger will want to curve down a bit. You might feel something or egg shells and it is worth a check just in case. Internally they are very soft, so if you feel anything firm or hard, something is definitely wrong. Just go slow inserting your finger.

If you don't find anything in there, it is possible she is internally laying. You can offer up antibiotics but it will only extend her life a bit. (Amoxicillin is great for E.coli) You can't stop the yolks and as they deposit into the breathing cavity, they develop E.coli infections. What happens is that these infections and even cancerous tumors will do this, they swell enough to block off the intestines, hence the crop backs up and slows it down.

What color exactly is the poop? Usually when bird is not eating, their poop can have a green tinge to it. But if they have internal infections or cancer, the poop can be a very dark forest green color. Many times no urates at all. When they get to this stage of nasty green poop, they are pretty far gone. Bile is flooding the intestines hence the green. I have found with simple cases of slow and sour crop, plenty of poop and solids do make it through and can be a bit green and liquid. But when there is swelling in the cavity of the bird and the intestines are closing off, the poop becomes incredibly small. I mean squirt here and a squirt there. If she is doing this, it is not a simple case of sour crop but that indeed something is swollen in her abdomen.

Another thing you can do...check her abdomen on the outside...and you can compare her belly to other healthy hens...but feel her from underneath from between the legs up to the vent. How does she feel...like a water balloon or is she fairly firm? If she has water on the belly at all, she is definitely suffering from internal infections, possibly heart failure. Any of these will cause fluid to leak into the abdominal cavity. You can drain them with a 20 gauge needle, and I can help you with this if it comes to it. It won't cure anything, just give her some relief for a short time.

Keep me posted!

 

[lola123]

Thank you
It's all very upsetting. My husband is due in soon so will carry out your checks.
The poop is like an off white colour with tiny bits of a greenish solid which I thought was some food passing through.