Barnevelder, swollen abdomen, is it ascites? Or vent gleet?

[tinaathena]

I have a 9 month Barnevelder hen named Pudding. One of our biggest hens of 5, right in the middle of the pecking order I think, lays large eggs, some were not quite egg shaped but nothing too out of the ordinary.
About 10 days I noticed a wound near her cloaca, nothing too severe, then 3 days ago we noticed her abdomen was swollen and bald, you can see it from 30feet away! I have been giving her an Epsom bath everyday now, we stuck a finger in her vent and nothing notable. On day two she let out a golf ball sized dump of poorly digested greens. So she is on feed and water with a bit of probiotics but not eating or drinking a whole lot.
We are taking her to the vet on the weekend...
Today she broke out of her quarantine cage and was just standing at the run door waiting to be let in. I put her back, have lunch and look up and again she is standing at the run door. She seems miserable being quarantined. It's she safe to socialise with the rest of the flock or is it best to wait until post-vet?
Any suggestions appreciated. I just love her and want her to be comfortable!

 

[JustAChickenLoverOverHere]

Definitely wait until post-vet visit. Poor girlie, but it’s what’s best.

 

[KaseySnow]

If she plucked herself bald there in 7 days, she must really be bothered by something in that area. Have you checked closely for any signs of mites or lice? You can see them better at night with a headlamp sometimes underneath/on their roosting areas. Check around the vent area and under the wings for any nits or eggs.

I don't think it's gleet as it looks pretty clean. My guess is there's either something bothering her on her skin (parasites) or something going on internally. Does her abdomen feel abnormally hard?

 

[tinaathena]

If she plucked herself bald there in 7 days, she must really be bothered by something in that area. Have you checked closely for any signs of mites or lice? You can see them better at night with a headlamp sometimes underneath/on their roosting areas. Check around the vent area and under the wings for any nits or eggs.

I don't think it's gleet as it looks pretty clean. My guess is there's either something bothering her on her skin (parasites) or something going on internally. Does her abdomen feel abnormally hard?

Thanks for your thoughts!
Her abdomen is like a squishy water balloon but today is getting a bit firm
I did check for mites and do so regularly for all the chickens and haven't seen anything yet.
I wasn't sure if she plucked herself bald or if it's just so swollen that the other chickens did it or what. Looking around the run/coop, there was no indication of a large loss of feathers so I am a bit flummoxed on it!

 

[Sapphire Sebright]

@Overo Mare, any ideas?

Good luck with your girl.

 

[KaseySnow]

I wasn't sure if she plucked herself bald or if it's just so swollen that the other chickens did it or what. Looking around the run/coop, there was no indication of a large loss of feathers so I am a bit flummoxed on it!

So strange! My understanding (and I could be wrong) is that usually when hens self-pluck it is because they are bothered by something in that area. Sometimes they self pluck when they are broody, though usually from the chest not the vent area. Vent area plucking is almost always distress of some kind, at least from what I've observed.

I would personally dust her once with poultry dust just in case. At the very least, you can eliminate exterior parasites as a possible cause if it doesn't fix the problem and it's a nice preventative. When was the last time they were de-wormed?

If you aren't seeing a ton of feathers anywhere, it is possible that she is eating them. What is the protein % of the feed you give them?

 

[tinaathena]

So strange! My understanding (and I could be wrong) is that usually when hens self-pluck it is because they are bothered by something in that area. Sometimes they self pluck when they are broody, though usually from the chest not the vent area. Vent area plucking is almost always distress of some kind, at least from what I've observed.

I would personally dust her once with poultry dust just in case. At the very least, you can eliminate exterior parasites as a possible cause if it doesn't fix the problem and it's a nice preventative. When was the last time they were de-wormed?

If you aren't seeing a ton of feathers anywhere, it is possible that she is eating them. What is the protein % of the feed you give them?

Thanks for these tips.
I'll forego the epsom soak, which isn't doing all that much that I can tell and give her a good dusting today and mix in a "herbal" mix that a friend made that's supposed to reduce mites and biters (dried herbs like thyme, oregano, lavender, etc., it smells like a spa )
They have never been de-wormed.
They're on 16%

 

[KaseySnow]

I hope she enjoys her spa day!

You may try upping their protein as well in case she's eating feathers--usually that happens only when they need more protein in their diet.

If that and the poultry dust treatment don't work, you might want to look into de-worming. A high worm load in her intestines could be why she's pecking at that area. Most flocks should be de-wormed at least once a year, many people do it in the spring and in the fall (spring is a big time for worms, they are usually the worst this time of year).

If you are unsure whether you should, you can always send in a fecal test to a lab (call your local vet office to see how to go about doing this). The results will tell you whether or not she has internal parasites and you can make your next move from there. It's worth noting that if she has them, then they all have them.

 

[tinaathena]

The vet wasn't terribly informative. He thought she was egg bound at first but she has laid two eggs while in her quarantine.
Any rX treatment she gets means that we should not eat her eggs and our community is trying to "crack down" on people selling medicated back yard chicken eggs (we don't sell them but do give them to neighbours). Even deworming is not 100% locally cleared.
He did recommend that we continue to quarantine her until she is less swollen, which we will do.
He offered X ray ($300 and incredibly difficult on a chicken, plus sending to specialist) or stool sample (presumably cost of test plus 1 hour vet consult).

She seems pretty lonely but otherwise is eating and drinking a bit more. I think we will put her back in the run in a couple of days when her butt is looking normal

 

[KaseySnow]

That's crazy that they charge a consult fee for a stool smear test! They should be able to just email you the results or tell you over the phone, geez. Is that the only vet in your area?

I hope she stops plucking soon. If I were you I'd just dust her for poultry lice (no egg withdrawal for that) and hope that solves the issue.