Black Jersey Giant photo - she has an ugly lump near her cloaca.

[DonHess]

Bessie has the ugly butt you see below. I first noticed it yesterday. Today I picked her up, calmed her down and turned her over to examine the area. The bloated blob is not hard, it is soft and pliable. I felt around finger-deep up the cloaca and could feel nothing unusual. I had thought she might be egg-bound, but that doesn't appear to be the case. My other Jersey Giants have grey, fluffy, health-looking butts. Can anyone help identify the problem and tell me how serious it is and what to do next?

Don

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Watch to see if she is being plucked by the other girls. I assume when you inspected her earlier you didn't notice any crawlies (lice/mites). Some hens tend to have bare bottoms, I'm not sure why.

Hopefully someone else will give their input.

 

[Pippin&Lili]

This is crossposted, in hopes someone still reads older threads.
I have exactly the same problem with my Jersey Giants. The biggest had a bald butt for weeks but didn't seem bothered. She did lay absolutely huge double yolk eggs. One day the bald butt went very red and swollen. I brought her inside and called my vet. She came to see her and said she'd never seen anything like it, and thought she had peritonitis and possibly a mummified egg. By the next day it was so much worse, and the poor chook couldn't even lay down. We ended up putting her down. Now, two weeks later, another Jersey Giant has a bald butt - not red, and she's still laying. What IS this????

 

[Wyorp Rock]

This is crossposted, in hopes someone still reads older threads.
I have exactly the same problem with my Jersey Giants. The biggest had a bald butt for weeks but didn't seem bothered. She did lay absolutely huge double yolk eggs. One day the bald butt went very red and swollen. I brought her inside and called my vet. She came to see her and said she'd never seen anything like it, and thought she had peritonitis and possibly a mummified egg. By the next day it was so much worse, and the poor chook couldn't even lay down. We ended up putting her down. Now, two weeks later, another Jersey Giant has a bald butt - not red, and she's still laying. What IS this????

Do you have photos you wish to share?

If I had to guess, I would say a reproductive disorder. Peritonitis, cancer, etc. Fluid can also accumulate making matters worse. Does the swelling feel fluid filled (Ascites)?

Some birds can have swelling for a good period of time and still be productive while others succumb to symptoms.
The only way to really know for sure it to take a look once they die, either perform and informal necropsy yourself or send the body to your state lab.

 

[Pippin&Lili]

Unfortunately I didn't autopsy the first affected bird, in large part because the smell from the infection was unbearable - and it came on so fast. Or at least, the bald spot was there for weeks and the chook seemed healthy otherwise. Once it got red it moved fast. And I didn't get a good picture either. It didn't occur to me that this could happen to a second bird, as I assumed a mummified egg had caused the peritonitis. The swelling seemed hard. Another poster from 2009 said their bird split open in a similar situation and that was starting to happen to this girl toward the end. I'll look up Ascites, thanks.

 

[Pippin&Lili]

This is weird, but could mites cause this? One poster said they sprinkled diatomacious earth and a similar problem stopped! I may try it even if it's a long shot.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Unfortunately I didn't autopsy the first affected bird, in large part because the smell from the infection was unbearable - and it came on so fast. Or at least, the bald spot was there for weeks and the chook seemed healthy otherwise. Once it got red it moved fast. And I didn't get a good picture either. It didn't occur to me that this could happen to a second bird, as I assumed a mummified egg had caused the peritonitis. The swelling seemed hard. Another poster from 2009 said their bird split open in a similar situation and that was starting to happen to this girl toward the end. I'll look up Ascites, thanks.

This is weird, but could mites cause this? One poster said they sprinkled diatomacious earth and a similar problem stopped! I may try it even if it's a long shot.

It's always a good idea to check for external parasites, if you find any, then use a permethrin based poultry spray or dust to treat her. DE is not an effective treatment for an active infestation.

On your girl that is showing swelling now, if she's still laying eggs that's good. I would watch to make sure that her swelling is not rubbing the ground or getting irritated. I have seen some in threads where the abdomen would get scraped and become infected like a blister.
IF you think there's fluid in the abdomen, sometimes it can be drained to give some relief, but personally, if they are eating/drinking/fairly active and laying eggs - I just monitor them. If they start to have difficulty breathing, walking, lethargy, etc. then I start offering supportive care.