Hard HUGE crop... Any ideas?

Date sort Score sort
chickenwhisperer123

chickenwhisperer123

Whispers Loudly
10 Years
Mar 7, 2009
2,542
23
181
Lincoln, Nebraska
When I went to tuck the chickens for the night one of the hens was sleeping outside with the ducks. I picked her up and she had a huge (baseball sized (about)) really hard lump... She is in the mudroom with 4 five week old bantams and is doing good. She has been pecking at shavings and food, but she hasnt pooped or drank anything...
What can I do?
What is the problem?
Help please this has never happened to me before!!
Jason
 
Last edited:
It sounds like an impacted crop, if you do a topic search there is lots of good info on how to treat it.
Good luck, I hope she does okay!
 
First, please calm down. It may be nothing. Mine return from a day of freeranging with huge hard crops every night. It means they ate a lot that day.

I don't mean to sound condesending but you do know that's called a "crop" and that's where they store their food? If not, welcome to chicken anatomy. I'm guessing, since you called it a "big hard lump" you may not have known that. Leave her alone and she'll be fine. It's only when the crop doesn't go down over night and a smell starts to come from their mouth and they can't eat or drink that it's an impacted crop and needs attention.

Just sounds like she pigged out. Let her sleep it off.
 
This is from another website, I have no idea if it will work, but here it is...hope this helps:

If you suspect impacted crop, administer two eye-droppers full of mineral oil (NOT MINERAL SPIRITS!) by forcing an eye-dropper down the chickens gullet, and massage the hard lump between your fingers to soften it up and help her pass it. Repeat if necessary the following day. If the crop remains hard and the chicken appears distressed, then you may resort to the above treatment or take it to a vet.

It came from www.poultryhelp.com
 
Last edited:
I haven't had a chicken with an impacted crop so I can't advise you reliably. But if she's not acting distressed or upset you might just want to keep her comfortable until morning and see if there's a change in her crop then. Often my chickens will have huge heavy crops at bedtime, it seems they like to fill up their tanks before they go to sleep. And then they're none the worse for wear the next day. I hope that's the case for your hen.
 
Jason, check her crop in the morning and see if it has gone down any.

There's not much you can do for her tonight. Make sure she has plenty of water, remove all food, and don't let her eat shavings! That may be what has caused her impacted crop. See if she poops tonight.

Have you done the search for how to treat an impacted crop? You can massage it, you can give her some olive oil to try to soften it, but generally speaking, it is difficult to save a bird with an impacted crop. I speak from experience.
 
If you can get her take sips of water and massage her crop this softens the food inside.
Get her to take as much water as you can and work the crop till you can feel it's mushy.
Sometimes this helps it to get moveing i recently had to do it to a roo.
I used a syringe and squirted small amounts of water in his mouth and waited till he swallowed.
Then i massaged his crop and by the next morning he was fine.
 
Quote:
Meaning no disrespect - but please do NOT do this. Her crop is not impacted, just full - plus this is no task for a beginner. If you get fluid down the windpipe it will kill her.
 

Similar threads

Nicky S
Hard crop in morning and weird poops
2
Replies
12
Views
2K
Nicky S
Nicky S
H
Crop lump
Replies
4
Views
692
Eggcessive
Eggcessive
D
Crop Problem
Replies
2
Views
671
Danit4227
D
Fluster Cluck Acres
Engorged impacted/pendulous crop
Replies
7
Views
875
Fluster Cluck Acres
Fluster Cluck Acres
havingagreatflockingtime
Impacted Crop - Size of a baseball
Replies
5
Views
1K
havingagreatflockingtime
havingagreatflockingtime

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom