3 year old rhodie, swollen abdomen, lame, wide gait

[susanellen]

hello,

a new subscriber here. for the first time, i have a sick chicken, as described above. have separated her and giving antibiotic in water, as recommended by feed store. she is eating and drinking well but the basic symptoms have not reduced. antibiotics started three days ago.

feed store says diagnosis diffficult and recovery unlikely. what do folks with backyard chickens do??? she can't live in the basement indefinitely.

many thanks!!!

--susan

 

[justhatchin]

Hello Susan -Susan here also. It might be that she is egg bound? Was she laying then stopped. There are sollutions on here for egg bound just use the search.

 

[LynneP]

It may help to give her a shallow belly bath in warm water.
You'll probably want another person to assist with warm towels for the after care, the basic idea is to use the water to relax and expand her vent and muscles so that she can expel the mass inside. It could be quite a mess, so be prepared. Best done in a warm space and with gentle palpitation.

Details here:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/se...q=bathe+in+warm+water+eggbound&sa=Search#1295

 

[susanellen]

thank you for the help. i have followed a couple threads of birds with similar symptoms and have learned a lot! did the warm bath this morning, which she did seem to enjoy, but nothing passed....i even did a little gentle probing with vegetable oil and a glove. (it was really not such a bad thing to do.) she is distended but soft and i don't feel an egg.

time will tell. thanks for the help.

--susan