Hi everyone, and thanks in advance for any information you can provide.
I've scoured the forums to get information about what my RIR might have but haven't been successful. The large baseball sized mass is very firm between her legs and the smaller mass behind her vent feels hard like an egg. I'm contemplating getting a syringe to drain in case the large mass is filled with fluid, but it is very hard and not like a water balloon. I've seen that people put a chicken like this on antibiotics but I have no idea what to get, I only have tractor supply near by. Could she be egg bound if she is pooping often, even if they are runny?
1) What type of bird , age and weight (does the chicken seem or feel lighter or thinner than the others.)
Rhode island red
Exactly 2 years old, got as a chick April 2018.
Was a good daily layer even through winter in Michigan (no artificial light) from October 2018 until October 2019 when she had a moult like all 4 other chickens but hasn't laid since. All other chickens stopped laying in October 2019 also during their moult but started laying again in February 2020. This RIR has not started laying again.
Weight: unknown but she is larger than normal right now due to the swelling and lumps
2) What is the behavior, exactly.
She is drinking and eating normally but is hunched over and cannot jump up anymore due to the large stiff hard swelling in her abdomen. 2 weeks ago I noticed poopy butt and washed her but it returned. I didn't notice any swelling at the time, but I didn't actually feel her abdomen at the time. I only noticed the poopy butt. I checked her for mites and didn't see any. Her vent seemed normal to me but I had never run into this before so I didn't know what to look out for. It got progressively worse and she couldn't jump up anymore. Yesterday she could barely jump down from the coop so I took her indoors. Found a large egg sized lump behind her vent and a grapefruit sized firm hard lump between her legs on the back side between her vent and legs. It is not squishy. I tried massaging the hard lump which feels like an egg by her vent but could not move it. I used oil to check inside her vent with gloves but could not feel like anything was ready to come out. She is pooping runny poops. She is alert and funny, staring at me in her typical crazy way.
3) How long has the bird been exhibiting symptoms?
2 weeks
4) Are other birds exhibiting the same symptoms?
None, 4 others are fine
5) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma.
Not that I know of
6) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation.
Not sure.
7) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all.
Kitchen scraps, layer feed and water. She is still interested in food and eating and poops runny poops
8) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc.
Normal but runny
9) What has been the treatment you have administered so far?
Warm bath, isolation in crate indoors on pine shavings, massage, oil on and in vent. I fed her crushed egg shell with cooked egg and she gobbled it up.
10 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? For example, do you want to treat completely yourself, or do you need help in stabilizing the bird til you can get to a vet?
Don't have access to avian vets, will self treat, tractor supply close by
11) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help.
Pictures will follow in the morning of her vent area, large mass in abdomen, and poops.
12) Describe the housing/bedding in use
Crate indoors with pine shavings
I've scoured the forums to get information about what my RIR might have but haven't been successful. The large baseball sized mass is very firm between her legs and the smaller mass behind her vent feels hard like an egg. I'm contemplating getting a syringe to drain in case the large mass is filled with fluid, but it is very hard and not like a water balloon. I've seen that people put a chicken like this on antibiotics but I have no idea what to get, I only have tractor supply near by. Could she be egg bound if she is pooping often, even if they are runny?
1) What type of bird , age and weight (does the chicken seem or feel lighter or thinner than the others.)
Rhode island red
Exactly 2 years old, got as a chick April 2018.
Was a good daily layer even through winter in Michigan (no artificial light) from October 2018 until October 2019 when she had a moult like all 4 other chickens but hasn't laid since. All other chickens stopped laying in October 2019 also during their moult but started laying again in February 2020. This RIR has not started laying again.
Weight: unknown but she is larger than normal right now due to the swelling and lumps
2) What is the behavior, exactly.
She is drinking and eating normally but is hunched over and cannot jump up anymore due to the large stiff hard swelling in her abdomen. 2 weeks ago I noticed poopy butt and washed her but it returned. I didn't notice any swelling at the time, but I didn't actually feel her abdomen at the time. I only noticed the poopy butt. I checked her for mites and didn't see any. Her vent seemed normal to me but I had never run into this before so I didn't know what to look out for. It got progressively worse and she couldn't jump up anymore. Yesterday she could barely jump down from the coop so I took her indoors. Found a large egg sized lump behind her vent and a grapefruit sized firm hard lump between her legs on the back side between her vent and legs. It is not squishy. I tried massaging the hard lump which feels like an egg by her vent but could not move it. I used oil to check inside her vent with gloves but could not feel like anything was ready to come out. She is pooping runny poops. She is alert and funny, staring at me in her typical crazy way.
3) How long has the bird been exhibiting symptoms?
2 weeks
4) Are other birds exhibiting the same symptoms?
None, 4 others are fine
5) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma.
Not that I know of
6) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation.
Not sure.
7) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all.
Kitchen scraps, layer feed and water. She is still interested in food and eating and poops runny poops
8) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc.
Normal but runny
9) What has been the treatment you have administered so far?
Warm bath, isolation in crate indoors on pine shavings, massage, oil on and in vent. I fed her crushed egg shell with cooked egg and she gobbled it up.
10 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? For example, do you want to treat completely yourself, or do you need help in stabilizing the bird til you can get to a vet?
Don't have access to avian vets, will self treat, tractor supply close by
11) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help.
Pictures will follow in the morning of her vent area, large mass in abdomen, and poops.
12) Describe the housing/bedding in use
Crate indoors with pine shavings
