Bird crop

[Tenisha]

Should a birds crop be abit hardish one they start eating seeds. Are you supposed to feel the seeds inside? Abit of a dumb question but im so used to feel the soft crop it's kinda scary

 

[Kitekeeper]

Should a birds crop be abit hardish one they start eating seeds. Are you supposed to feel the seeds inside?

Yes it should, sometimes you can even see the seeds inside if the crop is really full and there is some sort of lack of feathers in the area.

The crop is where the seeds will be crushed, as birds have no teeth and swallow them without crushing. Most birds should indeed have small rocks or gravel inside the crop to help crushing them.

 

[Emeral]

Happy to have you here, warm welcome, all questions are welcome. There is a first time, first question for every one all the same. We all started from there. No one is born an expert. And so, no question is stupid.

It is wise to be observation, as prevention is easier than cure. Watch the crop and other signs exhibited including the poop, all must be consistent with the food intake.


My guess is you bird is weaning? Moving from hand fed crop that is soft to the touch to feeling seed? Weaning is an important time for a baby bird. Time to introduce variation in healthy diets. Such as fresh pumpkin seed, mango, papaya, orange, cucumber, banana, pasta, boiled beans, boiled egg, boiled fish etc. These fresh food contains lots of water and hence are easy to digest.

Dry seed and pellets require birds to drink lots of water to digest. However, not all birds drinks enough water. All we can do is give them water, it's up to them to drink enough of it. Too little water intake can slow down the digestion, or in worst case, slow crop emptying/sour crop.

From interesting reads below, you will find that preventing sour crop is much easier than curing it.

Bird Weaning

Bird Weaning

www.kaytee.com

Crop Stasis or "Sour Crop" in Birds - ACVet

Crop stasis is a disorder of unweaned or hand-fed baby birds. While not usually fatal when treated early, crop infections can be serious.

www.albanycreekvet.com.au

 

[Emeral]

Ps.
Prevention of difficulty in digestion, is simply done by introducing easy to digest food such as fresh fruits and veggies.

 

[Tenisha]

Yes it should, sometimes you can even see the seeds inside if the crop is really full and there is some sort of lack of feathers in the area.

The crop is where the seeds will be crushed, as birds have no teeth and swallow them without crushing. Most birds should indeed have small rocks or gravel inside the crop to help crushing them

Happy to have you here, warm welcome, all questions are welcome. There is a first time, first question for every one all the same. We all started from there. No one is born an expert. And so, no question is stupid.

It is wise to be observation, as prevention is easier than cure. Watch the crop and other signs exhibited including the poop, all must be consistent with the food intake.


My guess is you bird is weaning? Moving from hand fed crop that is soft to the touch to feeling seed? Weaning is an important time for a baby bird. Time to introduce variation in healthy diets. Such as fresh pumpkin seed, mango, papaya, orange, cucumber, banana, pasta, boiled beans, boiled egg, boiled fish etc. These fresh food contains lots of water and hence are easy to digest.

Dry seed and pellets require birds to drink lots of water to digest. However, not all birds drinks enough water. All we can do is give them water, it's up to them to drink enough of it. Too little water intake can slow down the digestion, or in worst case, slow crop emptying/sour crop.

From interesting reads below, you will find that preventing sour crop is much easier than curing it.

Bird Weaning

Bird Weaning

www.kaytee.com

Crop Stasis or "Sour Crop" in Birds - ACVet

Crop stasis is a disorder of unweaned or hand-fed baby birds. While not usually fatal when treated early, crop infections can be serious.

www.albanycreekvet.com.au

Thank you so so much for all that info ! I did check his crop out this morning and it emptied fine.

 

[ctwo]

Note - parrots do not need gravel, but may need a source of calcium to supplement a balanced diet, such as a cuttlebone.