Ascites?? Swollen, squishy abdomen - WITH PICS & VIDEO (page 9)

[FlyHigher]

Sounds like Egg peritonitis to me. Have you checked that?

 

[speckledhen]

You're a bit late to the party, FlyHigher. We've discussed that at length in the thread already. Both myself and terryg have extensive experience and knowledge of that malfunction.

 

[tamtam84]

turkeyluvr - Thank you so much for your prayers! I appreciate them and know Buttercup does as well She's still doing the same, which is pretty good actually. She is acting like normal, but she is a little bit slower. She still runs and jumps for treats though!

After talking with arkansaschicks, I took her advice and others on this thread and started Buttercup on liquid milk thistle extract about a week ago. I bought it at my local health food store. I do it how arkansaschicks does - use a couple small pieces of bread (very small, only 1 bite each) and soak it in the extract. I use about 10-15 drops on the bread and try to give it to her everyday (I have missed a day or two). She gets excited for the bread and will jump up to my hand if I don't give it to her quick enough haha. Can't tell any difference as of yet, but I'm hoping it will help to keep the fluid from building back up so I don't have to drain her as often.

FlyHigher - I do suspect that's what it is. She never started laying again after her molt last November. I've gotten excellent advice from speckledhen, terryg, and others on this thread about egg yolk peritonitis and internal laying. I know it is incurable and she will eventually pass away from it, but as long as she is still doing ok I'm just going to let her be. If she gets worse, I'll make a decision on euthanasia if it comes to that if she appears to be suffering too much.

 

[guesswhatchickenbutt]

Sorry to jump in so late in the game, but I'm going through the same issue with one of my hens and have been posting about it on and off for the past couple of months. Yesterday someone suggested EYP to me on my thread and much as I'm sad that my hen cannot be saved, I feel so much better knowing what it is.

tamtam84 - I wanted to thank you for the video about how to drain the abdomen. I'm nervous about trying it and wonder if my poor girl is too far gone to benefit from it (she's been sick for 2 months now). I also wondered if it's better to buy a large syringe so the hen doesn't have to be poked over and over again with a small syringe? Thoughts on this? I think I might be a bit hesitant to try it, but maybe I should... my girl is so swollen that she can barely waddle. She spends a lot of the day laying down. Her abdomen is like a large water balloon and she's otherwise very thin

. Part of me thinks I should try draining her just to make her more comfortable and part of me thinks she should be put down. Such a tough decision. Anyway - I mostly wanted to THANK YOU for taking the time to explain what you did and even post a video. It's so nice to have someone do that just to help others in the same situation.

Edited to add - if I screw up, can I hurt her by draining her incorrectly? There is no chance of her moving because she's very still these days.... but can I accidentally stick her in the wrong spot and drain the wrong thing???

 

[tamtam84]

guesswhatchickenbutt - I just read your thread and it broke my heart! Probably because I have been going through the same thing with Buttercup for months now.

You are very welcome for the video. I figured if I could just help one person out it's all worth it. I was so nervous before I did it and wanted to show others that it is doable and hopefully inspire confidence in them to treat their own hens if they cannot take them to the vet. For me, the needle I was using (20 gauge I think) worked well. If you'd rather use a larger needle I don't see any reason why not. I was just worried it would hurt her too much so I went with a smaller needle.

You are the only one who knows your girl inside and out, and only you can make a decision on her care. But my advice is that it would be worth it to drain her. You really have nothing to lose, and it will make her much more comfortable. When so much fluid builds up they start to have problems breathing and things can go downhill fast. A few months ago I lost an australorp hen to EYP when I didn't drain her fast enough and she couldn't breathe well at all and passed overnight. Of course it is fatal anyway, but I could have bought her more time.

I don't think you can damage anything by draining, but just to be safe, I'd use a short needle, maybe just 1/2" or so. Stay down around her bottom where her fluff is and you should be just fine. Feel around on her abdomen and you'll be able to tell where it is the squishiest and insert the needle there. I usually poke 3-4 spots all around Buttercup's bottom and the fluid drains out from the needle holes.

