We lost poor Rose yesterday because I have been so busy I was not paying close attention to the hens.  Even when Brooke came in and told me  “Rose is doing something weird with her head” I did not make it a priority.  The reality is I didn’t know that was a symptom.  But,  had I acted when she told me, Miss Rose might still be with us. 

So I am preaching to the Choir here.  But a few simple steps can make all the difference. 

Watch for Symptoms:

Look at your chickens every morning.  In the morning they should not have the same full crop look that they do at the end of the day.  Watch also for unusual head bobs.  This could be a sign that they are having trouble getting food down because the crop is full. 

When the crop does not empty bacteria can begin to grow and infection can set in.  This does not happen overnight, it can take a few days.  That is why it is important to look at the birds daily.  When sour crop/ impacted crop is caught early it is much more treatable If you are not watching for the signs, by the time your bird is listless with a pale comb, it is probably too late. 

Avoiding the problem:

In order to avoid crop problems you should make sure that along with pellets there is an ample supply of poultry grit available for your chickens.

The grit breaks up the food in the crop and without it the food cannot be broken down and digested, the calcium in the grit also benefits laying birds.

If your chickens are not free range and they get all of their food supply from you there are few things to remember.  When you are giving treats make sure that they are either very large or chopped very small.  Grass is notorious for causing impacted crop.  A large piece of leafy green kitchen left over could have the same effect.  Their digestive systems are made to handle things that they peck, not gulp down whole.

I think the thing that caused Roses trouble was some deli meat.  Had I had left the slices whole they would have had to pick at them.  I tore it into pieces, but they were not small enough and they gobbled them down.  I would imagine that because of her large size and appetite, Rose ate several large pieces that got stuck in there.  Remember…just like us everything in moderation.

Treatment:

There are several good websites that explain the treatment.  Just google impacted or sour crop.

One interesting thing that I read is that if you have a bird with a crop problem you can feed her fishing maggots.  They swallow them whole and the maggot works on the stuff in the crop and then gets digested.  I am going to look around for a supply just in case.  I read that you can order them online but, with crop problems, time is of the essence.