What does it mean if a chicken with sour crop flicks their neck around?

[OwO]

One of my chickens has sour crop, which I first noticed when she was weirdly moving her neck around a lot. This morning I managed to make her sick up a big lump of grass/moss from her crop and I'm hoping that was the cause. However, when she eats she will still occasionally flick her neck around sometimes. Does this mean there might be something stuck in there still?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Without seeing it, sounds like she's adjusting her crop. She may have more material in there, but it's dangerous to vomit them.
Check her crop first thing in the morning before she's had anything to eat/drink, if the crop is not empty, then begin treating her.

You mention she has sour crop - are you treating/addressing the yeast infection now with an yeast/fungal medication or cream?

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

 

[OwO]

Thanks for the reply, yes she has ACV in her water and is getting only soft foods currently because I do not want her to starve. There has been the same little bits of corn in her crop for a few days now, which is why I wanted to vomit her. I'm thinking it might be worth getting her a crop bra as well? Just about to go and get her some Kefir yoghurt as I have heard that is very good for treating sour crop.

I took her to the vet yesterday and they said they couldn't feel any blockage and just told me to increase the ACV concentration in her water. They said that if it does not clear to let them know and they can order anti-fungals.

Should I be using the medication listed in the link to treat the fungal infection first before proceeding with the ACV or kefir? So far I've been giving her soft scrambled egg with some meal worms, and soft cat food which I put a bit of oil on just so it's easier for her to digest. I am just worried about her starving as she is not eating pellets otherwise.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Since she's under vet care, then I would follow the vet's advice.

I've found that if a crop is sour, then using a yeast/antifungal medication is the most effective method.

Is she pooping at all? How did the vet tell there wasn't a blockage?

 

[OwO]

To be honest, I doubt the vet was particularly experienced with chickens. My chicken went in for about 10 minutes, and afterwards I said that I was worried about if there was a blockage as I don't think the crop was emptying properly. She just said she couldn't feel any blockage.

I found something online called Daktarin Oral Gel. Does this seem suitable? I'm just very cautious of inserting human medicine into her mouth.

She only has very small yellowish/greenish liquidy poops currently. However yesterday after she ate a bit of scrambled egg and mealworms she did one that was a bit bigger.

 

[OwO]

Btw her crop feels like it has days-old corn in it. Would this be due to a blockage or slow crop of some sort?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Could be impacted and sour.
I would give her coconut oil to see if that helps get things moving. She may have a partial blockage somewhere.

I do believe that others have used Daktarin for sour crop treatment. We don't have that particular product on the shelves here in the US, but I see it does contain Miconazole, but I would worry about the alcohol content in the oral formulation. Here in the US we use vaginal yeast cream (Miconazole), athlete's foot cream (Clotrimazole) or Nystatin.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

 

[6BeachChicks]

@azygous @Eggcessive @Wyorp Rock

 

[Wyorp Rock]

@azygous @Eggcessive @Wyorp Rock

Have already given all the info and suggestions I know to make on the OP's other thread. Hopefully others may have better ones.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...h-sour-crop-flicks-their-neck-around.1497274/

 

[Swbertrand1]

You're most likely feeling grit in her crop, small rocks and stones that birds eat to help grind food in their Gizzard. They will feel like corn bits, but it could also be corn. To help with the Sour Crop part, she'll need to be started on Probiotics to combat the yeast that's building up in her Crop. Yogurt and Probiotic water (Sav-A-Chick brand) are what we use to fend off Sour Crop when crop problems begin, but they both work well to neutralize the fermentation that's taken place.

Crop massages and oil (Coconut, Mineral, Olive, or even Vegetable) may help break the impaction and get things moving, but realize that your bird is 6-7 years old and also approaching end of life. When end of life nears, systems can begin to shut down. I know that's not what you want to hear, but it's the reality of birds that have life spans that usually don't exceed 7 or 8 years.

Crop bras may work, but I believe you'll only see success if regular Crop Massages are working to move food along. If you're massaging and the food is NOT moving, then the bra is likely not going to be effective either. Chicken Crops start to lose some of their elasticity and ability to "squeeze" food into the Proventriculus as birds age.

Having dealt with a fatal issue that was partially crop related with a prized girl brought on by ingestion of metal just in the last few weeks, I'd highly recommend a vet visit to be sure what you're dealing with. X-rays (radiographs) are very telling. She may have an issue further down the digestive tract. Sadly, that's not a viable option for many due to the prohibitive costs - been there, done that!

Last, this is a good guide to help with Crop issues, and there is a load of information on the rest of the web:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/