Bloated Hen!

[FrankBlissett]

We have a hen who turned quiet and stopped roosting (NOT broody). We brought her in, washed her up, gave her canned cat food. She's eating, drinking and pooping - but she has become VERY bloated in her abdomen.

Any thoughts?

-Frank

 

[dlhunicorn]

sounds like ascites which is often associated with reproductive disorders or pulmonary hypertension (mainly broilers)...I would take her into a vet IMMEDIATELY
here is an article:
http://www.vetcareindia.com/p_bul_ascites.htm

...if your bird is of a broiler breed:
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/articles/500/understanding-and-controlling-ascites

 

[aSliceOfLife]

Today I noticed my 9 month old Rhode Island Red hen also laying around and then making motions like she was trying to crow but was choking while doing it. When I checked her out, she had a very bloated chest area also. I called all over San Diego County to see if any vet was available that specialized in chickens, but no one was. She seemed like she was in a lot of pain so I finally took her to the emergency vet and had her euthanized. I felt like it was the right thing to do. But I wonder what caused this so suddenly, and in reading about ascites, it seems this hits really young chicks, not chickens that have been fine for the last nine months of their life. I lost two other Rhode Island Reds last December and January from Ecoli disease after their eggs broke inside them. I feel my chickens laying mash with free feed of grit and oyster shell, and their egg shells are very strong. I wonder since all the Rhode Island Reds came from the same hatchery, Privett Hatchery in New Mexico, if there is something genetically wrong with them because they all died when they reached the 9-10 month range. Any ideas??

 

[CtlisencedArborist]

Geez hrh,I wouldnt be buying any chxs from there anymore.Get the fecal sample bring it to vet.Hope all gets well.My hen was eggbound acouple months ago....she gurgled,stayed in the hen house and was inflamed in the rear end.I got some great advice from someone here and put her in warm water several times threw the day.The next day she was jumpin around and eatin everything in site.Hope its as simple as that for u.

 

[CtlisencedArborist]

And the person was Dlhunicorn...lol...think shes a pet md or somethin...lol

 

[aSliceOfLife]

Thanks for the thoughts, but as I mentioned in my post, I had her euthanized to put her out of her suffering. It was very hard for me because Cinnamon was a special chicken who was so fond of me since she was a little chick. When she was little, she would come over to me and jump on my arm and snuggle up to my head. She was super friendly and one of my favorite chickens. I keep reading all these things that could be wrong, but unless a PM is done on her, no one will really know. I just thought maybe someone has had the same thing happen to them. The worst part of it is that my favorite French Lop rabbit was killed by an owl Friday night so now I've lost two of my favorite pets in one weekend. It never gets easier...

 

[dlhunicorn]

hrh photography: what you want is an avian vet not a "vet specialized in chickens" and here is why... a "chicken vet" is a vet which is looking at an individual animal from the perspective of the flock and usually deal with commercial operations where it is usually in the best interests of the flock to immediately cull any ill bird... an avian specialist (or a vet who is familiar with treating birds) will be familiar with ascites...sourcrop...prolapse...eggbinding problems...etc. these all occur equally in other bird species such as parrots etc. and the treatment for them is usually the same... if you tell the avian specialist or vet that these are pets (and not "farm" animals, then they will approach them as such.

 

[aSliceOfLife]

Thanks for the info. I will find an avian vet this week so I can have some phone numbers on hand in case of another emergency. Seems that the vets that treat birds didn't want to deal with my chicken when I called around on Sunday. I only hope I did the right thing with Cinnamon because I would feel terrible if she had something that was treatable. I just felt as though she was struggling to breathe and I didn't want her to suffer for another day until the vet offices were open again. Thanks again for the info.

 

[rael]

Hello, did you ever find out what was
wrong with your hen.??
i just this evening lost a hen, she had the same problem and I only just noticed it tonight.. She died...

 

[aSliceOfLife]

In speaking with a chicken expert, she was egg bound. She was only 7 months old and usually it happens within the first few months that they start laying eggs. Once a chicken is egg bound, there is usually not much that you can do. Putting them down is the best option, unless you want to pay a lot of $$ to have a vet perform an operation on them. If you pay careful attention to your chickens and notice that one hen isn't laying eggs, you can sometimes use your fingers to help get any stuck eggs out but you really need to catch it quite soon. If the egg has burst, then that's another story. Sorry to hear about your hen, they all are like members of your family and it's hard to lose any.