Posted by Linda L. (199.174.240.41--user-33qts19.dialup.mindspring.com) on March 10, 2000 (or so) at 15:42:58:
In Reply to: sour crop????????? posted by s.fowler on March 10, 2000 (or so) at 10:50:47:
: Hi,
: I have been breeding tiels and lovebirds for about 5 years now and i have never had or seen sour crop however i am handfeeding one little chick right now that the mother has abandoned from the nest she is about 2 and a half weeks old
: i gave her her last feeding around 6 pm last night because it seemed her crop was emptying a bit slower then other birds i have now, its about 1 pm the next day and there is still a very small ammount of food like liquid in her crop the bird herself however is doing fine good color very strong and normal droppings her and she doesnt appear to be dehydrated she is begging for food with great enthusiasm however i just gave her some water for now and i am messaging her crop to hopefully get it completely empty before i try to feed her again her crop seems to hang a little lower then most chicks her age and it seems to me that the little sack of food that is being left behind is to low to be digested not to sure about that one though. This is the first time i have gone through this i know how important it is that she goes empty before the next feeding and thats why i've noticed this problem. This is the youngest bird i have fed ive been feeding her since she was 3 days old is this normal for her crop? or could there be a problem and if so any advise????? thankx for reading sandy
Hi Sandy,
What you are describing as far as the "pouch" at the bottom of the crop sounds like dropped crop. It's the result of the crop being overstretched. Since the food is so slow in digesting, this baby may very well have the beginnings of a yeast infection (sour crop). Right now, you are caught between a rock and a hard place. The baby needs to eat or it will starve. If you can find something called Emerade II by Lafeber's, it's a very easy to digest handfeeding formula that's primarily used for sick birds. I had one baby Tiel that I actually weaned on this formula due to the same kind of digestive problem you have now. When the container says "for sick birds," it means very easy to digest. I discussed this with my avian vet. My baby Tiel survived and did very well. You should call your avian vet and at least check out the contents of the crop.
Additionally, lactobacillus or Prozyme added to the formula will make it easier to digest. Lactobacillus is simply good digestive bacteria and you can't overdose. Prozyme will help digest the formula before you even feed it. You will notice your mixture become quite liquidy in an extremely short time. You only need a small pinch of the Prozyme. No, Prozyme is not made specifically for birds, but it works very well with them. It was prescribed by my own avian vet.
Linda L.
Lovebirds Plus