distended abdomen, lethargic, please help!

A friend sent me the following message. I don't know what to tell her. Please help. I would very much appreciate any insight!

A couple of weeks ago, we lost our Phoenix chicken. She was fine in the morning, but by the afternoon she couldn’t stand, and she had watery white poop so we brought her inside. I had found 3 paper eggs in the last 3 days and wasn’t sure what was going on, but realized after that they were hers. Anyway, I tried to nurse her back to health, but she died that night. Then, last weekend, our golden comet was not her crazy self, she was just standing by herself, and I realized she had laid a shelless egg.

I was able to pull some of the shell out but knew more was inside, so I brought her in, started giving her acv in water, molasses in water, pedialyte for electrolytes, and we gave her a warm bath. She was a great patient and drank everything we gave her. She made it through the night, but then in the morning she stopped drinking my concoctions so I gave her a warm bath with some mild soap and she expelled the rest of the egg shell, and a load of roundworms. She then expelled a rubber egg. So she seemed to be doing better. I drove up to Hardwick MA to the farmer’s co-op and got some piperazine to worm them all. I thought it would be the cure all, but this morning our barred rock was not looking great, and they all seem to have warm distended bellies. I have scoured backyardchickens and cant seem to find anyone who can figure this out.

I have called a couple of farmer’s co-ops, and they are at a loss too. I ordered verm-x which is a natural broad spectrum dewormer, but it wont be here until Tuesday or so. I’m not sure that is even what we’re dealing with here. I made a mistake giving them what I consider now too much BOSS for treats a while back, but they are basically just eating their food now, with an occasional cabbage or some kale. I sprayed their coop with a pirmethyrn spray last night in case they have mites in there. A couple of them have lost their feathers on their neck. One of the ones that has a baldish neck was the first to show problems a few months ago. It looked like she got a tick embedded in the back of her neck. I was able to spray bleach water on it and it shriveled up, but her feathers never totally grew back. I have seen some of the other girls plucking them though. She wont leave the nest right now, and is acting broody, but she also has a warm distended belly. Egg production went way down to which I know is a sign of stress. Do you have any idea what could be wrong?

I am so sorry. I wish I knew more so I could help. I hope a sage replies to you soon. I did read something on a thread about garlic and bread being fed as a natural wormer. Maybe someone who knows what I'm referring to can tell you how to prepare it while you wait for your wormer to be delivered?

Thank you!!! I appreciate the advice!! I hope someone who might know what to do sees this.

I think she needs some more experienced help. As in calling an avian vet or the state vet along with sending any other dead birds in ASAP for a necropsy. That will give her a definite cause of death, and a path to treatment. Overfeeding on BOSS won't do this.

Hi Northboro, MA chicken lover, I am in Attleboro and am having a similar problem. Bird hasn't passed away but he's lethargic, won't eat and his belly is also distended. Vet said nothing's blocking with his crop and couldn't determine what was wrong. No worms. I'll be following this thread to see what others think....am tube feeding him now and praying for the little sweetie.

Did you take her to a vet that specializes in chickens? Personally, I just love the Odd Pet Vet in Weymouth at the Wildlife Rescue. He's wonderful and doesn't charge as much as many places. He sees a lot of chickens. I'm hoping my friend takes her chicken there.

I KNOW! The garlic as a wormer is:

2 cloves minced garlic to 1 slice of torn up and moistened bread. They love it too!


Could it be a hernia? Does the skin look tight?

"Hernia is a general term referring to a protrusion of a tissue through the wall of the cavity in which it is normally contained.

More specifically, a hernia often refers to an opening or weakness in the muscular structure of the wall of the abdomen. This defect causes a bulging of the abdominal wall." She could have damaged the muscles trying to expel the back up of shell and egg, while being full of worms at the same time. Since hens can only either poop or lay, it can't really be syncronised (http://www.afn.org/~poultry/egghen.htm shows how the egg block the intesine etc).

Unfortunately a hernia is not often successfully treated in birds as it requires some pretty major surgery which birds don't cop well with.

Does anyone else have any advice? I'm trying to keep this thread going. Thanks so much!!!

Maybe the back up of poop because of the hard time they have had expelling the bad eggs caused a perforation and/or infection??

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



Golden Comets and all sex link hens are prone to egg peritonitis and internal laying. If you read the above threads, you will find that there is nothing you can do to fix it, short of a vet doing a hysterectomy, if that is indeed the issue. There are a couple other things like kidney disease or heart issues that make them retain fluid, but when high production hens hit the age of two, especially, they tend to start this chronic condition.