Poorly chicken

[Christian]

Sour crop is caused when the crop doesn't fully empty overnight and food ferments. The crop will fill with a smelly liquid and appear very saggy and balloon like. A fungal infection will then take hold and make your hen feel very unwell. It can be fatal, so early diagnosis and treatment is important.

 

Check your hens each morning - there should be no enlarged crops as the food should be digested overnight.

 

If one does have an enlarged crop, pick her up and feel her 'throat area'. The crop is usually on the bird's right hand side. If the crop is hard see **Impacted crop**

 

Sometimes Impacted crop can lead to sour crop. It is important to note that if the crop is blocked, this can cause sour crop without the hard mass as described with impacted crop.

 

If it is watery/squishy, then she might have sour crop.

 

Hold her gently and encourage the head down to the ground, whilst applying very gentle pressure to the crop. A brown liquid should come out of her beak. I found it is best to do this little and often, allowing the hen to lift her head after each 'vomit' and to breathe.

**Be very careful when doing this, as the hen can aspirate her own fluid. If in doubt see a vet**

 

Once no further liquid comes out, mix up some probiotic yoghurt with her favourite treat and feed a couple of times a day. The yoghurt contains 'friendly' bacteria that should restore the natural balance in the crop.

 

Bokashi bran also contains friendly bacteria, so you could try mixing it with yoghurt too.

 

Adding a teaspoon of Apple cider vinegar to a litre of water will also help. It is fine to give this to all your hens, so just replace all their drinking water.

 

A vet will be able to prescribe a probiotic powder you can also use.

 

Some advocate starving the hen for 24 hours to allow things to settle down. Make sure she has access to plenty of water though. Sometimes the break in feeding will help things return to normal.

 

If it was me I would bring her in and 'starve' her for a day or so to get an accurate reflection on what the crop is actually doing when food isnt involved....

 

Yup, keep her seperate until you've got to the bottom of it.

The gizzard is really small and can only process food slowly, so Perhaps she's pigging out too much and it hasn't had the chance to empty. so long as she's on water and avipro, she won't waste away.

 

Others recommend Daktarin gel squeezed into the beak to treat sour crop. Flowers of sulphur powder is also another treatment - available from ebay/health food shops.

 

It might take a few days, but if caught quickly, she should make a full recovery.

 

If you are in any doubt, then please take your hen to a vet asap.