Possible impacted crop or gizzard issue? Not sure... Please help!

[Chickiee]

Ok, this is the scoop... My 1 1/2 year old RIR named Rosie (sounds silly, but I'm assuming it's a gender confused rooster... never laid an egg, tried a poor attempt at crowing when s/he was 14 months old, not really since) has a large lump in his chest area. This is directly in front of him and, if walking around, would be the first thing entering a room... it sticks out in front. Not in the neck. Not down between the legs. Just a huge bump the size of a small baseball in front. It is basically centered, but ever very so slightly off towards his right side. I'm guessing this is the crop. Am I right? The skin is pretty stretched tight across the lump and I think I feel chicken feed in there, but not sure. I don't want to press too hard. I did try massaging and he did not move away. His personality is much quieter and slower than usual; I think getting a bit weak. I've seen posts on olive oil, apple cider vinegar, yogurt... which should I try? I also saw posts on crop surgery, which I'm a bit scared to try. I'm going to try gently giving him olive oil now from a dropper since that doesn't seem to do any harm and see if that does anything. Am I looking at an impacted crop? I know pics would help but I don't have any to post. His comb is droopy to one side. Started seeing him acting "not himself" about 5-6 days ago. Noticed a bump a couple days ago. I thought he was just losing weight so the chest was more protruding, but my husband thought it might be an enlarged gizzard. This is our first flock so I'm not going to say either one of us knows exactly all the chicken's parts. Thanks for all your help!!!

 

[EggresiveAli]

You could try feeding him live white maggots

 

[CedarAcres]

Have you noticed if the crop is small or empty in the morning? And impacted crop means that it's not emptying properly overnight. If it is impacted, there is something in there that is preventing it from emptying, such as a tangle of long grass, which is blocking the contents from moving onwards to the gizzard.

 

[Chickiee]

What I'm guessing is the crop (not gizzard?) has been full and not diminished at all in the last few days. Not at all. I just sat with him on the patio and massaged it, and gave him 0.5 ml of extra virgin olive oil with a little (never used) medicine dropper. The entire flock was very interested in what I was doing. He seems to like the massages. He has been staying with the flock free-ranging around the yard fairly well, but not leading... just following... and not eating. I did view him have diarreha earlier... a little yellow liquid with some undigested chicken feed. Thanks you both for the input!!

 

[CedarAcres]

I would continue the massages, massaging in a downward motion. I normally separate them if they aren't feeling well so they can be in a quiet restful environment, and you can also monitor if they are going to the bathroom and hopefully starting to pass some of the food. I'd check him first thing in the morning before he has access to food (checking before he gets off the roost works well) and see if his crop has emptied at all overnight. I wouldn't feed maggots personally, because there have been reports of maggots making chickens very ill. You could also try putting some vitamins & electrolytes into his water as well.

 

[Chickiee]

Thanks CedarAcres... I just closed up the coop for the night (I was gone a good chunk of the day). Rosie is not roosting... s/he hasn't the last 3 nights. S/he has his neck tucked and is not looking all that fantastic. I was thinking about going out there to massage again, but I don't want to cause a commotion. Even though I would like to massage one more time today, everyone else has quieted down and was roosting. I think in the morning I will massage Rosie again and do the olive oil. I will try to separate him into the garage for a bit so I can keep a closer eye on the situtation. I will also move a waterer in there with "Save-a-Chick". Do you think I should put food in there too? I don't want anything else to get stuck in his digestive tract. The diarreha I mentioned earlier... is that a good thing or no?

 

[CedarAcres]

I would put food with him personally and I usually offer yogurt and mashed hard boiled egg. If he feels well enough to eat, that is a good sign. You want to see him/her going to the bathroom and passing the food or blockage. I've noticed that when the crop is blocked, sometimes the food passes through in a more undigested state as the body is just trying to clear itself out. The white part of the poo is the liquid intake, so you want to see more of the solids coming out. Did you check the crop size in the morning to see if it emptied? Another issue that can arise is an infection from the food staying in the crop for long periods, so if you think that is the case you may want to dose Rosie with an antibiotic. How is he/she doing today? Is going to an avian vet something you'd consider? I have a link in my signature to find an avian vet in your area. I've found that a Rx for Reglan can help the crop to empty (it causes it to contract and aids in the emptying process) but it is Rx only I believe.

 

[Chickiee]

Thanks for the help Cedar Acres! Unfortunately I wasn't around yesterday (work) and so I made sure Rosie got some real attention this morning. I had not separated him from the flock. There are only 6 other chickens, so not too crazy over here. I did put Save-a-Chick in the water which I think really helped. This is where we are this morning... Rosie is moving around a bit more. Drinking nicely. Crop does not seem quite as full. Haven't seen him eat anything. I'm going to get them some plain yogurt when I go grocery shopping in a bit. He does seem a little weak, but moving around. He had a forceful bowl movement this morning, but it appeared to be plain liquid and undigested feed. At least I know something is coming out. This morning I sat with him for about 20 minutes in a patio chair petting him. He seemed to like the sun and massage on the crop. Eyes closed a lot and in no rush to get away from me. I thought at one point he fell asleep. Do you think I should try the olive oil again, or just start the yogurt? I also have Apple Cider Vinegar... do you think I should try that in their water? I have called places around here for a vet that deals with chickens and no one does. (Very frustrating!) Sooo, if I can prevent any infection rather than get to the point of antibiotics, then that would be a good thing. Thanks for any input!!

 

[Chickiee]

He seems to be drinking A LOT, but not eating. I may put more Save-a-Chick in the water he's drinking. He did try the yogurt last night, but then walked away. I'm going to try that again too. Crop seems smaller. He's not moving around much... staying with the flock, but while they're exploring and eating in one area, he's just standing there. Any other suggestions? Thanks!

 

[CedarAcres]

If his crop is seeming smaller, that is a good sign. Is there any foul odor coming from his mouth? You can continue to try the olive oil and keep doing the massage. If he is starting to pass some food that is a good sign. You want that stuff to all come out. The massage can help to break up the mass that is in the crop. If you are having trouble giving him the olive oil you can soak some small pieces of bread (not the crust, just the soft part) in the olive oil and offer it to him. Only offer him regular food (no scratch or seeds that can make the impaction worse). I would not put any apple cider vinegar in his water because I think that can allow the crop to sour by affecting the acidity level in the crop. If you are smelling a foul smell from his mouth, the contents in the crop will have soured, and you can add some baking soda to his water to help the acidity (1tbs per gallon). Make sure either way that he has plenty of water available so that the blockage in the crop is "softened" up and combined with the massage it should break up. It can take a few days for the crop issue to get resolved. Just keep at it. Once you start to see an improvement they usually get better each day after that.