Impacted crop or sour crop?

[ChickensRsmart]

From my experience, the smell of sour crop doesn't come and go so the garlic/acv/yogurt may have kept her crop contents from souring. I don't think there's any downside to the acidified copper sulfate though and it covers a lot of bases.

If her crop contents are shrinking and she's gaining weight, then that is promising. It could be she just ate food that was hard to digest maybe with not enough grit and her gizzard is partially impacted and taking a long time to process it. Crop issues can just be crop issues, but I'm always suspect. Other than the intermittent watery poops, are they normal looking and well formed? The Chicken Chick has a good poop resource.

Part of the frustration is not knowing, but you've done a great job of ruling out some things. Even when I've had x-rays done with sick hens, the vet couldn't tell me definitively what was wrong other than there's something there that shouldn't be since x-rays aren't great with soft tissue.

OK, another update on my bantam hen.

Today, she ate very well. There is still some of the original food in her crop - what remains is going down very slowly....she's got maybe a half a teaspoon of the hard grain left - it's been in there for a month now... She's still doing the neck-stretch and shiver and today, I definitely smelled sour crop.
I gave her garlic water, acv water and yogurt water. Twice I gave her these fluids and I could feel her little crop fill with the fluid - about 1 ml of each and twice I could feel it drain through her crop...it was like a water filled balloon (not doughy though) and one of the times that the crop drained, I could even hear it drain...as I was massaging her crop.
All of this time however, her stools looked normal - except for 2 of them each day - a lot of poop first (with some surrounding water) followed by a small amount of wet poop surrounded by a lot of water (like a tablespoon of clear water - no odor).
Is it possible she could have a sour gizzard - given the above observations? Also, I have not been able to find Acidified Copper Sulfate. I am hoping to find it in one more feed store tomorrow, but if I don't, can I use Monistat? If so, how much should I give her?
If I do find the acidified copper sulfate tomorrow, what is the proper dose (when making say a quart of treated water - instead of 256 gallons of water like it shows on the bag...I've been searching for it on the internet...

 

[LoCoHens]

I've never hear of sour gizzard.

I don't know if stores carry acidified copper sulfate. I had to buy it online - StrombergsChickens.com, JeffersPet.com, and Jedds.com have it. It is 1/4 teaspoon per gallon (directions - https://www.jedds.com/shop/acidified-copper-sulfate-16-oz-agrilabs/). I'd be happy to send you some, but I don't know that my shipping it would be any faster.

Searching this site it looks like 1/3 of a 7-day antifungal suppository per day. Some caution to use a brand/generic that doesn't contain propylene glycol.

 

[LoCoHens]

Other posts are saying 1/3 of suppository twice a day. Here's a thread - https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/sour-crop-cured-with-monistat.630307/

I think sour crop typically has a balloon-like feel based on what I experienced and have read in threads, but if you're smelling sour I'm not sure what else it would be. I don't think an antifungal treatment will hurt if it isn't sour crop. You could have monistat or acidifed copper sulfate on standby and keep doing the vinegar, yogurt, and garlic and see where she's at.

 

[ChickensRsmart]

Other posts are saying 1/3 of suppository twice a day. Here's a thread - https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/sour-crop-cured-with-monistat.630307/

I think sour crop typically has a balloon-like feel based on what I experienced and have read in threads, but if you're smelling sour I'm not sure what else it would be. I don't think an antifungal treatment will hurt if it isn't sour crop. You could have monistat or acidifed copper sulfate on standby and keep doing the vinegar, yogurt, and garlic and see where she's at.

Thanks again LoCoHens.

I will go ahead and order the acidified copper sulfate and try the monistat if I have to...I am on my way over to check this little hen (she's not staying with me - and it's better this way because I have another isolated hen and she's got something that is probably contagious.

It feels like the pandemic all over again. I'm changing my shoes and clothes and disinfecting my hands and arms before visiting my little bantam hen.

I will keep you all posted on her!