Bloated Chickens

[HappyHenHome]

We noticed a few days ago that our barred Plymouth rock hen was getting extremely bloated. She also had a lot of poop caking to her hind end, probably because it was bloated out so far. We cleaned her up but she keeps getting larger.

 

[HappyHenHome]

Sorry that was not supposed to post yet. She has very little interest in food and is moving slowly. She does hop on her perch to sleep at night. After some research I thought it sounded like she had ascites or may be egg bound, but either way, it was something physiological with her. However, we noticed that now we have a second chicken (americauna) starting to bloat with poop caking to her rear end as well. Is there something contagious that could be causing this? I don't want the rest of the flock to get infected. The chickens are about 3 years old.

 

[HappyHenHome]

Does anybody have any ideas on what this could be?

 

[Eggcessive]

Many hens can just simply have poop caked on their excess feathers, especially if they have a water stool. I would clean off the vent areas with warm soapy water, and then why dry, trim the excess feathers from around the vent. Look at that time for parasites such as lice or mites. If your hens are bloated or over weight, they could be suffering from fatty liver disease, ascites, internal laying, or an enlarged crop. Check the crops to see that they are emptying by early morning. feel the breast bone for excess weight or loss of weight there, while feeling of the lower abdomen for spongy or tight skin. You may also consider worming your flock, and then starting them on probiotics in their water twice a week to help clear up the diarrhea.

 

[HappyHenHome]

Thank you for your help! I'll check the crop of the americauna, but that was one of the first things I checked with the Plymouth rock, because we have had issues with that in the past, and hers was awfully empty even in the afternoon, so I don't think it's impacted. I'll continue to clean them up and will trim their feathers tonight to check for parasites. The weight gain is specifically in their abdomen. Their breast bone area still feels normal. They have always been a healthy weight, so that's why this quick weight gain was so concerning. I'll plan to worm the flock and start treating with probiotics. Do we need to avoid eating their eggs for a certain period of time after either of these treatments?