How can a sour crop or bound crop be fixed?
This is a common problem with ex-battery hens, especially if they are allowed to graze on grass when they are first released. These birds are not used to eating such natural foods, so they tend not to know how to do it properly. Long strands of grass in the crops of such birds often are unable to pass through the digestive system, bind in the crop and ferment. Try giving the bird half a teaspoon of baking soda mixed in a couple of tablespoons of water. Hang the bird upside down and massage the crop. The obstruction and the fermented fluids often come out. If this does not work, you will have to do a minor surgery on the bird. Take a sharp scalpel or knife and incise the skin down the front of the crop. This is easy to do if you pluck the feathers from the area first. Remove the obstruction through the incision and then sew the cut closed with polyester thread, using small stitches. Feed the fowl a soft mash food until the cut heals and gradually wean it onto harder foods. When feeding
