The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: crosser on August 13, 2011, 10:17:11 am

Title: sour crop ???
Post by: crosser on August 13, 2011, 10:17:11 am

ive got a poorly hen with i think sour crop....  she had a huge soft lump on her chest which is quite squidgy, ive read up and done the massaging twice a day and ive also given her cod liver oil....  her head seems to be tilting to one side and twitching and shes not very active and not eating or drinking..  shes been like this for a few days now.. but the squidgy lump does seem to be going down..  do i give her any longer or is it time to cull her? oh and shes a pekin bantam....  many thanks

Title: Re: sour crop ???
Post by: jaykay on August 13, 2011, 10:47:05 am

If the squidgy lump is going down I'd give her a bit longer.

I have held mine upside down before now and massaged some of the 'stuff' out - a disgusting job but it seems to make them more comfortable.

Then you need to think how it happened. Too much long grass? Insufficient grit?

Title: Re: sour crop ???
Post by: crosser on August 13, 2011, 10:49:32 am

i tried to make her get rid of some of it but she wouldnt be sick,,  my grandson thought it would be a good idea to give her some bread when i was cleaning the ducks and she scoffed the lot so im pretty sure thats the cause....  i will give her abit longer and see how she goes this afternoon...  thanks again for your advice..

Title: Re: sour crop ???
Post by: little blue on August 13, 2011, 10:58:02 am

poor girl
It sounds like you're doing everything you can, I hope she recovers.

Title: Re: sour crop ???
Post by: DJ_Chook on August 13, 2011, 11:38:41 am

I've had a few cases of this in my table birds. Tried various treatments such as olive oil, massages, crop emptying, maggots, live yoghurt. The birds didn't seem overly bothered by such a massive, soft & squidgy crop. I did slaughter them within a week (and ate them).

However I did have a layer that developed sour crop, I tried everything but it didn't work. I stopped the procedure of emptying her crop as she was finding it too distressing. A few days later she keeled over & died while eating breakfast. A black, horrid smelling sludged poured out of her mouth.

If I had another layer with sour crop I'd probably treat it for a week, see how she was, if she wasn't any better and was going downhill then I would dispatch her before it got too unpleasant for both of us.

Title: Re: sour crop ???
Post by: Mel on August 17, 2011, 09:50:03 am

I had one last week with sour crop,made her sick-and she was very much so,took her indoors,gave her layers mash mixed with cod liver oil and cold black tea with glucose in it...a trick told to me by a gamekeeper,next day she was up running around as if nothing happened.I was rather amazed at this but it worked for me.