What is wrong and how can I fix it?

[emilynieuwerkerk]

Hi everyone,
My chicken previously had sour crop (around 3 months ago) (vomiting and all) and it has never really gone away. I believe it isn’t sour crop anymore but she is still gagging and swallowing back her vomit. She makes weird head movements and gets really tired sometimes. Recently I’ve noticed that it looks like she has two lumps on her chest (always thought it was only her crop) but it looks as though there’s two separate ones. Can someone help me? &she still eats normally.
Thank you!!

 

[coach723]

If you have pictures of the lumps or a video of the head movements, it might help. A video will need to be uploaded to youtube or other external host and the link put here in order to see it.
How old is she? Do you know when she last laid? Are droppings normal? Pictures of droppings are welcome.

 

[emilynieuwerkerk]

If you have pictures of the lumps or a video of the head movements, it might help. A video will need to be uploaded to youtube or other external host and the link put here in order to see it.
How old is she? Do you know when she last laid? Are droppings normal? Pictures of droppings are welcome.

Hi! Thank you for your reply. I thought I uploaded some pictures but mustn’t have worked. I’ll try again! And she hasn’t laid for at least a month. I’ll try and get a picture of her droppings when I can. Thank you!!

 

[coach723]

Does her crop always feel full, or like it's full of fluid? She may have pendulous crop. She's very fluffy, so hard to tell in a picture.
That is when the crop gets stretched out and hangs lower than it should, and it makes it difficult for it to empty properly, which can result in sour crop.
If that's the case then I would try a crop bra, to support the crop and hopefully it will empty better. Fitting a crop bra can take many adjustments to get it right, so be patient. It will need to be looser initially if the crop is very full, and then as it empties you can make it a bit tighter until it's more normal.
This link has one set of instructions for a crop bra, there are many designs, you may need to experiment to come up with something that works well for you.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/
This can be a chronic condition. Some birds adjust quickly to a crop bra, some have more difficulty, so monitor her until you know it's fit properly and she's ok with it. They sometimes walk backwards, high step and get their feet caught in it, or lay down and refuse to move or roll over on their back, until they accept it, all of which could cause them to be attacked by flock mates.