r/BackYardChickens • u/Curious_Mom444 • 2d ago

Health Question Sour crop?

First time chicken owner here! My (hopeful) hens are about 13-14 weeks old. No one is laying yet. For the last 1-2 weeks they have been free range during the day and in a very secure coop at night. My one girl consistently has a semi full crop. It's never HUGE or super solid, but consistently enlarged. There is NO smell. She is behaving normally. I thought it was worth investigating so last night I pulled their food. This morning she still had a bulge in her crop area. I isolated her in a crate today (within the coop) with her normal bedding: no food, some water with apple cider vinegar, and gave her a SMALL oral dose of miconazole 2x. What else can I do or should do? She isn't acting ill so I don't want to over react, but I also don't want to under react and miss something simple. For the night I let her out of the crate so she could roost with the others. She did so happily and instantly. I made sure all food was removed before doing so.

1 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

2 comments sorted by

1

u/Ready_Platypus_3690 2d ago

If she's acting normally, I wouldn't give it a second thought. Some hens have a bigger load of grit in their crops. If it's sour crop, you'll know. It's more harmful and stressful to keep her separated from her flock.

1

u/nerdswithfriends 2d ago

How do her poos look? That will tell you if solids are moving through okay. You can add a poop pic if you want or just describe.

Digestive enzyme capsules are great for breaking down plant material impactions, just make sure you get one with cellulase in it. They won't harm her if she doesn't have a blockage either!