Hen with Swollen Abdomen

[speckledhen]

These threads may be helpful to you. https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=362422

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=195347



The mass you are feeling could be solidified infection/egg yolk cooked together in her oviduct or abomen. That is internal laying. Could be something else, of course, and I'm not saying for certain that's what it is, but I've been through this internal laying/egg yolk peritonitis thing many, many times already with my original hatchery hens, starting when they were just over two years old, then losing them one by one. Just lost one in the last few days (you'll see the thread "Reba is squat walking" here in the Emergencies section) and on internal examination, found a fibroid mass in the oviduct, tiny ball like masses covering her intestines and oviduct surfaces, some cooked yolk in the oviduct, etc. That was ovarian carcinoma. So many reproductive malfunctions these poor hens experience. They can go on for many months before the hen begins to go downhill, lose massive amounts of weight, become very weak, then die.

One hen had to be put down as she was obviously dying, bone thin, with a hard mass in the abdomen. Turned out, the mass was a huge egg with another egg inside that had dropped into her abomen-freak thing, no way to save her.

Hopefully, that is not the case with your hen--just saying what can be going on in there, for educational purposes.

Below is a pic (graphic, so if you're weak in the face of stuff like this, don't look) of the masses we removed from the oviducts and abdomen of a RIR hen who was laying interally for 8 months before her death:

 

[DraigAthar]

Thanks speckledhen, those are good threads. As you may notice from my previous posts, the hen actually had an x-ray done and the mass is nowhere near her oviduct. It is very low and superficial on her abdomen. We also examined her digitally and found no obvious blockage. We're thinking lipoma at this point, sort of by default. When Meg tried to aspirate the mass, she didn't get much out but she did tap the butt of the syringe onto a few slides for me, which I then peeked at under the microscope. All I could find were fat globules and the occasional RBC. Certainly nothing malignant or immuno-reactive looking. Mind you, it wasn't a proper biopsy or anything, just an attempted aspiration. But still, it was the best we could do.

Oh, and thanks for the pic. Sure it's graphic, but fascinating at the same time. Chickens are bred for such a specific purpose, I guess we shouldn't be surprised when all sorts of odd things go wrong. So I'll keep tracking little Magrat, while hoping for the best! She's still a sweetie-pie of a hen, too.

Amy

 

[speckledhen]

Hoping for the best for your hen, too! Ovarian carcinoma, internal laying, egg yolk peritonitis, etc, are just so darn common, but of course, hard to know what the issue is unless you can see inside.

Many more things can be wrong other than those listed, of course, possibly not life-threatening. I found out that hens can even have hernias! Amazing.

 

[sham30]

Quote:
Is she breathing normal? Has she been laying? I lost a hen today who presented with a swollen abdomen and labored breathing and it turned out to be polystic ovarian disease - her abdomen felt full of stuff, not just liquid but something - good luck - little buggers have a way of creaping in to you heart!

 

[DraigAthar]

New Year update! Magrat started laying again. I haven't picked her up in a while to feel the lump, so I don't know if it's changed size at all lately. But she's still plugging right along, as of today.

Amy

 

[Mattemma]

Good to read the update. I had an eggbound hen.Waddled like a penguin for months. Nothing made things better,so I just culled her.Glad you did not have to do that yet.

 

[speckledhen]

Excellent news! My own Reba did temporarily recover, enough to lay one actual egg before she relapsed. I hope your girl keeps on laying and has fully recovered from whatever was wrong. So mysterious sometimes, these things that happen to them. Wish we could just see through them, to know what was happening.

 

[DraigAthar]

Quick update: Magrat is still laying, still acting normal. Lump is still there, seems about the same size, so I guess she's holding steady for now.

Amy

 

[DraigAthar]

Another update, for anyone still interested: Magrat has been laying only sporadically through this summer. I thought maybe it was heat stress, we've had some pretty warm days by NH standards. She hasn't laid an egg in at least two weeks now, and day before yesterday she started acting quite lethargic. She spent the whole night in a nest box, and then wouldn't eat her favorite treat (japanese beetles!) in the morning. We put her in the mini coop by herself and she spent the whole day sat just inside the door. She doesn't appear to have any other symptoms than this (lethargy and lack of appetite), but of course these are not good. This morning I set a small cup of water right next to where she was sitting, and she drank a LOT of it. That seemed to perk her up and she left the mini coop to walk around the little attached run. So we're just watching her and hoping she'll return to normal. But it's hard to know how that tumor is truly affecting her. The lump seems firmer than it was originally, but still about the same size. Fingers crossed.

 

[ChicksandWeeds]

Another update, for anyone still interested: Magrat has been laying only sporadically through this summer. I thought maybe it was heat stress, we've had some pretty warm days by NH standards. She hasn't laid an egg in at least two weeks now, and day before yesterday she started acting quite lethargic. She spent the whole night in a nest box, and then wouldn't eat her favorite treat (japanese beetles!) in the morning. We put her in the mini coop by herself and she spent the whole day sat just inside the door. She doesn't appear to have any other symptoms than this (lethargy and lack of appetite), but of course these are not good. This morning I set a small cup of water right next to where she was sitting, and she drank a LOT of it. That seemed to perk her up and she left the mini coop to walk around the little attached run. So we're just watching her and hoping she'll return to normal. But it's hard to know how that tumor is truly affecting her. The lump seems firmer than it was originally, but still about the same size. Fingers crossed.

i am just reading this - what happened. - just researching as i noticed one of my hens acting "shy" and keeping to herself and seems to have a slightly swollen abdomen and showing some skin.