TREATMENT OF SOUR CROP

One of the most common complications of hand rearing is Sour crop.  Sour crop is the slowing or stoppage of the crop. It is most often caused by Yeast and fungus growing in the crop and causing a slowdown or blockage of digestion.  Quick action must be taken to correct this condition to prevent the organ damage and starvation.

Make sure all the equipment is sterilized. It is often difficult to clean all foodstuff complete from small crevices in crop tubes, syringes or feeding tubes.  By storing all the crop needles and syringes in aviclens mixed at double the strength shown on the label you can prevent pathogens from growing on your feeding implements.  Aviclens is the preferred medium because any residual left on implements during the next hand feeding will neutralize when it hits the gut and so will not negatively impact the beneficial gut flora.

Next you will want to remove old, sour food stuff from the crop.  Fill the crop with a warm mixture of water containing energize at the recommended mixture, then withdraw the crop needle and massage the crop to liquefy the contents of the crop.

Invert the bird and gently massage the crop to empty the contents via the mouth.

This process may need to be repeated three or four times until the crop appears to be empty.

Once you feel the crop is empty then make up a warm mixture of energize.  Fill the crop with this mixture and leave until empty.  The energize will replace much needed electrolytes.

Should you find that the ENERGIZE fluid has not been emptied from the crop by the bird you should seek professional help immediately.

Once you observe that the energize mixture has been consumed and the crop is empty, mix up some SURVIVE and feed normally - being sure to keep the temperature of the feed at 40⁰C.  Survive is easily digested and will quickly provides needed nutrition to prevent organ damage.  After feeding the survive, watch carefully to see that the crop is emptying normally.

On the next feeding, mix some feed using half SURVIVE and half HAND REARING MIX and feed the bird normally.  Continue using the half survive, half hand rearing Mix until the chick has returned to normal weight.  At this point you can return to normal hand rearing food.
 
 

 TO PREVENT SOUR CROP

1. Keep Hand Rearing Food at 40^oC temperature

2. Keep brooder box at 36-38^oC temperature

3. Use quality Hand Rearing Food

4. Be sure to thoroughly clean all hand rearing implements and store in Aviclens.