Crop issue- help wanted

[sarahewilliams]

I noticed yesterday evening my two 16 week old Marans had HUGE crops. My husband let them out to free range yesterday and when I looked back at the camera that faces the coop I noticed some chickens were up under trees that have long grass.
This morning, the crops were not as big as last night, but definitely still more noticeable than the others. The crops felt squishy and not solid. They both ran out of the coop and starting drinking water and acted normal.
Wondering what I can do to get ahead of the game so this doesn't turn into anything further.

 

[azygous]

First thing, mow the grass so the chickens aren't hoovering up long stems. Short grass is much easier on crops than long stems. Grass is mostly cellulose and won't be broken down easily by digestive acids. Impacted crop caused by long grass stems almost always requires surgery to resolve.

About the only thing you can do about grass already consumed is to provide plenty of grit and clean water to aid in digestion. Coconut oil might help some of the long grass to digest, but it's better to avoid exposing chickens to the long grass to begin with. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

 

[sarahewilliams]

First thing, mow the grass so the chickens aren't hoovering up long stems. Short grass is much easier on crops than long stems. Grass is mostly cellulose and won't be broken down easily by digestive acids. Impacted crop caused by long grass stems almost always requires surgery to resolve.

About the only thing you can do about grass already consumed is to provide plenty of grit and clean water to aid in digestion. Coconut oil might help some of the long grass to digest, but it's better to avoid exposing chickens to the long grass to begin with. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

Yes! I told my husband it needed to be mowed prior, but I had no idea he had let them out. The unfortunate part about our property is we inherited it and underneath all the trees are barbed wire, chains, old batteries, and lord knows what else. So it's been a process trying to clear it all out to be able to get under there to even mow.
I'll keep an eye out. At what point should I administer the oil if the grit and water doesnt seem to help?

 

[azygous]

If you have already checked her crop in the morning to determine if the crop is emptying properly and found the crop full, then administer oil now. Chill it until hard and slip bite size pieces into her beak until she has had two teaspoons. Then massage the crop. Check again in the morning to see if it's emptying.