What causes crop impaction?

[3littlechickies]

HI!

What causes it? Does it happen if they eat to much? Can chickens get it at any age? Is the only cure surgery? How can I prevent it? Thanks!

 

[gallusdomesticus]

Crops frequently get impacted when the bird eats too much grass or leaves or other material that forms a mass and blocks the outflow from the crop to the gizzard and proventriculus (stomach). There are many threads on this forum concerning how to treat it. I use olive oil and massage the mass in the crop several times a day until it goes down. I have had birds that required surgery to unblock their crop in serious cases. There is little digestion that takes place in the crop so they don't get unstopped by themselves....you need to massage the crop to help break up the mass.