Avoid crop problems - impacted, pendulous and sour crop are easier to prevent than cure

Crop problems are much easier to prevent that to cure. By understanding the causes of problems like sour crop, impacted crop, and pendulous crop, you can know how to avoid them. It helps to understand the normal digestive system of your chicken. I cover that in this video:    • How chickens eat - their digestive system ...   Prevention of crop problems is mostly a matter of Good Husbandry: Avoid letting your chickens eat the kinds of things that get tangled and matted in her crop. Long strands of grass can be a problem because she can’t bite them into short lengths. Letting her peck at long grass that’s growing is fine because she’ll peck off short pieces, but don’t scythe off long grass and put that in the chicken run. Avoid leaving any string, plastic or foreign objects around for curious chickens to try. And obviously keep any poisons such as insecticides, weed killers and lead products away from your chickens. Don’t let your chickens get really hungry and then feed them a big meal. I prefer to let my chickens have access to their feed on demand, using an automatic feeder. If you can’t do this, then at least make sure each chicken is being fed a minimum of twice a day, preferably three times or more. Chickens do best on several snacks rather than gorging themselves once a day. Even their proper chicken feed can be a problem if she’s so hungry she eats a lot and then it swells up in her crop. If she has access to any food at all other than mash or chicken pellets, make sure she also has access to insoluble grit so her gizzard can grind up that food. If you have a chicken with pendulous crop, avoid breeding from her, since her offspring are also likely to be prone to the problem. And try to keep your chickens cool, especially baby chicks because they are especially vulnerable and also, because they’re small, they’re easier to keep in a suitable environment. Keep her feed and water fresh and clean at all times, including whatever containers or supply systems you are using. And notice your chickens. If you are paying attention to your chickens, how they are behaving, how they look and feel, you have a good chance of recognising any potential problem before it gets out of hand. Besides, watching your chickens is just good fun. For more fascinating facts, hints and tips about caring for your chickens, and the sheer pleasure of chickens, subscribe to my channel: Chickens in my garden - New Zealand    / chickensinmygarden