Everyday care essentials
Plan dry bedding, safe perches, good ventilation, fresh water and an appropriate complete ration. A suitable home supports your flock’s day-to-day wellbeing.
Explore housing ›Sour Crop
About Sour Crop
The crop temporarily stores food before it moves through the digestive tract. Sour crop is commonly associated with yeast overgrowth, but poor emptying can have other causes, including obstruction or another illness. These problems need different treatments.
Signs to look for
- A crop that remains enlarged before the morning feed
- Sour-smelling breath or regurgitation
- Reduced appetite, weight loss or lethargy
What can cause it?
Disrupted crop function or normal gut organisms can allow problems to develop. Mouldy feed and dirty feeding equipment should be avoided, but a vet may need to examine the bird to identify the underlying issue.
First steps and veterinary care
Contact a poultry-experienced vet promptly. Keep the bird upright and quiet. Do not turn it upside down, squeeze or flush the crop, or try to make it vomit: material can enter the airway. Do not force-feed or give oils, human medicines or antifungals without veterinary direction.
Prevention and everyday support
Provide fresh appropriate feed and clean water, remove spoiled food and keep feeding equipment clean. Observe appetite and normal crop emptying.
When to seek help
Repeated regurgitation, breathing difficulty, inability to swallow or marked weakness need urgent care.
Sources and further reading
Content checked 10 November 2026. General information; not an individual veterinary assessment.
Prepare for a veterinary call
Record changes in appetite, droppings, laying, movement and breathing. Tell the vet about recent arrivals, feed changes and any medicines already used.
Browse the health guides ›Support for your flock
If your chicken is unwell, contact a poultry-experienced veterinarian. Take notes on signs, when they started and how many birds are affected. Photos or a short video may help your vet.
For general questions about preparing a home for your birds, browse our care guides or visit our contact page.
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