# sour crop? after nearly freezing to death--hen



## daisymay (Feb 13, 2017)

My luck with birds havent been great this year. I am down to three older opal legbar hens. I didnt get many eggs this year and figured i had an egg eater. anyways, I did manage to keep 5 legbars pullets going(i lost the rooster so just put whatever eggs i had in the bator) and they are doing great and i bought some silverudd's blue and luckily only lost one although another is kind of special needs. or extra special 
- on my days off i let me hens free range around the barn area they usually just go scratch at the horse hay then hide under the trailer out of harms way... late afternoon i go and put them back in the coop as we still have hawks and dont want to push my luck. Well, I was doing that and only two opal legbars were in the coop waiting for me... dread..... i didnt see any feathers, my dog has been good all day so she didnt kill one..... its my one eyed gal and they are all heavy in molt....I look in the barn and decide to fill the older chicks water up and use the horse trough .... well she was in the horse trough.... 
Her head was still above the water but she looked dead. threw off my sweatshirt and started roughly drying her off.... slight movement... keep doing that then find another sweatshirt and kept trying to warm her up while running to the house..... find my blow dryer(the one i never actually use for myself its always used for goats haha) and get another towel and start tenting the warm air and rubbing her.... about a minute later i feel her heat beating...yes....... so i spend what seems like forever trying to dry her up and getting towels out of the dryer and finding a heating pad....by then i found a clothes basket that i put the heating pad and warm towels in and move her to that while still tenting her.... finally she was warming up and moving slightly..... kept checking her and her skin was warm enough to stop the blow dryer. so i wrapped her in a dry towel again with the heating pad and left her alone. every time i came back i think she will be dead.... but nope she made it thru the night in my spare room..... next issue her crop is full i mean huge... no interest in food or water but her eyes are alert. following day her crop is still full but she drank a bit of water and stood up... looked up sour crop and went to the store for medicine.... this is the third day on the medicine and i put her in the pump house as she was thinking of jumping out of the bin she was in(by now im working so a chicken pooping on the new carpet wouldnt be great)... pooping and interested in food since yesterday. crop is a bit smaller so im hoping she will pull thru....shes her chatty self and wants to go back with the hens but i dont want her eating anything other the the game bird feed and a bit of egg... i know there is still a chance she wont make it but now im 75% certain she will make it.....
sorry for the long thread.... my animals are all pets and so are the chickens.....the one eyed gal is a sweet hen


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

I'm so sorry. I hope she fully improves for you.


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## daisymay (Feb 13, 2017)

anyone else have an idea on why crop would be full. i thought maybe all the water but then fungal infection kind of made sense...


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## Rancho Draco (Sep 29, 2021)

Does it have any smell to it? Her digestive system probably shut down since she was so cold.


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## daisymay (Feb 13, 2017)

no but its fluid filled. she did fast for almost two days so figured that helped alot...


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## Rancho Draco (Sep 29, 2021)

Have you tried giving her probiotics? It sounds like a slow crop to me


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## FizzyGoats (Apr 14, 2021)

I’d keep up with medicine or monistat or ACV in case it is sour crop. You might want to try emptying her crop since this sounds pretty dire. There’s helpful videos online if you’ve never had to do this before. I am shocked she survived the ordeal. I hope by some miracle she pulls through for you.


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## daisymay (Feb 13, 2017)

When I got home her crop was normal size! Lots of poop and happy chicken


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Great news!


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## FizzyGoats (Apr 14, 2021)

Yay! I’m so happy to hear this.


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## GoofyGoat (Sep 21, 2018)

Great job! That’s a tough rescue you pulled off. Glad she’s better!🤗


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## Boer Mama (10 mo ago)

That’s fantastic! You literally brought her back from the brink of death pulling her out of the trough like that… I wonder how she got herself into the predicament to begin with? 😅


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Good to hear.


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## daisymay (Feb 13, 2017)

thank you! i am so excited although i know there is a chance she might not keep going. Im guessing she thought it was fresh water compared to the chicken water and hopped up on the trough ring and fell in. since she has one eye she doesnt have super great balance plus she is molting so not much of a chance to get back out.
anyways this morning i let her outside for a few minutes while i cleaned her cage and she wanted to walk around(its dark so doesnt work so well), did her first poop of the morning yay since its soooos stinky then put her back in her cage and she started eating like a normal hen. i am soooo happy!


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## daisymay (Feb 13, 2017)

i will send a photo tomorrow ,when i let her out for a few minutes in between rain showers.


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## jschies (Aug 15, 2014)

What medicine did you give her? I have one now that has it.


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## daisymay (Feb 13, 2017)

Monistat. (Sp) I had to buy it at the local pharmacy so if you have a Walmart or bigger store I would recommend going there.


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## MadHouse (Oct 3, 2019)

Wow, that was an amazing rescue!
I am so happy she made it! My animals are all pets too, including the chickens.

From what I understand, crop problems are often the result of another issue, so I would not be surprised if the near death experience brought it on. 
I have used Monistat with success too.
Where I got the info It was stressed that the treatment should be for 7 days, even if the crop empties before that.


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## daisymay (Feb 13, 2017)

Here is a photo of when she was finally dry and standing a bit


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## MadHouse (Oct 3, 2019)

I still think it is amazing you found her in time and were able to “revive” her. Great job!


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Poor thing. Glad she is doing better.


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## daisymay (Feb 13, 2017)

Not a great photo but she is much happier


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## MadHouse (Oct 3, 2019)

Hurray for a happier hen!


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Great news!


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## daisymay (Feb 13, 2017)

The hen on the left.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

So she is back with the flock? Great!


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## MadHouse (Oct 3, 2019)

Yay!


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## daisymay (Feb 13, 2017)

Yes but I put her in a crate at night so she can get some extra flock raiser crumble. She seems to not mind


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## daisymay (Feb 13, 2017)

she is still doing great, and with everyone. I do give her extra gamebird feed in the morning since she cant eat as fast as the others with the one eye.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Great news!


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## MadHouse (Oct 3, 2019)

So good to hear!


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

YAY 😁


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