I just recently battled a severe sour crop infection with a hen. Either way, I am hoping this monistat will save her life. When the birds wake, their crop should be flat first thing in the morning, and before they eat, their crop should be flat. Impacted crop food cannot pass if the crop is impacted. Chickens can get simple cases of Sour Crop and yes, vaginal creams work well on these simple cases. The swollen belly is a tough one and not a good sign. Cropping Up, Chickens, September/October 2015, page 74. I finally (YEA!) To prevent sour crop, consider offering apple cider vinegar. I have been battling sour crop for 2 weeks with my 6 month old brahma hen. Feed probiotics/yogurt /ACV in water during/after treatment. Really quick recovery I think because the vet emptied her crop. I just had one of my girls exhibit signs of sour crop. Vets often recommend using dilute apple cider vinegar for early-stage sour crop in birds to avoid having to take the bird to a vet. I did and progression of water with ACV to Yogurt to feed mashed with yogurt. Try not to feed stuff like scratch grains right now. Kicking myself now. I love the looks of a window box, because it gives every coop a nice, polished appearance. Sour crop occurs when your hens crop becomes infected with the fungus Candida albicans, according to the University of California, Davis. An epidemiological study of animals dermatomycoses in Iran. Table of Contents (Quickly Jump To Information). Use an over-the-counter antifungal like Micronazole or Clotrimazole (sold under brand names like Monistat or Canesten): apply cream externally to the vent area, an almond-sized amount internally using an applicator and give tablets orally (cut each one into thirds and give one piece per day for six days). her crop now is not as full, but does not clear over night and now present more like impacted crop (that is the crop is hard as opposed to big and squishy). Then yeast begins to grow and feed on the food that is stuck in the crop. Be advised, though, if you attempt to burp your chicken, there is a chance she will aspirate (breathe in) some of the vomit, which can lead to death. Shylah. I Want My Free Ebook On Egg Laying Chickens, Sour Crop in Chickens: What is it And How to Treat it. Oregano oil and cinnamon are everyday household items that may already be in your kitchen. Turns out she most likely did have sour crop, but it was a secondary result of her getting into the 'Chick Start' was also have out for our chicks and gorging herself to the point where everything in her crop has formed a "mush" that she is not moving easily. 3) I added 1 tablespoon of Apple cider vinegar to each gallon of water. I use 1 tablespoon per 1 gallon of water. One of my four ladies has been vomiting brownish yellow liquid. Making sure your hens steer clear of rotten or moldy food as well as the compost pile will help prevent sour crop. Leaning her over with her head towards the ground, massage her crop from bottom to top until she expels the fluid. Epsom salts are an old time remedy. If it is still full and feels boggy or squishy, it is likely a sour crop be gentle; the crop may feel sore to the bird. As she goes along snacking, the crop will expand as your hen eats more and more. The fungus invades the lining of the crop and begins to breed, causing an upset in the natural environment in the organ. I think like some women are prone to candida infections, so are some chooks. Clean freshwater is a must-have you can add ACV to the water to help keep acidity levels stable in the gut. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/cken-and-give-subcutaneous-fluid#post_9910754, Need dosage of Miconazole nitrate 1% lotion for Sour Crop, Squishy crop, but no smell and is empty in the morning. I was worried if she could be impacted internally. I have given her monistat, both ends. So if this Monistat doesn't cure her up within 5 days, I would switch over to Gyne-Lomtrimin (Clotrimazole) I have had better luck with the Clotrimazole. She was older and the illness was too much for her to deal with. Subscribe my Newsletter for new blog posts, tips & new photos. https://www.thehappychickencoop.com/chicken-feather-loss-cause-and-cure/ let CurrentYear = new Date().getFullYear() All Rights Reserved, crop, sour crop, and pendulous crop she kept getting sour crop over and over, . Sorry, I don't think I'm much help. Massage at this point should be from top to bottom. After just 2 treatments she was so much better! Noticed one of my hens today very quiet, bedding down, head tilted sleeping in nesting box.. It only creates problems when circumstances allow a bacterial 'bloom.' I guess I'd hold off, since she's acting healthy and the only thing you're seeing is a small, soft crop in the morning. Also external pressure on the stretched out crop - birdie bra (seriously) - has been shown to be more than beneficial but also very key while the crop heals and gets some tone and function back. If the crop is severely impacted the only option is surgery. Question. The food in the crop may simply need some help moving down the birds digestive tract. Jennifer at Purposeful Nutrition and The Entwife's Journal, 10 Best Vegetables to Grow for Beginner Gardening, Homemade Rosemary Water for Hair and Scalp Health, Seed Starting Planner (Know Exactly When to Plant! Crittercleanout.