Author Topic: Sour crop (Read 2856 times)

moprabbit · « **on:** November 03, 2016, 07:49:11 pm »

I think one of my friends chickens has sour crop. Her crop is large but not hard and she keeps dipping her head up and down. He rang the vet for advice and they suggested massaging the crop and giving her natural yoghurt. I've looked on the Internet and seen lots of different advice from turning them upside down to make them sick - to this being the worst thing that you can do. Just wondered if anyone on the forum can give me some advice? Also, should she be given food and water or should she be confined? Thank you

Marches Farmer · « **Reply #1 on:** November 03, 2016, 08:30:27 pm »

Has the chicken been eating lots of long grass or other greenery? Has it had daily access to grit and oyster shell?

moprabbit · « **Reply #2 on:** November 03, 2016, 08:33:29 pm »

There is grit available at all times. The run the chickens are in is grassy and quite long, but there's no grass clippings in there.

Marches Farmer · « **Reply #3 on:** November 04, 2016, 09:23:59 am »

We once had a hen that was crop bound and tried the oil and gently easing the material up the neck treatment, which worked, but she became crop bound several times in the following weeks and we decided there was some other underlying problem and culled her.

TheSmilingSheep · « **Reply #4 on:** November 04, 2016, 09:31:51 am »

If the crop is large, soft and 'baloony' first thing in the morning (ie when it should be empty) then very possibly sour crop. I know that turning can be risky but to be honest we've never had a problem with it - stay calm, help the chicken keep their head away from you and from their own body (if that makes sense) and gently massage crop - might need several massages during one turning...I'm sure there are videos on utube. After that, I'd keep chicken quiet with just water available for a day and/or maybe a tiny bit of yoghurt, and then some chicken reviver the next day to keep up energy... As MF suggests, often these issues can be the beginning of recurring problems that really mean there's an underlying problem... good luck

moprabbit · « **Reply #5 on:** November 05, 2016, 09:42:16 am »

Thank you for the replies. We emptied her crop yesterday and gave her some egg yolk mixed with yoghurt. She's still very lively. This morning her crop looks to be full again so will do the same today and hope for the best.

Possum · « **Reply #6 on:** November 05, 2016, 12:59:24 pm »

We had a hen with the same problem. Although turning her upside down and emptying the crop gave her some temporary relief it didn't solve the main problem of an impacted crop. Fortunately the vet was able to do a small operation to get rid of all the rubbish in her crop (She was very greedy and would eat anything).
She didn't seem in the least bit bothered by the operation and lived for several years afterwards.

chrismahon · « **Reply #7 on:** November 05, 2016, 01:12:19 pm »

Best treatment for sour crop is a water only diet until the crop is empty then a dose of Avipro Avian. Repeated massaging with a little olive oil helps- using cod liver repeatedly causes an apparent vitamin overdose we discovered. Yoghurt isn't good, I think because lactose isn't digestible by chickens?

If the crop repeatedly won't empty on its own it is due to a digestive impaction further down the system. That could be for many reasons- eating indigestible objects, large objects, long grass or feathers, internal swelling or round worms partially blocking the system. We have had 3 this year during the moult, a time which seems to create digestive disorders, but only one was leaf stems and was treated repeatedly and eventually successfully. The other two were a Kidney infection and eating wood shavings -neither recovered.

Making sure chickens have plenty of grit minimises digestive problems as does regular worming.