Huge, Pendulous Crop...video

[RedMoxie]

One of our 4 month old Orps has a massive crop. Noticed it on Saturday. She's not lethargic, no sour smell, she seems happy and eating steadily...we're new to chickens, but we have several and nothing like this. Is this something we need to get checked out?

It is soft and squishy tissue--nothing hard at all.

 

[micstrachan]

Is it emptying overnight? If not, looks to me like pendulous crop. She would probably benefit from a crop bra. Others more experienced with crop issues will chime in, I’m sure. You might want to rename your post to indicate a crop issue. Maybe even a title like:
“Huge, Possibly Pendulous, Crop.” Good luck!

 

[Cyprus]

I agree it is Pendulous Crop. My old hen has it, and is not hurt by it. Your hen may indeed benefit from a crop bra.
If her crop doesn't empty overnight you should make one for her.

 

[Eggcessive]

Since she is only 4 months old, I would check her crop early in the morning to make sure that it is mostly empty. What do you feed your chickens, and is the food out all day long for them to take when they want? Some chickens may gorge on treats, or if food is only available at intervals, they might be very hungry and eating too much. I think we all can have piggies who overeat while most are normal. If her crop does not go down by morning, I would isolate her in a dog crate with plenty of water with electrolytes, and recheck her by bedtime to see if it is going down. Also, make sure that you have some granite grit available that they can take as they need it to digest grasses and foods other than chicken feed.

 

[RedMoxie]

Thanks--yes, I will repost under Crop...

we've checked it early in the a.m. and it doesnt seem to go down at all. They have food all day, so no gorging.

I appreciate it--now to find the crop thread!

 

[RedMoxie]

So, just looking at pendulous crop, that looks right. What happens if we dont get a bra? It doesnt seem to cause her discomfort, but will it continue to get worse? What are the risks of a passive approach to monitoring?

She looks down right adorable when she comes running at me with her bosom, er, I mean crop, swaying so hard it makes her bounce side-to-side...

 

[Eggcessive]

Read Two Crows thread on impacted sour and pendulous crop treatment and prevention, with a BYC search, TheChickenChick’s article by Googling it.

I would isolate her in a crate first thing in the morning. Massage her crop several times a day, give no food tomorrow, just water and a little yogurt, and if you have stool softener (colase, doccusate sodium) you may also use that once a day for a couple of days.​

 

[RedMoxie]

Thanks--I'll look for the threads now. I appreciate the advice. We can crate her starting tomorrow...

Does pendulous crop always stem from an injury or illness, or is it a possible genetic function?

 

[Eelantha]

I'm joining in on the thread - my favorite 8 months-old hen also seems to have the pendulous crop (all signs point to it at least). Knowing whether or not the pendulous crop is a genetic malfunction, an anomaly or a hint of poor quality stock will tell me if I can breed her in the future... or should look at other hens for the job.

 

[Eggcessive]

She seems young for pendulous crop which is due to overstretching of the crop from eating too much. Impacted crop can result from eating long grasses that get tangled in the crop. That can rot and lead to sour crop. Since the crop does not smell bad yet, her crop may just be slow in emptying. You haven’t said yet what you feed or if they get a lot of treats. Be sure you do put out grit. Many think that oyster shell is grit, but they need granite grit available.

Hopefully with all of the suggestions, she will be alright. I haven’t had good luck with the few crop problems I have seen. I did not see any problems for the first 5years, but have seen a few the last few years. Look for any other symptoms, since coccidiosis and other illnesses can slow the crop.