Pendulus Crop

By Elena Johnson CVC AC

Pendulous crop is an abnormal condition in chickens where the crop becomes distended from it’s normal position and fills with invested feed and fluid. Chickens who are raised entirely on pelleted feed are more at risk of developing this as a result of the modification of gut flow due to poor gizzard development. 

As soon as the bird starts to ingest different feed materials or larger volumes, the gizzard can’t keep up, causing food to be stored in the crop. The crop expands , stretching the muscles, losing the capacity to contract and empty, until it reaches the point where the damage is irreversible. There are several negative implications when this occurs:

1. The contents in the crop get stuck, which will stagnate and potentially ferment. This leads to Sour Crop.
2. The chicken is not able to absorb all the nutrients and has an increased risk of dehydration.

There are also several causes, including:
1. Excessive water intake
2. Defects in the crop itself
3. Consumption of coarse fibrous feed
4. Partial blockage of the proventriculus or gizzard, due to tumors, high parasite loads or the presence of a foreign body

Treatment includes, a crop bra to keep the crop from over stretching. Diet modification. Don’t raise chickens on entirely pelleted feeds. Free ranging is very important. Keep grass cut at 3 inches, long grass, hay and straw or difficult to digest foods should be avoided, they get stuck in the crop and can cause a blockage.

The crop will be full at night, but by morning it should be empty, completely flat and undetectable under their feathers. 

Pendulous crop is not painful but causes damage to the muscles and needs to be cared for asap. 

First thing is to cage the bird separately, you can keep them in the cage with the flock so they can still see each other. Bedtime is a good time to start. Provide her with water but no food. Since the crop empties over night, in the morning it should be smaller.

If the crop has shrunk considerably over night but still has a little food in it, she might just need an easy to digest diet for a couple days to let it empty completely and time to heal. A mild case caught early can heal. Provide a small bowl of grit, you can offer small amounts of food, a tablespoon at a time 4-5 times during the day. Boiled egg yolk, pumpkin puree, applesauce, veggies cooked until mushy but nothing with strings or skin and no seeds. No green beans or any type of bean.

After two days start to add her normal layer feed but stick to small amounts and provide lots of water. Once the crop is normal size she can return to the flock.  

If it doesn’t return to normal, she will always have a problem and need a crop bra. 

If the crop does not empty at all, you’ll need to treat for impacted crop. 

Start by withholding food for 24 hours. Half way through the day, use an eye dropper and give 1 teaspoon of olive oil orally and massage the crop. This helps loosen the mass and lubricate it to move it through. Also provide plenty of cool, clean water. Massage the crop 3 times a day, starting at the bottom and move up. You want to break up the lump and help the olive oil penetrate the material. If after several sessions the crop is the same size, you will need to consult a veterinarian to surgically empty the crop.

If the massages are making progress, you can add small amounts, a teaspoon at a time of the before mentioned food about an hour after the massage. Be careful not to over feed. Retired avian vet tech and 30 years of chickens