A hen with hot and swollen abdomen (but not egg-bound?)

[Kiawaki]

Hi all,

One of my (free range) hens is in her 3rd day of belly trouble. Her lower belly seems swollen, reddish and hot at touch. She seems able to poop, perhaps with some difficulty, and the poop looks fairly normal, although as she's not eating lately there is less and less of it.

I thought at first she was egg bound so I followed online advice, gave her Epsom salt bath, gentle massage, applied lubricant into her vent, but with no results. When I massage her belly, I don't feel anything like an egg inside, it just feels soft, more like liquid. I pushed a (gloved) finger into her vent, but didn't feel an egg that way either. So I'm at loss what to do, and she seems to be getting weaker.
I have some poultry antibiotics lying around (Amoxicillin), should I try giving it to her?

She did seem to be straining to push something out, but she's getting weaker and weaker so she is not doing that anymore. She also didn't do the egg-laying posture while straining. Her vent looks perfectly fine.

She is 2 years old, and was otherwise in good health. Other chickens are fine.

Couple of pics attached.



Thanks.

 

[Daffodil12]

I'm sorry! That sounds stressful. I had a similar issue with one of my hens several months ago-- something went wrong internally (possibly a liver problem) and her abdomen filled up with fluid. The vet was able to drain it with a syringe, but it wasn't curable (and antibiotics had no effect). Not sure if that's the same issue.

 

[Kiawaki]

Thanks for answering, Daffodil12.
Just realized there must be more than abdominal problems - I tried to give her some milk to drink, and she seemed to appreciate it, but besides not being able to see clearly (I had to navigate her head a bit), she seemed to have problems drinking and was gurgling and swallowing each sip several times. Earlier today when I helped her drink water, she was also taking a lot of time to swallow, but didn't gurgle.

 

[lovesfarms]

Aawww!! Sorry I can't help, just wanted you to know I care and hope things go better soon! When your chicken hurts and you aren't sure what to do, it hurts you to!

 

[humblehillsfarm]

Hi all,

One of my (free range) hens is in her 3rd day of belly trouble. Her lower belly seems swollen, reddish and hot at touch. She seems able to poop, perhaps with some difficulty, and the poop looks fairly normal, although as she's not eating lately there is less and less of it.

I thought at first she was egg bound so I followed online advice, gave her Epsom salt bath, gentle massage, applied lubricant into her vent, but with no results. When I massage her belly, I don't feel anything like an egg inside, it just feels soft, more like liquid. I pushed a (gloved) finger into her vent, but didn't feel an egg that way either. So I'm at loss what to do, and she seems to be getting weaker.
I have some poultry antibiotics lying around (Amoxicillin), should I try giving it to her?

She did seem to be straining to push something out, but she's getting weaker and weaker so she is not doing that anymore. She also didn't do the egg-laying posture while straining. Her vent looks perfectly fine.

She is 2 years old, and was otherwise in good health. Other chickens are fine.

Couple of pics attached.

View attachment 2281660View attachment 2281661

Thanks.

I'm sorry you're dealing with this. I feel this is an issue best addressed by a vet, which I know isn't always possible. Wishing you and your hen the best. I know it's stressful

 

[paloozaparty]

Oh no what ended up happening?