Americauna chicken lower abdomen swollen

[lovelysea123]

Hello everyone, my three year old Americauna Chicken stomach looks bloated and is walking very funny. I'm not sure what's going on or if it has something with the food that I'm giving the chicken or it could be the weather. I feed her bread, oatmeal (due to winter) and provide them with Purina layer feed crumbles and Livengoods layer feed pellets. She free ranges all day. I also attached a video of how she's acting right now and a picture. Thank you!

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[Aapomp831]

Check to make sure she is not egg bound. I would also check the crop first thing in the morning to make sure it has emptied. Bread and oatmeal are not the best thing for chickens to eat everyday; they should be fed in serious moderation. I would definitely stop all treats for now bc if her crop is impacted or sour you don’t want excess carbs feeding the issue. A bloated belly I believe is called ascites (sp)? and can be a symptom of reproductive issues or internal parasites.

 

[MysteryChicken]

I have a hen like this that I need to put down, except she walks more upright. I felt my girl's abdomen, & it seems like she has a hard mass in it. I suspect my girl has a reproductive tumor, or has been internally laying. She's 2yrs old, & is from a High Production line, so I kind of expected this to happen at some point.

 

[JLann]

Hello everyone, my three year old Americauna Chicken stomach looks bloated and is walking very funny. I'm not sure what's going on or if it has something with the food that I'm giving the chicken or it could be the weather. I feed her bread, oatmeal (due to winter) and provide them with Purina layer feed crumbles and Livengoods layer feed pellets. She free ranges all day. I also attached a video of how she's acting right now and a picture. Thank you!

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[JLann]

Hello there,
This is my first day being part of BYC, and I am by no means anyone who knows much bout chickens, I to am in search of information regarding a similar problem with my hen, she has had it for a while now. However, her walking is more like a duck !
Today, I realized she is in bad condition with what I believe is a parasite infestation. Her vent was packed with dried feces...poor girl I feel so horrible I haven't addressed this sooner. I was told "oh she is just old...."
I am hoping as well to get some guidance from BYC. Best wishes to you !!!!

 

[aart]

I'm not sure what's going on

When I have a bird that is acting 'off' I isolate bird in a wire cage within the coop for a day or two....so I can closely monitor their intake of food and water, crop function(checking at night and in morning before providing more feed), and their poops. Feel their abdomen, from below vent to between legs, for squishy or hard swelling. Check for external parasites or any other abnormalities.

Best to put crate right in coop or run so bird is still 'with' the flock.
I like to use a fold-able wire dog crate (24"L x 18"W x 21"H) with smaller mesh(1x2) on bottom of crate under tray.
Then you can put tray underneath crate to better observe droppings without it being stepped in. If smaller mesh is carefully installed, tray can still be used inside crate.

I am hoping as well to get some guidance from BYC

@JLann best to start a new thread here with the details about your birds issues.