Haematological and biochemical evaluation of healthy chickens afflicted by pendulous crop

1. Pendulous crop is a metabolic illness causing irreversible distension of the crop muscles due to weakened supporting ligaments. The present study assessed the physical, haematological and biochemical features of broiler chickens afflicted by pendulous crop (PC).2. Fifty-six broiler chickens, male and female Cobb 500, were used. Forty-two-day old animals were chosen from the batch by verifying the volume of the organ and 28 healthy and 28 animals with PC were selected. The birds were weighed, assessed and 4 ml of blood was collected for cell count and serum biochemistry analysis.3. Birds with PC had lack of co-ordination, difficulty in locomotion and regurgitation of the contents of the crop. Body weight was similar in PC and healthy birds (<i>p</i> > 0.05), however the absolute and relative crop weight in affected birds was higher than in healthy birds (<i>p</i> < 0.05).4. When analysing the blood count, the mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) in afflicted birds was lower than in healthy birds (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Serum biochemistry analysis showed that creatine kinase (CK) was higher in afflicted birds, and uric acid (UA) and triglycerides (TC) were lower in birds with PC (<i>p</i> < 0.05).5. This disease compromises the physical state, behaviour and crop weight of birds, but did not cause significant haematological changes. However, it modified creatine kinase, which suggested changes in muscle metabolism and impairment of the digestion and nutrient's absorption process.