Why Is My Chicken's Crop Hard and Full? (Impacted Crop)
A crop still firm and golf-ball-plus at morning — when it should be empty — is impacted: usually long grass or bedding wadded into a plug.
Most likely causes
Fibrous blockage
What points to it: Hard/doughy mass in the crop at dawn, bird eating less, sometimes stretching her neck; history of long grass clippings, hay, or straw eating.
What to do: Withhold treats; give water. The gentle old protocol: small amounts of olive/mineral oil by syringe alongside soft crop massage (downward, gently) a few times daily for a day or two, plus grit access. Many soft impactions clear. NEVER hold a bird upside-down to 'empty' the crop — aspiration kills more birds than impactions do.
Why it happened
What points to it: Long-cut grass piles, bedding boredom-eating, no grit access, or gulping dry feed with limited water.
What to do: Fix the inputs: no long clippings (see the feeding hub), free-choice grit, water everywhere, entertainment so bedding isn't lunch.
Check these first
The morning crop check is the whole diagnostic: empty = fine, squishy = sour track, hard = impaction track. Confirm she's drinking and check droppings volume (output drops when nothing passes).
When it's probably nothing
A bulging crop at BEDTIME is a job well done — it's the overnight non-emptying that defines the problem.
This guide is experienced-keeper guidance, not veterinary care. When a bird is crashing or a symptom is spreading, a poultry vet or your state extension lab is the right call — fast.
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