Bloated hen

[henpecked56]

hi All,
I'm new to the site and boy am I glad I found it...

Got a question in hopes someone out there can shed some light. I have a three year old hen who is very sick. She stands upright as if her abdomen is painful ( thought perhaps she was egg-bound but figured she'd be dead by now if that were so ). Her poops are normal. She eats and drinks normally, preens, and is social. I picked her up yesterday and her entire abdomen is the size of a cantalope. Her feathers on the bottom have a weird, almost fungal appearence on the base of each feather. In the begining of her sickenss, I wormed her, followed up with vitamins. Then later treated the flock for coccidia for three days. She's been like this for two months with no decline or improvement. Although she eats, her breast bone protrudes. Out of desperation, I gave her a small injection of Naxcel ( antibiotic ).

Any thoughts???

Henpecked56 ( Dede)

 

[AnimalsComeFirst]

I'm thinking possibly Vent Gleet? She would have a slightly swollen abdomen, messy feathers on her bum fluff and loose stool.
ACF~

 

[henpecked56]

Ok, And what would be the treatment ( if there is one )?

henpecked 56

 

[AnimalsComeFirst]

First of all, seperate her. Vent gleet is contagious through the poops.

"This is caused by fungus in much the same way that women sometimes acquire vaginal yeast infections after taking strong antibiotics. It means that your bird is lacking the beneficial bacteria in her gut to prevent this fungus from taking over. You need to treat it in much the same way as a human vaginal yeast infection. First, feed this girl plain yogurt - 1/2 small carton per day. Mix it in with some other feed if she won't eat it alone. You can also add Probiotics to her water supply. Nystatin is a prescription antifungal often prescribed for fungal infections in the mouth (thrush). If you have an friendly vet, he may supply you with this drug without demanding an office visit. Otherwise, you can use Miconozole applied directly into and around the vent area. Miconozole is an over the counter vaginal yeast infection cream that can be found even at major grocery stores. It comes with a plastic syringe (of sorts) that you fill with the cream and then insert into the vent of the chicken. You won't need a lot, maybe the equivalent of 1/2 tsp. This cream can also be applied on the red, raw skin surrounding the vent. You should be able to fix this, but it must be a two-pronged attack. You must boost the good bacteria in the gut AND treat the fungus currently infecting her vent."- this was not written by me, it was made by another member, I am only sharing it to help you out with your bird.

Goodluck!
ACF~

 

[cafarmgirl]

If her entire abdomen is hugely swollen I think you might have something more sinister going on. Generalized abdominal swelling is ascites, an accumulation of fluid in the body cavities. This is caused by multiple things including heart/circulatory problems, other organ problems, egg laying/reproductive tract issues such as egg yolk peritonitis etc. This condition can persist for a long time with birds slowly loosing muscle/body mass, breast bone will become pronounced.

Lice also lay eggs on the base of feather shafts appearing as little white blobs.

If you suspect vent gleet definitely go ahead and treat for that, I would, but I doubt that much swelling is caused solely by that.

 

[henpecked56]

Excellent. i will get started right away.

Thank you!

henpecked 56 ( Dede )

 

[henpecked56]

Have not notcied any lice. But yes, the abdomen is huge. She is continuing to live, but I fear her days are numbered if I dont do something... I dont want her to suffer. is there anything I can do?

Henpecked 56

 

[henpecked56]

BTW, her abomen does indeed feel full of fluid.

henpecked ( Dede)

 

[cafarmgirl]

Have not notcied any lice. But yes, the abdomen is huge. She is continuing to live, but I fear her days are numbered if I dont do something... I dont want her to suffer. is there anything I can do?

Henpecked 56

Unfortunately there is not much to be done. Some people attempt to drain the fluid, or have a vet do it, it does help the bird feel much better but that is a temporary fix. It can be very hard to determine the underlying cause and usually those causes are not treatable anyway. I have lost a couple of hens to this lately. On one my vet did a free necropsy for me and discovered a heart defect. She had poor circulation, hense the ascites/bloating. The second hen started having internal laying issues with resulting egg yolk peritonitis. My vet drained her and put her on antibiotics and initially she felt much better, even laid a couple normal eggs. But after a few weeks she started to show the same symptoms again until she suddenly declined and passed away. In the end, I really spent some $$ trying to figure these hens out but the end result was the same each time. We gained a wealth of information during those experiences but I now no longer attempt to treat hens that start showing signs of ascites. I just let them live out their days as long as they are getting around and acting normal. Once it progresses to where they are not comfortable and no longer enjoying a normal life then we go ahead and put them down.

 

[henpecked56]

Got it. Thanks anyway...

henpecked.