Impacted Crop vs. something else?

[Ihall26]

Hey all! Hoping some of you more experienced chicken owners can send some advice my way. I have a Marans rooster who has had an inflated crop since at least Tuesday. He is 12 weeks old and they eat nutrena starter with the occasional snack of watermelon, apple, blueberries. They are in an enclosed run that is dirt. I do free range them with supervision but the last day they were out was Sunday evening.
He seems to feel okay overall and is acting normally. I have been doing crop massages after I give him coconut oil and started miconazole cream two days ago, even though I don’t smell what is described as sour crop. Last night he was scarfing down feed before they went to bed and this morning as I massaged his (large and puffy) crop he began regurgitating the contents that hadn’t digested last night. We were both covered in chicken “vomit”. His crop went down significantly after that but is still some inflated. I do continually feel one piece that seems lumpy, hard and maybe nickel size when massaging the crop, otherwise just pieces that feel like their grit (still chick grit because I was trying to use that up).
This morning after a nice warm bath to clean him up he had his medicine and some plain yogurt. I have him back to the run for now.
Anyway, I’m not sure what else to try. The issue doesn’t quite seem to match what I read for sour crop or an impacted crop but definitely more the pendulous crop, which has to have some cause.

What else do I try from here? I just want to give him a good chance at recovering!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

What does his poop look like?

I would not massage the crop. At 12 weeks, he *should* have built resistance to the Coccidia that is found in his environment, but...I would be inclined to treat for Coccidiosis as well.

Without seeing him or the poop - this is what I would do. Give the Miconazole twice a day for 7 days. I would also direct oral drench him with undiluted liquid Corid at .10 ml per pound of weight once a day for 3 days and provide him with mixed Corid water as the only source of drinking water for 5-7 days. (2tsp liquid Corid per gallon of water).
If the crop is not emptying after a couple of days of that, then cage him for a day with just the mixed Corid water and administer the other meds too).

See that he's eating his normal food and maybe a bit of watermelon as a treat. Otherwise, nothing else to eat until you see if that crop will clear.

Next step if it's still not going down would consider de-worming.

Look forward to the photos.

 

[Ihall26]

What does his poop look like?

I would not massage the crop. At 12 weeks, he *should* have built resistance to the Coccidia that is found in his environment, but...I would be inclined to treat for Coccidiosis as well.

Without seeing him or the poop - this is what I would do. Give the Miconazole twice a day for 7 days. I would also direct oral drench him with undiluted liquid Corid at .10 ml per pound of weight once a day for 3 days and provide him with mixed Corid water as the only source of drinking water for 5-7 days. (2tsp liquid Corid per gallon of water).
If the crop is not emptying after a couple of days of that, then cage him for a day with just the mixed Corid water and administer the other meds too).

See that he's eating his normal food and maybe a bit of watermelon as a treat. Otherwise, nothing else to eat until you see if that crop will clear.

Next step if it's still not going down would consider de-worming.

Look forward to the photos.

So, I just took him to the house for his nightly meds and some plain yogurt. Crop is still inflated. I’ve attached a pic of a poop from just while we were up getting meds. No evidence of coccidiosis that I can see. I have a droppings board under my roost and I’ve seen nothing alarming.
Can you tell me more about worms? Would I be seeing any evidence of those in his poop? I just hate to give more meds without cause.
I did make him a crop bra to help encourage emptying, but he wasn’t a fan. I may make some modifications and try again. I’m just at a loss. I feel like what I am seeing doesn’t just meet one direct problem. I appreciate all your suggestions.

 

[Ihall26]

So, I just took him to the house for his nightly meds and some plain yogurt. Crop is still inflated. I’ve attached a pic of a poop from just while we were up getting meds. No evidence of coccidiosis that I can see. I have a droppings board under my roost and I’ve seen nothing alarming.
Can you tell me more about worms? Would I be seeing any evidence of those in his poop? I just hate to give more meds without cause.
I did make him a crop bra to help encourage emptying, but he wasn’t a fan. I may make some modifications and try again. I’m just at a loss. I feel like what I am seeing doesn’t just meet one direct problem. I appreciate all your suggestions.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Poop looks pretty good.
Take away all food/water tonight and feel his crop in the morning before he's had anything to drink/eat - let us know what it feels like then.

Getting a fecal float is a good way to determine if you need to treat for Coccidiosis and/or worms - grab some fresh samples, put them in a ziplock and take them to your vet.

Worms are generally not see in the poop with the naked eye. Coccidia are protozoa, so you won't see them either - looking at poop, behavior and symptoms sometimes you can make a good guess.