Sophie Bennett
The crop is a part of a chicken's digestive system, located slightly to the right of its breastbone, underneath the skin. It is an enlarged part of the oesophagus, with thin walls and a small storage capacity. The crop allows chickens to ingest food quickly, storing it temporarily before it moves into the stomach to be soaked with digestive juices, and then to the gizzard, where it is ground up. This enables chickens, as prey animals, to spend less time in open fields, reducing the risk of being located and eaten by predators.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Storage of food for approximately 12 hours |
| Location | Slightly to the side of the right breast muscle/bone |
| Function | Temporary storage of food before it moves to the stomach (proventriculus) and gizzard |
| Common Problems | Sour crop, impacted crop, pendulous crop |
| Sour Crop Treatment | Clean and sanitise feeders and waterers, isolate the bird, flush the crop with Epsom salts and water |
| Impaction Treatment | Flush the crop with water, seek veterinary care |
| Palpation | Early morning before the bird has eaten |
| Empty Crop | Stimulates appetite |
| Full Crop | Signals the bird to stop eating |
| Capacity | Approximately 1.5 oz (45cc) |
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What You'll Learn
The crop lets chickens eat and run
Chickens, being low in the food chain, have evolved to eat their food quickly and run to safety. This is where the crop comes in.
The crop is an enlarged part of the esophagus, located slightly to the right of a chicken's breastbone at the bottom of its neck. It acts as a small storage pocket for food, allowing chickens to eat quickly and digest their food later in a safe place. This means that chickens can spend less time in open fields where they are vulnerable to predators.
The crop can hold around 1.5 oz (45cc) of food, which is gradually filled throughout the day and then emptied overnight over a period of around 12 hours. As the chicken eats, food is pushed by the tongue to the back of the mouth and into the esophagus, which leads to the crop. Here, the food mixes with beneficial bacteria and lactic acid before moving further along the digestive tract.
The crop is easily visible when it is full, appearing as a small bulge on the right side of the breast. An empty crop stimulates a chicken's appetite, while a full crop signals to the bird that it should stop eating.
By allowing chickens to eat and run, the crop plays an important role in the survival of these birds.
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It's located slightly to the side of a chicken's right breast muscle
A chicken's crop is a part of its digestive system. It is located slightly to the side of its right breast muscle and can be seen when it is full—it appears as a small bulge on the right side of the breast. The crop is a small pocket where food is stored after it is swallowed. Food remains in the crop for around 12 hours until it moves into the stomach or proventriculus. Here, it is soaked with digestive juices before moving to the gizzard, where it is ground down using grit, allowing nutrients to be absorbed into the body.
The crop's capacity is approximately 1.5 oz (45cc), and chickens eat in small increments throughout the day. After eating, the crop feels swollen and slightly firm, shrinking as food is digested. An empty crop stimulates a chicken's appetite, while a full crop signals to the bird that it should stop eating.
It is important to know what a normal crop feels like to identify any problems. For example, a chicken may experience sour crop, also known as thrush, crop mycosis, or a yeast infection caused by a fungus. This can be identified by a foul or yeasty odour released from the chicken's beak, and the crop feeling squishy. Impacted crop is another common issue, caused by food or fibrous materials becoming stuck. This can be identified by the crop feeling hard and solid, and the chicken appearing unwell.
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It's expandable, but a weak muscle
The crop is an enlarged part of the oesophagus, located to the right of the trachea at the thoracic inlet. It is an expandable, albeit weak, muscle underneath the skin, found slightly to the right of a chicken's breastbone at the bottom of its neck. The crop acts as a small pocket for the temporary storage of food, allowing chickens to eat quickly and digest later in a safe location.
The crop can store food for around 12 hours, and its capacity is approximately 1.5 oz (45cc). Food remains in the crop until it moves into the stomach (proventriculus), where it gets soaked with digestive juices. The crop fills up gradually throughout the day and then empties overnight over the course of 24 hours.
The crop is supported by two muscles that aid in the emptying process. As the feed in the gizzard moves into the intestine, the crop contracts, pushing its contents into the oesophagus and supplying more feed to the proventriculus and gizzard. This process is important to prevent crop impaction, which occurs when the stored material cannot move forward into the oesophagus.
