Sour or doughy crop in my hen? HELP

[AlphaLupa]

I think my hen has sour crop. What should I do? I made sure she has fresh grit and a little ACV

in her water, but how much probiotic or oil should I give her? This is my first time with chickens and my prized girl. It is very very doughy, about the size of a tennis ball and I can knead it into a shape and it stays that way. I don't know if I should try to make her vomit or follow the recipe for doughy crop on this site. I'm very concerned.

 

[Eggcessive]

Do you have a vet who knows chickens? There are several good threads about crop impaction that can lead to sour crop. Oil can make things worse, but water given orally to flush out the crop, and then massage several times a day can help. Certain conditions or diseases can cause the crop to stop functioning normally. How long have you noticed this? Always check the crop early in the morning at daylight before the chicken has eaten or drunk water to make sure it is flat. The crop should be full at evening after eating all day long. Will she take water for you? Give a bit of probiotic plain yogurt daily, and stop solid food until the crop starts to go down. Add vitamins and electrolytes to her water. If there is a real problem, tube feeding water may help to flush out the blockage. Read some of the threads and posts here on BYC about crop impaction by Two Crows and others. Casportpony has a good thread called "go team tube feeding" to teach those who want to learn about tube feeding. Some chickens who are piggy eaters may experience a huge crop from chronic overeating. Keep posting here for more help.

 

[AlphaLupa]

They're 24 weeks old and I've always noticed a rather large squishy "ball" on Frankie. I've never had chickens before and I didn't even know what a crop was really until I butchered some and learned. I've always checked it midday or evening though due to my schedule but I'm headed out at 6am this morning to check. She's always been in a flock of 27, and we've had endless problems with feather plucking and eating, but she's the one bird who I've never seen peck anyone or go crazy over food like the others. She loves sunflower seeds, but doesn't seem to be a piggy. We are down to 17 now, but I have no idea how to separate her from the flock. We have 1 coop and winter hit in one fell swoop so it's cold now and we are scrambling to get the coop insulated and to have electricity out there. I could put her in a dog crate in the coop, but worry the others would pick on her if they could reach through the bars.

 

[AlphaLupa]

It's slightly smaller this morning, not by a lot, still big and VERY doughy. All the other birds have nothing to feel this morning, flat crops. She is lifting her legs high when she walks too like she's trying to get it to dislodge. It's so thick and sticky I think it would be dangerous to vomit her. Should I see are her in a dog crate in the coop you think?

 

[Eggcessive]

That may be a good idea to keep her from eating the food that is out for others. Keep feeding water with electrolytes and vitamins, yogurt and massage crop. Hopefully, it will go down. Keep an eye on the high stepping. Hopefully that is not a symptom of something else. Raw egg might be something to offer her for protein (mix with plain yogurt and beat,) by the third day if the crop is not hard.