I am so sorry you are going through this. I know how hard it is. Buttercup is a beloved pet and I'm not a "real farmer" either so it's hard to even think about euthanizing her.

I am really frustrated because I read that hens can live for up to 8 or 10 years, but in my limited experience so far, seems like about 3 years is as long as laying hens live. Maybe because they are bred to just produce so much their first couple years that they are spent and things go haywire? I'm constantly nervous about my other hens getting sick (a total of 4 will turn 3 later this month). Maybe it's because I got my hens from a hatchery (my pet chicken). My husband thinks if we breed our own that they will be more hardy and healthy, so we may eventually hatch our own out.

Yikes, sorry for the long post! Good luck with everything!!!

 

[AbbyDog]

I wanted to weigh in and say that for my 3 yr old hens, draining would have only prolonged their life a little. I cut them open to take a look after they died (one naturally, we culled the other) and ALL of their internal organs had problems. Fatty liver disease, tumors, flacid and weak heart, egg yolk deposits... they were just a mess ont he inside and it was so sad- because they still were bright-eyed and had appetites. My take-home lesson was that chickens are tough and can withstand a LOT- and you may not know how sick they really are.
I am sorry that you are going through this.

 

[AbbyDog]

And I just want to add that on the hen we culled, when I went to do the PM, there was about a QUART of evil green liquid in her abdomen....so be prepared if you decide to drain.

 

[guesswhatchickenbutt]

tamtam84 - I read all 13 pages of this thread and felt like Buttercup's story mirrored my poor Clementine's so closely. I lost my 3-year-old EE in June suddenly. I came home from a week-long vacation to find her laying in a pile of poo not moving and barely breathing. We had a chickensitter come daily (and we watch our chickens via webcam - LOL, I know....I know....) and she was walking around fine. But we came home and she was a mess and we took her to the vet where she was euthanized. Then Clementine started going downhill... and Maggie isn't laying so I worry she's next. Clementine clearly is so full of fluid and uncomfortable - she even opens and closes her beak like she can't get air, but that doesn't explain Maggie's complete end to laying since her abdomen feels normal. I think I'll stop by the feed store and pick up a small syringe today and see if I can muster up the guts to do it. I'll bring my iphone to the coop and watch your video while I'm doing it for an extra boost of confidence. All three of my hens are from hatcheries and all turned 3 in April, and from what I'm reading that's pretty much when they go downhill. I can't have roosters where I live so I'm pretty much forced to go with hatchery chicks because they come sexed. I can't go to a local swap and buy straight-run chicks b/c of the high chances I'd get roos. I suppose I could buy sex-links, of course, but I love being able to experience different breeds. I hope your remaining hens stay strong! If anything good has come from this it's that now we know what to look for so maybe we can clue in a little earlier and make any future hens more comfortable if it happens to them

And like you, I'd read all this online about how hens will have a similar lifespan to a large breed dog, so I expected to have my girls about 8-10 years. We put so much time and effort (and $$) into a predator proof run and coop and we just had a brand new very awesome HUGE coop built for them and now it seems like 3 years is all I'm going to get out of them. It's sad, but I think they had a good few years with us.

Again - thank you for the info. Means a lot

 

[tamtam84]

AbbyDog - Thanks for sharing. I have a feeling that Buttercup has some major internal organ issues and it is very sad. I hate seeing them go downhill.

guesswhatchickenbutt - Too bad you don't live near me (in Missouri) or I'd come over and drain Clementine myself! I really wish I could do more so that's why I made the video. I don't know why Maggie would stop laying, but at least her abdomen feels normal. I know chickens sometimes go on "egg strikes" where they take a break for a while. It always scares me though because I feel like something is wrong when they don't lay (and that is usually the first sign of distress). This is all so frustrating!

 

[guesswhatchickenbutt]

tamtam84 - I just called my vet to ask if I can buy a large syringe for draining my chicken. He said he'll sell me the syringe and if I bring in the hen he'll show me how to drain her so I feel confident (FREE of charge!). So I'm getting out the cat carrier, loading up my hen and we're off to the vet for "professional draining lessons"