Suspected Sour Crop? Any Other Ideas?

[strawberryfields]

What exactly is sour crop?

Some friends of mine who LOVE their chickens and spoil them unmercifully [but do not currently have access to a computer] told me their ISA, who is, I THINK, going on about three years of age, has not been "quite right" lately.

Initially, the bird was "throwing up" which was a new one to all of us. She seemed fine aside from the throwing up. They were concerned about this but in every other way she seemed fine.

Later, her pecking order seemed to change and she didn't really seem herself.

Now she is in the house (because of the cold temps outside and also because of their concern for her) but she is still not quite right.

They mentioned a foul odor which made me think of a post I had seen here describing sour crop.

Can anyone help? Are there other conditions that might produce these symptoms?

Thanks for any help!

 

[jeslewmazer]

try this link http://poultrykeeper.com/chickens/health/sour-crop.html

 

[Matt A NC]

Anytime i even suspect a sour crop, the first thing I do is flush the bird out.

dissolve 1 teaspoon of epson salt in 1 ounce of warm water. Should go clear in a few minutes. Draw off the liquid and give the bird 3-7 CC down her throat depending on the size of the bird. A normal sized standard bird will need 5-6 CC. Go fairly slow, so that you don't choke the bird. Massage the crop well to mix it all up.

Do this again 5-6 hours later.

This just cleans everything out pf the crop. Put the bird on water with poultry viatamins or diluted pedialyte. A mixture with active yogurt will help restore the birds system.

The next day I start some antibiotics to prevent secondary infection, which is common with a sour crop.

Matt

 

[strawberryfields]

Thank you Matt.

What causes sour crop? I have read a vitamin deficiency. I am wondering though, because this he was always given the highest quality laying mass, and occasional treats and was always free range.

Thanks,
M.

 

[Matt A NC]

Quote:
The most common cause is a blockage or impaction. With this the food sits in the crop too long and basically rots or sours. Grains sour really easily from moister and warmth. That makes a crop the perfect place.

In most cases the blockage moves on, but the lining of the crop becomes inflamed. This is the stage where you get birds with a large mushy crop. This can just cause impaction after impaction until it is cleaned out which finally allows the coup lining to heal itself. If you catch it really early then the crop may still be firm and not fully inflamed yet. This normally only happens with birds that are kept as Pets and watched extremely closely.

An inflammed crop is really susseptable to infection. Depending on what is in the crop the infection can end up fungal or bacterial. Both are treatable if caught in time. The infection is what you usually smell which is why it is hard to diagnose in the early stages.

Matt

 

[strawberryfields]

Thank you so much Matt, your response makes sense. I read so much conflicting information on the www today... I appreciate all this clarified.