The Chicken Crop ~ What is it?

The chicken crop, or as we call it: the food boob, is located on the right side of the breast. It will be full in the evenings after eating and foraging all day. When I first noticed a full crop, I freaked out! I thought it was a tumor.

Being uneducated about chickens, I had no idea how their digestive system worked. I think this is something they should tell you at the feed store when you purchase chicks. I know I’m not the only one trying to figure out what this considerable mass is on my chicken’s breast. 

What is the Purpose of the Crop

The crop signals the brain when to eat and our girls like to eat! It’s located at the end of the esophagus and stores the food until it’s ready to be digested. 

In fear of predators, chickens won’t stand out in the open for very long to forage and chew up their food. They will gather their food quickly and it’s stored in the crop. It passes to the stomach where digestive enzymes are added then to the gizzard. The gizzard acts like the chicken’s teeth, grinding the food up and breaking it down.

There’s an old saying something about as rare as a hen’s teeth.

Several issues can develop with the chicken crop.

Impacted Crop

An impacted crop is caused by a blockage where the food is trapped and won’t empty. The usual causes are grass and straw but it could be anything the birds have picked up while foraging, including plastic or metal.

When your bird goes to roost at night, the crop should be full and in the morning it should be empty and flat. If not, it could be impacted. 

When the crop is full, your bird won’t eat. This could quickly lead to additional problems. You may notice your bird is listless and withdrawn. If the food can’t digest she’s not getting any calories or nutrients. 

Last year, Trixie had an impacted crop and was sitting out in the middle of the yard. She could barely hold her head up. If there had been any birds of prey in the area, she would have been easy pickings. 

How to Treat an Impacted Crop

With Trixie, we acted quickly and quarantined her from the other birds. Immediately, we gave her a dropper full of olive oil to help loosen it up. The Bearded Rooster then massaged it for about 5 minutes, trying to break the impaction apart. We offered water with electrolytes but withheld food. We did this every hour or so for the rest of the day. 

The following morning she was more perky and we repeated the oil and massage every few hours. After 24 hours, I gave her a little scrambled egg with some feed. She drank and ate well. I didn’t give any additional food. I wanted to make sure the crop was going to empty on its own. Before we went to bed, the Bearded Rooster massaged again. 

The following morning it was resolved. We were lucky. 

I always try home care first. If Trixie hadn’t shown improvement the next morning, we would have taken her to the vet. Occasionally, the impaction has to be surgically removed.  

In the South, the crop is sometimes referred to as the “craw.” There’s another saying about having something stuck in your craw, which I’m sure derived from an impacted crop.

Sour Crop 

Sour Crop is common after an impacted crop but can also happen anytime if the crop isn’t emptying correctly. If food sits in the crop, it will start to ferment and cause a fungal or yeast infection. A lot of times there will be a sour smell coming from the beak.

Generally, with sour crop, it will be squishy and not firm. It may be tender, and you may even hear a gurgling sound. 

Sour Crop can be hard to treat without medication. Your bird may need an antifungal prescription.  One thing you can do is add Apple Cider Vinegar to their water to try and help restore the pH. Offer plain (non-sweet) yogurt as a probiotic. 

I found a great article from my Backyard Chickens about using Medistatin to treat sour crop, you can read it here.

Pendulous Crop

Pendulous Crop happens when the crop gets damaged. It’s not a common condition but can happen after an impacted crop, overeating, or injury to the muscles.

When this happens, the crop hangs down, nearly to the ground, and doesn’t empty completely. It can swing from side to side like a pendulum.

If you think your bird is suffering from this, quarantine and withhold food for 24 hours. This will give the crop time to rest. I would continue to quarantine for a few days and give scrambled eggs, which are easy to digest, then regular feed.

If the crop doesn’t correct itself, I’ve seen people make crop bras to help hold up the crop helping it to empty. With a pendulous crop, the crop will not empty all the way which could lead to impaction or sour crop.   

Marble had what I thought could be a pendulous crop. I monitored her for a few days but it was fine, then I realized she just overate! I think she’s secretly a pig.

What can you do to promote good crop health? 

Chickens when foraging will pick up small stones or dirt that act as grit, but they will eat just about anything, which can get stuck in the crop. 

• A lot of people dump grass clippings for their chickens to eat. We don’t for fear that they will get impacted crop. The Bearded Rooster keeps the grass cut short so when foraging the girls aren’t getting any long strands of grass. 
  
• Offer plain yogurt routinely (we started giving it once a week) and Apple Cider Vinegar (I do it monthly).
  
• Keep your chicken’s area clean of debris since they will eat anything. 
  
• Don’t give food or treats high in sugar since it will sit in the crop for a while. Sugary foods increase the chance of sour crop.
  
• Inspect the crop frequently. Just remember the crop should feel firm, not hard or squishy. 
  
• Don’t freak out when you see the food boob. Even the littles, at a few days old, would get one. 
  

I love seeing the food boob because I know they have had plenty to eat. Although, we always check in the morning to make sure it’s gone.