Full crop in AM

[hbrown322]

hey guys! Every morning my young pullet has a full crop.
She does eat right up until she roosts but I don’t put food inside the henhouse. She is acting normal-eating, drinking & socializing just fine.
I know crop problems can be serious, but seeing as she is acting normal I wasn’t sure if this is something I should be worried about or not.

 

[micstrachan]

Great job finding this before she shows symptoms. Yes, it is absolutely a big deal. Lots of experience here (on the forums) on crop issues. I think the first step is keeping her off any feed and ensuring she drinks plenty of water. Possibly crop massage. Possibly probiotics. Grit is important, too. Hopefully this can get you started before those with lots of experience on the matter answer your post.

 

[Krazyquilts]

Great job finding this before she shows symptoms. Yes, it is absolutely a big deal. Lots of experience here (on the forums) on crop issues. I think the first step is keeping her off any feed and ensuring she drinks plenty of water. Possibly crop massage. Possibly probiotics. Grit is important, too. Hopefully this can get you started before those with lots of experience on the matter answer your post.

What kind of problems can that indicate?

 

[micstrachan]

Impacted or sour crop. Prolonged impacted crop can lead to pendulous crop. Sometimes crop issues can be a sign of a blockage further down or some other issue. The great news is your chicken is acting normal and it sounds like you caught it early. Good on you!

 

[Morrigan]

Good job catching this early. It is something you need to worry about. If you haven't already done so, I would isolate her in a secure area where you can monitor her food and water intake, and see what her droppings look like. You should also, very gently feel her crop. Is it hard, in which case you are dealing with impacted crop; or is it soft and squishy like a water ballon, in which case you are dealing with a sour crop. The treatment will vary depending on what you are dealing with. Withholding food for a day is usually recommended in either case, however.

For impacted crop, you want to give her plenty of liquids including some olive or vegetable oil, and very, very gently massage her crop to help the mass break down and pass. I've also had good luck feeding live maggots. The theory is that the hens eat them alive and then they feed on/break down the mass. It may be an old wives tale, but it worked for me.

For sour crop, you want to give probiotics -- yogurt with live cultures -- to help combat the yeast infection that happens with sour crop.

Sometimes crop issues resolve completely, so my fingers are crossed that this is the case for you.

(edited to fix some sloppy writing!)

 

[Krazyquilts]

Impacted or sour crop. Prolonged impacted crop can lead to pendulous crop. Sometimes crop issues can be a sign of a blockage further down or some other issue. The hreat news is your chicken is acting normal and it sounds like you caught it early. Good on you!

Very interesting! The last time we butchered excess roosters, one of them still had a full crop, despite being crated without access to food since the night before. We wondered why but didn't think too much about it at the time.

 

[hbrown322]

Thanks everyone! I’ll isolate her tomorrow morning, first thing & withhold food. I’ll update you in the PM!

 

[Fairview01]

What time do you notice she has a full crop. My flock is out of the coop and in the run by 530, maybe earlier. Who knows, I'm not awake at this time. By the time I get out there they have visited the feeder and have full crop.

Before you start trying different things for a non problem pull the feed in the evening and then check the size of the crop the next morning. There's a chance she is just visiting the feeder before you see her.

 

[hbrown322]

Full hardcrop this AM. I brought her inside, gave her water & am withholding food for the day. I gave her some oil & lightly massaged her crop for a while. Will repeat when I get home from work. Here is a picture of her poop from this morning.

 

[hbrown322]

Every morning I see her before she leaves the coop. Up until yesterday I had them separated in the hen house with chicken wire (Integration) so I would have to physically remove them from the henhouse into the run. I know she hadn’t had feed at all since roosting for the night as there is no food in the hen house.

What time do you notice she has a full crop. My flock is out of the coop and in the run by 530, maybe earlier. Who knows, I'm not awake at this time. By the time I get out there they have visited the feeder and have full crop.

Before you start trying different things for a non problem pull the feed in the evening and then check the size of the crop the next morning. There's a chance she is just visiting the feeder before you see her.