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Hope she's ok! My question is what to do if the crop isnt flat? Mostly food came up so I guess that is better than the foul liquid that came out the other day. If the crop appears flat and empty after this fasting period, you can start her on some scrambled eggs and/or plain yogurt mixed with her pellets. I'm struggling with sour crop myself and I'm willing to give it a chance! You can repeat this 3 or 4 times before you put her back into the hospital. Repeat the sequence no more than 4 times a day. I now believe its because she had a pendulous crop from the initial, and sour crop. Monistat can help treat vaginal yeast infections. (Bear in mind that I am not a licensed vet, and this information is for educational purposes only. That was my reasoning, but like I said others have used the cream and seen success. Prolonged or inappropriate use of antibiotics and corticosterioids, Chickens with weakened immune systems, such as when recovering from an illness or injury, Excessive or inappropriate use of disinfectants. However, even if you do your best to prevent illnesses, your chickens might develop sour crop anyway. A pendulous crop is notoriously difficult to treat as it will likely keep recurring. But I did see her go to the feeder for mash twice today. Do you have any suggestions? I am restricting food and water. Invitro anti-mycotic activity of hydro alcoholic extracts of some indian medicinal plants against fluconazole resistant Candida albicans. Note: expect runny poop if you choose this method. You will be more comfortable sitting or kneeling to do this and wear old pants just in case. In this session ofWhat The Cluck?! Help!!! This maneuver should really be used as a last resort, and one cannot afford a veterinarians visit. She won't eat or drink anything, but we forced the medicine down. This post helped me so much! If she does get a flat crop finally, feed her as outlined above for sour crop, limit her intake for a couple of days until she seems back to her normal state. Breathing heavy and very tired.. Knowing how to treat sour crop can might meanthe difference between life and death for your chickens. Im so sorry to hear that. I would also suggest not using sand in the coop as bedding/litter. He told me she was loaded with candida and probably wouldnt survive. She had been sick for 4 days before she couldnt fight anymore. She is also the author ofChickens: Naturally Raising A Sustainable Flock, which was a best seller in its Amazon category. Our theories included drinking from a dirty water source ( like a dirty pot somewhere in the yard ) or eating mouldy food she found somewhere on her travels. I didn't try the Pepcid treatment because she was recovering but I bought some just in case it came back. A cage with a wire floor and no bedding is preferable. Using a dropper, give her a dropper-full of olive or coconut oil at least three times a day (morning, noon, and evening). Merck Veterinary Manual. If you can look in the birds mouth, you may see whitish patches, or in a nasty case, the entire mouth will be white. They are very similar, and one can lead to the other. If her crop is still full, then you might be dealing with sour crop. Thank you for this info! This place is AWESOME!! Although I havent tried sand myself (Im a shavings and straw person too), I have my reservations about it also, for the same reasons you mention. How did she end up doing? But now this third one is definitely sour crop again. If no fluid comes out, she probably doesnt have any to get rid of, but if some do, be prepared for a lot of foul-smelling liquid to be evacuated. It keeps coming back. Some use apple cider vinegar in the water, but others say this is harmful. Becoming weak. Should I cut back on the treats, tell my friend that the starches will hurt the chickens, or should I wait and see what happens with a grain of salt since its rare when the chickens get sick? Bradley, Francine A., A. Thank you! Yes it was sour crop thank God for this article cause without it really I could have lost Jewels. I also want to thank BYC and this post for saving our favorite hen, Maxine! To dothis, dilute and mix 1 pint of molasses to 5 gallons of water and serve it to your birds, have this mixture out for no longer than 8 hours. They can both be prescribed by your vet, your vet will also advise as to how to administer each to your bird and for how long. If its doing its job right, the crop will be empty in the morning, and should not give off any weird or foul smells (you can smell it through your hens mouth.). This is not something you can do at home. The breath of the affected bird will have a distinct putrid sour smell to it hence the name. Thanks for the info. She's still very week, but I'm much more optimistic now that the crop seems to be improving. Withhold food until the impaction is removed. Mine is eating and