Crop Affections

Avian Digestive System

Chickens are active creatures, always pecking at something they've found on the ground and chasing flies and other insects around a yard.

Avian Digestive System

Chickens scratch around in the ground and when they find something they like, they take in their beaks ready to be swallowed.

This food then makes its way down the esophagus to the bird's crop where it's not only stored but rendered moist too.

A chicken's crop has a specific function which is to sort food out like a holding tank.

Avian Digestive System

When the food is ready and sorted out in the crop, it passes into one of the two stomachs that a chicken has.

The food either goes into the proventriculus or the gizzard. The “easy” to digest food goes to the proventriculus where it's

broken down by hydrochloric acid as well as digestive enzymes.

Food that's harder to digest and which needs to be “mechanically” broken down passes to the gizzard to be processed - this is where muscular contractions combined with some small stones (grit) are needed to process any food that's ingested.

Crop

A chicken's crop is found in the middle of the bird's upper chest.

When the crop is full, it should feel nice and firm to the touch.

Healthy crop should be around the size of a plum when full.

Chickens sleep with nice full, firm crops and by the morning, they should be empty.

An impacted crop will stay firm and can get as large as a tennis ball and a little tender.

Crop

An empty crop stimulates a chicken‘s appetite, while a full crop is the signal to bird to stop eating.

The capacity of normal crop is 45cc, so chicks eat in small increments all day long.

After eating, the crop feels swollen and slightly firm, but shrinks as feed is moves to be digested.

Crop Status

Normal crop status1. Empty, the crop can't be felt.2. Full, the crop feels swollen.3. Over filled, the crop feels over swollen but swelling goes

down overnight.

Abnormal crop status4. The crop feels hard and swelling, but it does not go down

overnight.

Crop

Usually crop empty its content of feed and water to the esophagus overnight in order to be empty in the morning.

A full crop on the morning indicates a problem.

Crop Affections

Crop Affections

There are three common problems that occur in the crop which are as follows:1. Impacted crop2. Sour crop3. Pendulous crop

Crop Affections

There are certain signs on chicken indicating crop problem:1. Weight loss2. Lethargy3. Difficulty turning their head side to side4. They prefer to be on their own

Impacted Crop

Causes of Impacted Crop

1. The chicken may have eaten a big or tough piece of food

2. A fungal or bacterial infection3. Chickens will eat foreign objects and

this includes plastic, rubber bands and metal which may cause an impaction

4. The chicken may be suffering from a pendulous crop

Treatment of Impacted Crop

1. The first thing to do is isolate the chicken into a large cage.2. The only treatment is to try and empty the crop by gently

massaging it with your fingers. 3. You can feed you chicken but you should only offer them a

little soft bread that's been soaked in olive oil. The oil will act as lubricant which should help to empty the crop.

Sour Crop

Sour Crop

When the crop takes too long to empty, this can result in a condition known as sour crop.

Food sitting in the crop will start to ferment and this causes a yeast infection (fungal) to develop.

Clinical Signs

1. The crop which will be large but not firm to the touch as with an impacted crop.

2. The crop will be quite tender to the touch.3. You may even hear a gurgling noise when you gently move

the crop around. 4. The chicken's breath will smell quite fermented and “yeasty”,

not a pleasant aroma at all.

Causes of Sour Crop

1. Crop does not empty correctly.2. Impacted crop could be partial or complete.3. Fungal infection.4. Worms may be slowing down the rate of digestion.

Treatment of Sour Crop

1. Clean and sanitize feeders and waters.2. Isolate birds in question.3. Flush the crop.4. Treat the fungal infection.5. Feeding your chickens probiotics will also help avoid the

problem.

Pendulous Crop

Clinical Signs

Just occasionally, muscles in a chicken's crop get damaged and this could be due to having suffered an impacted crop or from eating very “heavy” food.

If this happens, the crop when full dangles down towards the ground and may even sway from side to side.

You need to make sure the crop is emptying overnight or it might lead to the bird suffering from an impacted crop making the problem even worse.

Treatment of Pendulous Crop

The best way to cope with a pendulous crop is to just allow the bird to drink water for a period of 24 hours and no food so the crop gets to rest.

After this you should give the chicken some regular feed.

Tips To Keep a Healthy Crop

Tips To Keep a Healthy Crop

1. Avoid feeding chicken large hard to digest food.2. Avoid using metal water containers that may rust.3. Feed your flock plain yogurt with live and active cultures to

help promote the good gut bacteria.4. Add probiotics to feed.5. Avoid feeding chickens sugary human food.6. Inspect chickens crops regularly.