Advice needed for older hen with swollen abdomen and dirty vent. -Drained fluid post #17

[Bellurd]

I agree that it sounds like Ascites. Fluid starts collecting in their abdomen and eventually it can put pressure on their lungs and make it very hard to breath. Does her abdomen feel like a water balloon? If so, you should buy a syringe and drain her.

Hope this helps! Good luck!

 

[ChickenKeeper37]

Hi Bellurd! Thank you, yes it does. I am on looking to see how to drain her and decide if it's what needs to be done at this point. I need to go by TSC tomorrow and might stop to get a syringe and needle.

And of course I need to try and be ok with this so I don't faint just thinking about it

 

[molly d]

Best of luck to you! I am having the same trouble with one of my girls. I will be draining her tomorrow as well. I'm a little squeamish about it but it sounds like this will be the only thing to make her feel better!

 

[ChickenKeeper37]

Thanks Molly. Did you get around to draining your hen today? I hope it went well for ya!

So, by the time I got to TSC and back it was too late tonight. I think I got everything I needed though, so we'll see how she is in the morning and take it from there.

I got two 60cc syringes, 18g needles, Iodine and Durvet Duramycin(Antibiotic).

I am really worried I'll hit something I shouldn't with the needle, but her breathing was harder today so I guess I may as well try to help her.

 

[Bellurd]

I had my nurse friend help me but after watching her I'm sure I can do it myself. I didn't think it would be so easy. Our local feed store only had 10 cc syringes with 21 gauge needles so we made the best of it. She only stuck the needle in about 1/4 - 1/2 of an inch into the "water balloon" and started draining this clear yellowish fluid into the syringe. No blood at all! You only have to poke them a few times and the fluid will continue to drip out of her for a few hours. I put my girl in an old laundry basket with a towel until she was done draining then washed her off again and squirted her with some witch hazel and put her back out with her friends. It's been over a week now and she's happy as can be.

You can do it!!!

 

[silkiechicken]

Was in my pictures and found this one and it reminded me of this thread... warning, it is semi graphic.

It was an old hen from years ago that got what I thought was ascities, I poked her, no fluid. Looked happy enough so let her roam about and live life for an extra maybe almost year. Well, when I culled her when her condition got worse.... she turned out to be an internal layer, and that mass in the picture was inside her reproductive tract. There were 4-5 chunks in there. Because I did not cull her early like I should have, the masses made up about a quarter of her total body weight. Well over a pound of junk.

Hope yours is just fluid. Good luck.

 

[ChickenKeeper37]

She's drained!

Thank you Bellurd I am so glad to hear your girl is doing well, but it's no surprise with the great care you have given her.

　
Wow Silkiechicken. That sure is alot for one chicken to be carrying around in her. I'm sorry your hen had that. I read a little about
internal layers, and had to wonder if that was what was wrong with her, but ascites was right. I think most said it was
caused by liver failure?

Yep, Nosey is done for now. It was not half as hard as I thought it would be. She was having such a hard time breathing,
when I made one mistake and tried to turn her on her side she had a very hard time getting air. So I just draped a light
towel over her and by the time I clipped off a few feathers and had sprayed her with the iodine she had layed (?) down on
her own. She was so full of fluid her skin looked yellow. She didn't care one bit about the needles, though I had to stick
her twice when I let the first one come out. I didn't have it in far enough with how hard she was breathing, and it just came
right out. Got the next 60cc syringe and filled the whole thing with dark yellow fluid. After that she must have lost even more
then I got out of her. No blood at all.

Once I let her go, she went outside and started picking grass-still dripping fluid. When I set her feed pan by her she acted like
she had not seen food in days. Her breathing is so much better! When I put her in the crate she was talking away and just happy
as could be when I gave her some scrambled egg. I didn't think I would be putting her back with the others, but now it could
happen. Going to give her a day or so first and see how she is. I have antibiotics in her water, so as long as she has that I won't
put her in with the others. They don't need antibiotics.

Tomorrow morning I'm going to clean her up really well and will have to get some new bedding in the crate. I'll check her and
see how much fluid is still there and if I can feel any kind of mass.

I'm just so happy

And a huge thank you to everyone who helped me!
I know she is not "fixed" but this hen feels so much better because of BYC

 

[weezilgirl]

WOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOO for you and Nosey! I know how you feel about knowing they feel better. I'm so glad you kept on keeping on.

 

[Bellurd]

Congratulations!! Go you!

 

[ChickenKeeper37]

Thank you

When I went back to TSC the next day, the first thing they asked was how my chicken was doing and if I had gotten the fluid out of her

The downside to this is she did not drain as much as I would have liked. Now, I need to decide if I'm going to leave her alone for now, or get some more fluid out while she is still on the antibiotics. She is breathing well, and I am letting her outside with the other four chickens in the day, but by 3-4pm she is so tired. I set her in the crate and she lays right down in the hay.