Impaction can happen when chickens consume long fibres or foreign objects such as plastic or string, which get stuck in the crop. It can also occur when birds overfill their crops with dry poultry feed, causing an increase in volume and pressure that blocks the normal transit of feed. In some cases, gentle massage or flushing the crop with water can help dislodge the blockage. However, if these methods are unsuccessful, surgery may be required.
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Common problems include sour crop, impacted crop and pendulous crop
The chicken crop is located at the bottom of the oesophagus and attached to the glandular stomach. Its function is to store food for approximately 12 hours. Throughout the day, the food slowly leaves the crop and makes its way to the gizzard, where it is broken down so that nutrients can be absorbed into the body.
Common problems that can occur with a chicken's crop include sour crop, impacted crop, and pendulous crop.
Sour crop is a yeast infection, also referred to as thrush or crop mycosis, caused by a fungal infection within the crop. The crop will feel squishy to the touch, the chicken will appear unwell, and its breath may smell sour or yeasty. It can be caused by an impacted crop if the compacted crop contents cause a pH change and start to ferment.
Impacted crop occurs when food becomes compacted and creates a blockage, preventing the crop from sending food to the gizzard for digestion. The crop will feel hard and look large and full. It can be caused by overconsumption of fibrous foods, such as long grass or straw, or ingesting foreign objects.
Pendulous crop is an abnormal condition where the crop becomes distended from its normal position and fills with ingested feed and fluid. It is often seen in chickens raised entirely on pelleted feed due to poor gizzard development. The crop expands and stretches the muscles, losing the capacity to contract and empty, which can lead to irreversible damage. This can cause the contents within the crop to stagnate and ferment, resulting in sour crop.
It is important to monitor the health of the crop and address any issues promptly to ensure the chicken's well-being.
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An empty crop stimulates a chicken's appetite
Chickens, being prey animals, have evolved to eat their food quickly and then digest it later when they are in a safer location. This is where the crop comes in. The crop is a part of the chicken's digestive system, located on the right side of the chicken's breastbone, underneath the skin. It acts as a small pocket for the temporary storage of food, allowing chickens to eat and run.
The crop has a capacity of approximately 1.5 oz (45cc), and a chicken's crop fills up gradually throughout the day as the chicken eats. The crop can be felt when it is full—it feels swollen and slightly firm. However, when the crop is empty, it is not ordinarily palpable. An empty crop stimulates a chicken's appetite, while a full crop signals to the chicken to stop eating.
Throughout the day, the food in the crop slowly leaves and makes its way toward the gizzard, where it is broken down further so that nutrients can be absorbed into the body. The gizzard is a muscular part of the digestive system that "chews" the food by grinding it up with small stones or grit. This is necessary because chickens do not have teeth.
The crop is an important part of a chicken's digestive system, allowing them to eat quickly and run to safety, while still being able to store and gradually digest their food. By understanding the function of the crop and how it affects a chicken's appetite, chicken owners can better care for their feathered friends and ensure they are getting the proper nutrition they need.
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Frequently asked questions
A chicken's crop is a part of its digestive system. It is a small pocket located slightly to the right of its breastbone, underneath the skin, where food is stored after being swallowed. This allows chickens to eat quickly and digest their food later when they are in a safer location.
The capacity of a normal crop is approximately 1.5 oz (45cc). After eating, the crop feels swollen and slightly firm, but it shrinks as food is digested.
A chicken's crop gradually fills throughout the day and then empties overnight over the course of 24 hours.
Common issues with a chicken's crop include sour crop, impacted crop, and pendulous crop. Sour crop is a yeast infection caused by dirty water, old feed, or poor health. An impacted crop occurs when food or fibrous materials get stuck and prevent the crop from emptying correctly. Pendulous crop happens when the crop muscle gets damaged due to repeated overeating, causing it to swing like a pendulum.
To check if a chicken's crop is working correctly, you can examine it by picking up the chicken with its tail facing you and feeling the front of its breast. If the crop is functioning properly, it should feel swollen and slightly firm after the chicken has eaten, and empty and flat when the chicken has not recently eaten.
