Ascites? in desperate need of some help and guidance...

[herechilychiky]

I'm just so gratefull I've found a place/people with so much knowledge and experience.

 

[casportpony]

Bocktobery, this kind of thing is never easy. You feel so helpless. I think Eggsessive was telling someone that the state vet. Will do a necrop. For free (most states) maybe look into that ( you can search for the thread) sounds like it would deffinately be in your and your flocks best interest to find out what this illness is and what's causing it.

California does them for free on chickens, turkeys and waterfowl, limit two per day. This link has some of the labs in the US:
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/nahln/downloads/all_nahln_lab_list.pdf

-Kathy

 

[Bocktobery 10]

Kathy,

Wow. That poor chicken!. Yes, its possible that my hen has that... maybe that would explain the red orange fluid AND the fact that I got gas from the second try with the needle? I would imagine that the un-laid eggs and stuff starts to rot in there and causes air to get trapped? I wonder if a vet would be willing to do a little surgery to get that stuff out, if its in there? I will probably call on Monday if my hen is still alive.

Thanks also to the both of you for the information on the free necropsy. I did know this, but I don't know how one goes about getting a dead hen to a facility where they do it... Actually, if I remember correctly I did find a webpage with this info, so nevermind!

My vet did say she wanted to look at what was going on in there- she asked me, not me asking her, so I did promise I would bring the body back if/when my hen dies. I almost want to ask her if I can watch so that I can learn. I almost did a necropsy on the past two hens I had that died, but I had second thoughts.. these are pets to me and many of my chickens like to cuddle with me, so its difficult to think of opening up their body to have a look. I still want to do it because as you said, it might help my flock to know what is going on. Well, either way, a necropsy will be done. I will post the results.

 

[Bocktobery 10]

Kathy,

In the second pictures, is that the ovary ---where the wall is thick and orange pasty yellow .. with the egg inside? How long did it take for that hen to succumb to this malady? What exactly killed her?

 

[Bocktobery 10]

Thanks also Kathy for the help in locating some thistle milk extract!

 

[Bocktobery 10]

What causes a hen's egg to get stuck in the ovary like that? And what could ever be done to prevent it?

 

[casportpony]

Kathy,

In the second pictures, is that the ovary ---where the wall is thick and orange pasty yellow .. with the egg inside? How long did it take for that hen to succumb to this malady? What exactly killed her?

The last hen I had like that had a deformed cloacal, so I knew she'd never be able to lay an egg and it took a few months for her egg to get like that.

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

What causes a hen's egg to get stuck in the ovary like that? And what could ever be done to prevent it?

I think there can be many causes, but the best prevention is probably providing food with enough calcium and access to oyster shell.

• http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/07/chicken-egg-binding-causes-symptoms.html
• http://www.avianweb.com/eggbinding.html

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

Question, did your vet do an xray?

-Kathy

 

[Bocktobery 10]

Kathy,

Yes, my vet did an x-ray. She said that there was nothing that she could see, no tumor. This was, maybe, about a month ago.



Would an egg show up on an x-ray?