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Chicken Crop Facts

The crop of a chicken is the storehouse of the digestive tract. According to Poultry Pages, the crop holds the food and softens it, preparing for travel to the small stomach on the way to the gizzard, or mechanical stomach, so called because it is where the digestion of the food occurs. Constant observation of this body part offers clues about the chicken's overall digestive health.

  1. Location/Physical Characteristics

    • The chicken crop's location is at the base of the neck, in the middle part of the esophagus. Its shape is similar to that of a human stomach. It is a thick, crescent-moon shaped structure that extends when a chicken is eating, in order to make room for the food. According to the Poultry Pages website, in the younger chicks the structure protrudes during feeding.

    Impacted Crop

    • The impacted crop condition occurs when the food the chicken eats travels to the crop, at which point a blockage prevents it from traveling any further. The pouch may swell to the point where it cuts off the windpipe, causing death. According to the University of Kentucky's Department of Agriculture website, this condition results from the chicken eating too much at once, especially after a long time between feedings when the body will attempt to compensate for all the time it has not eaten.

    Sour Crop

    • A sour crop condition results when the crop does not fully empty while the chicken is sleeping at night. According to the Poultry Pages, the food it has eaten subsequently ferments, causing a fungal infection.

      Feel the crop every morning. Check for a soft, watery texture. Then open the bird's beak. If you smell a foul odor emanating from the mouth, then you have confirmed the presence of this condition.

    Crop Problem Prevention

    • To prevent chicken crop diseases, keep plenty of grit available. According to the Poultry Pages website, the grit breaks down the food in the crop, allowing greater ease in digestion. In addition, following correct lawn care procedures on your chicken farm is paramount. If you don't cut your lawn regularly, the grass blades your chickens eat will be too long for adequate digestion, and will compact in the crop. Pasta and bread can also lead to crop problems as these foods are too stodgy, or heavy and filling, in nature.

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