Oh dear...sick hen. Any advice?

[bonniethomas06]

Hi all,
Have noticed one of my hens being a bit quiet and pensive the last couple of days, have just picked her up as I notice her crop is quite bulging, only to find when I massaged it that loads of yellow/brown goo came out of her mouth, which stank to high heaven.

Any clues? I guess an infected crop...which means a trip to the vets for a jab?

Any home remedies to suggest first?

[JulieSherris]

Bonnie, if you do a search for 'Sour Crop', you'll find ALL the answers you will ever need & then some!!

BUT... start with this one - because it's just so damn cute!
http://www.1976design.com/blog/archive/ ... sour-crop/

Good luck with it, but don't panic & don't go heading off for expensive vet bills either!


(Edited to add the link - duh!)

[Millymollymandy]

Oh dear that sounds either like sour crop or a blocked crop. I have had to put down hens with both.

Not sure about sour crop but when the crop has got blocked you can try syringing a bit of olive oil into their mouths, massage the crop gently for about 10 mins then hold hen upside down to induce vomiting to try to clear/block the crop. It didn't work with my hen. She wasn't actually showing signs of illness with this and it can be cleared by cutting open the crop (best not done by novices!) to clear out the blockage.

However the one we put down for a friend was showing all signs of illness, not eating, standing around quiety and sadly with eyes closed and when I picked her up yellow goo came gushing out all over me.

Susie Gee has (I think) has had experience of sour crop.

In the meantime look on one of the poultry forums because there is tons of info there - that's where I go when I have hen maladies to research. I'm just going to see which was the one I got the info about crop problems from - be right back.

[Millymollymandy]

Sorry can't find which site, there are so many. Best to google sour crop and if that doesn't sound right, impacted crop - which also has smelly goo. Here is my thread on the subject last year
http://www.selfsufficientish.com/forum/ ... op#p195044

[Millymollymandy]

Here's another link on crop problems http://www.poultry.allotment.org.uk/Chi ... /index.php

[darkbrowneggs]

Interestingly I was reading the other day that they now think sour crop is a genetic disorder. The reason I was checking is I have never had sourcrop in any of my fowl in 30 odd years of poultry keeping, but last year hatched some chicks from bought in eggs, brought them up in exactly same way as usual, not even old enough to go out to grass yet, and guess what?

Also interesting was that I noticed it before it developed, and the problem arises before the crop is filled. ie it was gassy and expanded first - then filled with food after.

All the best
Sue

[bonniethomas06]

Thank you so much ladies, it does sound like sour crop - sorry, should have just googled the symptoms myself.

Am off to do the delightful olive oil job.

Thanks again.

[bonniethomas06]

Well, did the olive-oil thing and about half a pint of green goo came out!

Poor little thing, she seemed a bit better for an hour or so but this morning seems to be back to feeling miserable again.

Will give her until the end of the day and if she is still suffering then I think we will put her out of her misery.

Thanks again for the advice - and incidently, the only black rock I ever had died of (what I can now recognise as) a sour crop - funnily enough about two weeks from getting her home from the breeders and her first taste of grass.

Curious!

[Millymollymandy]

Sorry about your hen Bonnie.

[happy place]

just a thought on this every one seems to have covered the treatments but one of the causes i have read about and had with my hens is if they get at long strands of grass or similar food stuffs especial if you give them cuttings as a treat they cant chew this up and if they eat too much or dont have enough grit to deal with it .it becomes a lump of green stuff which blocks the crop up hense adding oil and gentle massage breaks this up and enables it to come out

[lunalucy]

I hope I'm not too late for this girl...

Sour crop is usually due to a fungal infection, therefore a crop drain and treatment with an anti-fungal such as Nystatin (can easily be got from local chemist with prescription from vet) is usually the best course of action. Has worked with our girls.

[bonniethomas06]

Thanks for your reply lunalucy - I will remember that for next time- thankfully though we made her vomit (quite a few times) and she perked up again.

I agree with the scraps theory - we have cut back on the amount of raw goodies they get these days(no chance of long blades of grass, they had scoffed all that within 2 weeks!).