drinking fine, and pooping. Monistat 7 may also be used for purposes not listed in this medication guide. Maybe the reflux meds. White patches or plaques (oral lesions) on the inside of their mouth and/or under the tongue. Patches of raised, whitish, dead epithelial debris. Monistat 7 is used to treat vaginal candida (yeast) infections. To assist in maintaining the correct posture/placement of the crop, some folks have made a sling or crop bra.. So far we've given 6 treatments of the monistat 1/3rds. Claire. Claire. If a hen does come up with sour crop, clean herliving area well with a natural coop cleaner (never bleach) to remove the fungus as best as you can. JavaScript is disabled. Sour crop is a yeast infection, apple cider vinegar is an anti-fungal. What can I give my chicken for sour crop? If so, with what, how much and when? You can think of the crop as a storage pouch, if you will. These images also appear on my Instagram account where I share MANY more photos and stories from the farm! I had to keep her seperated for about a month because she was so weak she couldn't get to the food and water and she was roosting on the floor. Can someone help with that? The hens are loosing feathers on their back. Want to Improve Your Family's Health Through Homesteading? A mixture of 1 teaspoon Epsom salts to 1 cup water can be given to your bird to help clear out sour crop. The impacted crop is usually caused by eating long and fibrous grasses and weeds, picking up bits of string or twine, ingesting screws, the list goes on. The box contained 3 suppositories and a tube of external cream. Did you try the methods mentioned? Claire, Our Golden Laced Wyandot Hen has sour crop. Shes still up and alert but not walking. We will delve into what it is, how to treat it and how to avoid it in the future. I never smelled the horrible breath reported to accompany the condition but we had gotten a severe rain several weeks before and some of the chicks food got a little moldy. Then I massage her crop for a while. How To Treat Sour Crop In Chickens [Read], Sour crop occurs when your hens crop becomes infected with the fungus, However, according to the Merck Veterinary Manual, sour crop generally occurs. Great that you did get a vet check up on her. May be effective in mild infections. Baking Soda For Sour Crop (How It Helps + How To Use It), Antibiotics For Sour Crop, (+ Other Treatment Options). This is better done with two people, but one person can do it. I emptied her a few times and put her in a separate location . Avian poxvirus infection and secondary candidiasis and bacterial infection. I was surprised when the vet didn't recommend an antifungal. We are new at raising back yard chickens and I want to keep them as healthy as possible. You also can try providing apple cider vinegar in a ratio of 1 tablespoon per gallon of water. Hi Kate, what happened with your chicken? The swelling went done tremendously after the first treatment, now it's totally gone. Thank you! Irrigate their crop with vinegar solution, epsom salt solution, molasses solution followed by some kind of highly toxic cooper-something. Sour crop. When food becomes stuck in a birds crop for too long it will begin to ferment and break down. like Pecid. As the hen becomes infected with the fungus, the lining of her crop thickens, and the infection can interfere with her crops ability to empty its contents into her stomach. She is making a weird noise, I assume its a cough. She is running around eating drinking foraging. It only creates problems when circumstances allow a bacterial bloom. Fromthere, food travels down the esophagus into the crop. In fact, as many as 80% of women experience it at least every 2-3 weeks.2 Stay Fresh Gel from MONISTAT CARE is a safe and effective way to eliminate bothersome odor because it works with your body's natural system to eliminate the odor at the source. Not sure who to use? Having lost a few chickens to sour crop, found another one with it yesterday, gave it apple cider vinegar and then went to, Emergencies / Diseases / Injuries and Cures, Need dosage of Miconazole nitrate 1% lotion for Sour Crop, Squishy crop, but no smell and is empty in the morning. Feed her a hard boiled egg yolk mixed with 1 tablespoon of (unsweetened, plain) applesauce and. A chicken's crop is a very important organ within their digestive system. in them were best, but I have not tried them for myself. You also can try providing apple cider vinegar in a ratio of 1 tablespoon per gallon of water. Any time she was stressed, like severely hot weather, it would come back. By then she was refusing scrambled eggs. So with all the over-the-counter medications and DIY treatments for sour crop, which should you give your bird? It's important to know when giving yogurt do NOT use Greek yogurt it has far less bacteria than regular plain yogurt. Sour Crop. By accessing or using this, you agree to be bound by all the terms and conditions below. However, according to the Merck Veterinary Manual, sour crop generally occurs because their coop is not clean (going back to the idea that Candida albicansis in their poop).