Bloated chicken-eggbound?

lynna2018

Hatching
Mar 18, 2018
6
1
9
First let me say I love this site. This is my go-to site for my chickens.
I can't seem to find an answer on this though. I have a hen that is bloated, walking like a penguin, and has all signs of being eggbound. Everything I've read says she will die within 4 days if she's eggbound. Well, she's been like this for over a week now. I removed her from the coop because our rooster was being very aggressive with her. She is living on my screened in porch (not the best situation for me) and she eats and poops but still is bloated and walking like a penquin. All suggestions/help would be appreciated.
 
Hi, welcome to BYC! :frow

Sorry your hen isn't well. :(

I agree egg binding is deadly within 48 hours in my experience.

Could be ascites or egg yolk peritonitis. First link can help you look at symptoms and possible causes... Other are possible causes I suspect.

http://www.poultrydvm.com/symptoms

http://www.poultrydvm.com/condition/egg-peritonitis

http://www.poultrydvm.com/condition/ascites-syndrome

I love this site too, it has changed my chicken life forever for the better! :highfive:

Hope you will get some answers, and that your hen recovers quickly! :fl
 
Thanks so much EggSighted4Life! I have bookmarked the sights. Very informative. From your links I believe my hen to have Waterbelly. Not sure but I have brought her to my screened porch to keep her safe and contained. I have a "mean" roo that wouldn't leave her alone. Taking her to a vet for diagnosis is not an option for me. Hopefully I can learn more and find some "home remedies".
 
Well, unfortunately my hen didn't make it. I thought she was gaining some strength but woke up this morning to find her deceased. Sad, was hoping I could help her.
 
Sorry to hear about your bird. Losing one of our sweeties is never easy. Do you by any chance have a lab nearby to get a necropsy performed? In California we send refrigerated carcasses to UC Davis and they perform a necropsy for $20. The advantage to that is knowing if it died of something either a. Contagious or b. Preventable to be able to manage remaining flock members. :)
 
I'm so sorry you lost your hen.
I would second getting a necropsy done or if you are not too squeamish, you could cut her open yourself and take a look. My guess would be that she was suffering from either salpingitis(infection of the oviduct) and/or internal laying/Egg Yolk Peritonitis which may have lead to a build up of fluid in the abdominal cavity(Ascites)
If you decide to take a look inside yourself, take photos of everything or a video. There are threads here on BYC where we share such photos and discuss the likely cause of death and it is surprising how often you can pin point an issue even without medical training. I also use it as an opportunity to check for internal parasites(worms) in the gut. I find it really helps to make use of a death like this to learn and perhaps make changes to my flock management to prevent future similar occurrences or recognise the symptoms sooner and have more confidence in making the decision to euthanize.
 
I have a "mean" roo that wouldn't leave her alone.
The meaner the roo, the sweeter the stew! :drool

So sorry for your loss. :(

It stinks especially when we've gained hope they would make it. But at least you did everything you can...

Vet is not an option for most of us... and very often get NO answers for those who can do it. BYC is a wonderful resource that has changed my animals life for the better forever. :hugs
 
Call me lucky but the Vet where I learned the most....she gave big discounts to people bringing in their poultry....she was so glad they'd pay anything at all... there are some very special vets out there. One day I walked in for work and shehad two chickens a duck and a goose filling the kennels...all different owners...It was never like that...we'd usually only get one or two a month. It was pretty funny that the honking and quaking was louder than the barking
 
Sorry to hear about your bird. Losing one of our sweeties is never easy. Do you by any chance have a lab nearby to get a necropsy performed? In California we send refrigerated carcasses to UC Davis and they perform a necropsy for $20. The advantage to that is knowing if it died of something either a. Contagious or b. Preventable to be able to manage remaining flock members. :)
Interesting. I've never heard of that.
 

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