Sour crop in chickens: symptoms, treatment, and prevention
Sour crop is a yeast (Candida) overgrowth in the crop. The crop feels squishy, smells foul, and the bird stops eating.
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Open AI Chicken DoctorMost likely causes
1. Yeast overgrowth after antibiotics
Antibiotics kill the good gut bacteria, letting Candida bloom.
2. Moldy or spoiled feed
Wet feed or scratch left in dishes ferments and seeds the crop.
3. Long grass or fibrous treats
Indigestible material slows crop emptying and lets yeast take over.
4. Underlying impaction
A slow-emptying crop from earlier impaction often becomes sour.
What to check first
- Feel the crop first thing in the morning, should be empty.
- Open her beak and smell, yeasty, sour, vomit-like odor?
- Liquid coming up when held upside down (dangerous, risk of aspiration)?
- Crop squishy and full of fluid?
Home care that works
- Withhold all food for 12-24 hours; water only with electrolytes.
- Gently massage the crop 5-10 minutes several times a day to break up the contents.
- Add raw apple cider vinegar (1 tbsp per gallon) to water for 3 days.
- When she starts eating again, offer plain yogurt and probiotics for a week.
- Cull soft pumpkin or scrambled eggs as small meals; no grain, no fruit, no greens for 3 days.
Call a vet if
- Crop doesn't empty after 24 hours of fasting.
- Bird is gasping, gurgling, or aspirating.
- Severe lethargy or weight loss.
- Recurrent sour crop episodes (likely underlying issue).
Frequently asked questions
Should I induce vomiting in a chicken with sour crop?
Almost never, birds can easily aspirate the fluid and die. Only an experienced poultry keeper or vet should attempt this.
Will sour crop go away on its own?
Very rarely. Without intervention it usually progresses and kills the bird.