Tara123 Posted August 5, 2009 Share Posted August 5, 2009 I have a hen with what I suspect to be a sour crop. When doing a bit of a search on here I have seen a few post suggesting using ACV but I have no idea what it is. Please can some one tell me what it is and possible point me in the right direction as to where to get hold of it, many thanks Tara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Falkor Posted August 5, 2009 Share Posted August 5, 2009 ACV = Apple Cider Vinegar Can help deter internal parasites and good for general health I slosh a bit in a 2l drinker on a sunday and remove all other drinkers so I know all girls are getting a dose. Some people add daily mind! I also use it for my cats. Make sure that you buy the animal kind which can normally be found in the horsey isles of your local countryside store or feed merchants. the supermarket one is refined so not good for the purpose (i think that is why) Hope this helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted August 5, 2009 Share Posted August 5, 2009 Palmer07 is right - the pasteurised version sold in supermarkets isn't any good for our purposes - you need one with the live 'mother' in it. You'll see these as threads in the vinegar. There are various brands on sale in equine outlets, the most common I have found are those by Crossgate Bioenergetics and NAF, both are 'live'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tara123 Posted August 5, 2009 Author Share Posted August 5, 2009 Thank you both for replying. I went out and got some ACV and luckily its the Naf brand you mentioned Claret as I've only just got back and spotted your post about which brands are the best to purchase. I have also brought some live yogurt and maggots to give to her but she is really struggling to eat much at all. Any other advice on sour crop would be very much appreciated as she is very poorly although luckily still drinking on her own at the moment Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted August 5, 2009 Share Posted August 5, 2009 Sour crop is caused when a blockage in the crop causes the contents to ferment. The treatment (as recommended by my vet) is: No treats, feed only pellets Add live yoghurt to Bokashi Bran and feed this as well Add ACV to the water Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tara123 Posted August 5, 2009 Author Share Posted August 5, 2009 Thanks again Claret. Is it worth still feeding her the live maggots? I'm already giving her the live yogurt and bokashi bran but she's not eating it. Also should I be massaging her crop? I did it earlier today and she was sick so will it hurt her to carry on doing this? She has lost a lot of weight and I'm not sure she's strong enough to cope with to much handling. I'm keeping her in a dog cage within the WIR so she can still see her friends as I don't want her to be on her own in case this also upsets her, but I can't think what else to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted August 5, 2009 Share Posted August 5, 2009 Sorry, I think I may have been clear as mud..... I think you may be confusing the two ailments here... live maggots are to eat through a blockage when a hen has an impacted crop, but the protein in them wouldn't go amiss with her being so poorly. Massaging the crop is (again) only necessary for an impacted crop. If she has an impacted crop, then it wil be hard; if it's sour crop, then it will feel soft and squishy. Everything else you are doing is fine. You could try syringing some water and ACV into her beak, but frankly, if she's weak and this has been going on for a while, I'd take her to the vet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tara123 Posted August 5, 2009 Author Share Posted August 5, 2009 Its a squishy crop, although when she was sick it didn't really smell as bad as I thought it should with a sour crop! As she is eating the maggots and not much else then I will carry on with these just to keep her strength up a bit. If there is no improvement in the morning after getting some ACV in her then she will be off to the vets first thing tomorrow. Thank you again for the advice, I think I was reading a bit to much info and got a bit confused with the maggot bit!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted August 5, 2009 Share Posted August 5, 2009 That's OK. Take care not to massage a squishy crop as chooks don't have a gag reflex and can choke. Any point in popping the maggots in some yoghurt/ACV/Bokashi Bran? Good luck at the vet and let me know how you get on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
