What condition is characterized by foul-smelling breath and a distended crop?

• A. Beak infection
• B. Sour crop
• C. Crop prunation
• D. Choking

Answer: (B)

Foul-smelling breath together with a distended crop points to fermentation happening inside the crop, a condition known as sour crop. The crop is the pouch where birds store food before it moves on to the stomach. When food sits too long or is spoiled, microbes ferment it, producing gas and a sour odor, and the crop becomes swollen or distended. This combination of signs is characteristic of sour crop rather than issues that affect the beak or airway. A beak infection would present with mouth or beak problems, not a swollen crop with a sour smell. Choking causes sudden distress from an obstruction and does not typically produce a persistent foul breath or crop distention. Crop prunation isn’t a recognized condition, so sour crop best fits the described symptoms.