Advice Needed: Managing Sour Crop in a Broody Hen with a Clutch of Eggs

[boyo]

Hey all,

I'm looking for advice on what would be most helpful for my 1-year-old Silkie hen who is currently broody and sitting on a clutch of eggs. About 3-4 days into incubation, I noticed she had the classic signs of sour crop. I did the following:

1. Moved her and her eggs indoors for consistent warmth.
2. Initially withheld food for 24 hours, then fed mainly yogurt the next day, next day added scrambled eggs, and the next day I added in her regular feed.
3. Canesten (antifungal cream) twice daily.
4. Crop massage every couple hours and brought her outside to poop and dust bathe.

By the second day, she seemed to pass some undigested material, and her droppings have transitioned thereafter became pure liquid. After reintroducing her feed they are now going back from liquid to more solid forms.

However, on day 5 of this treatment her crop still feels squishy and remains enlarged even after 12 hours without food. It is much smaller - about the size of a normal "full crop" and not the massive water balloon it was on day one, but it is still not fully empty in the mornings. I'm wondering if this is normal because broody hens just normally have a slower crop? or if this is not a great sign. She doesn't smell yeasty anymore and stopped "burping" and ticking her head when she would bend down to eat.

what should I do now?:

• Should I transfer her eggs to another hen to allow her to recover fully from the sour crop? even if that means making her a bit more cold and uncomfortable in the short term? (I didn't do that innitially because it seemed it wouldn't help her if she was sick)
• Or is it more beneficial for her to continue brooding despite the crop issue, and the fact it is not fully empty in the morning is normal given her broodiness.

Any insights or similar experiences would be greatly appreciated! This is my first time with sour crop and and only my third time having a hen incubate a clutch.

Thanks!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

She doesn't smell yeasty anymore and stopped "burping" and ticking her head when she would bend down to eat.

Sour crop is not normal for a broody ime.

Is she indeed broody or perhaps sick?

If possible, get a fecal float to see if she needs to be dewormed. A crop problem is usually a symptom of an underlying condition unless it's caused by a blockage. I'd finish treating for the full 7 days.

If it's not cleared by then, you can try a flush to see if that helps.


https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

 

[Mrs. K]

Being broody is hard on a hen, I would break her of being broody.