Bulge beneath cloaca

[MarthaChicken]

We have a black australorp that has a large bulge beneath her cloaca. I wonder if it's a hernia; it doesn't seem to be filled with fluid. She eats, drinks, sleeps, walks normally. I don't think she has laid eggs recently but I'm not sure.
I'm hoping somebody has some ideas as to what this is and how we can treat it. Thanks in advance.

 

[MomJones]

My first thought would be egg bound. Have you palpated the bulge? Whether firm or totally soft and squishy, you might want to place her in a nice warm bath with epsom salts and let her just settle in it for a little while, watch to see if an egg pops out. Keep us posted!

 

[MarthaChicken]

My first thought would be egg bound. Have you palpated the bulge? Whether firm or totally soft and squishy, you might want to place her in a nice warm bath with epsom salts and let her just settle in it for a little while, watch to see if an egg pops out. Keep us posted!

Thanks for the response. I should have noted in my original post that she's been like this for at least a week. Our first thought was also that she could be egg bound. We have given her epsom salt baths and also a small amount of milk of magnesia. It doesn't seem to make a difference. If she was egg bound and strained too hard, would that cause a hernia?

 

[MomJones]

It's Monday, how is she doing?

 

[MarthaChicken]

It's Monday, how is she doing?

She actually still seems completely normal except for having the large bulge. She eats, drinks, poops, and forages the yard with her sisters. I know it's hard to tell if animals are in pain but she doesn't seem like she is. I don't know if there are any other interventions I should try or if I should just keep a close eye on her for now.

 

[Fluffy_Feathers]

I too have a hen with a strange buldge under her vent. I noticed this probably around 3 or 4 years ago. I don't know if it looks like yours, it's a bit hard to get the full idea from your pictures. However, I have a good picture of mine that maybe you can compare to? Does it look like this?

I also made a post about it and some people did suggest a hernia. It's impossible to be certain, but that's the diagnosis that I've loosely gone with for my hen. Like your hen, she acts 100% normal, and still lays eggs. I've given no treatment for it, because really what can be done? I could stick a needle in it to see if it drains but if it is a hernia then that could be dangerous, not to mention it doesn't feel fluid filled, like yours.

The above picture is the most recent picture, I think from the last molt, when she molted really hard so I could see it clearly and get a good picture. Comparing it with what it was like the first time I saw it I don't believe it has changed a bit.

 

[MarthaChicken]

Thanks for the response. The bulge on your chicken looks very similar except the one on mine is a bit larger and lower on her body. It's good to know that yours has lived for years in this condition. My chicken still acts normally. We'll keep monitoring her but I feel better for now, assuming that she has the same problem and can live with it.

 

[Fluffy_Feathers]

Thanks for the response. The bulge on your chicken looks very similar except the one on mine is a bit larger and lower on her body. It's good to know that yours has lived for years in this condition. My chicken still acts normally. We'll keep monitoring her but I feel better for now, assuming that she has the same problem and can live with it.

I'm glad I could help you feel better. This is just my experience, maybe someone else will pop in and offer something different. Like you said, keep an eye on her, at least for a little while. It could be something entirely different, but I hope it's nothing serious.

Here's a link to my thread, maybe it will help you. Someone in the replies linked to another thread on a different site of a hen with a confirmed hernia. Their hen lived a good few years until she suffered a major prolapse. I don't know if the prolapse was related to the hernia, but I would assume so. Their hen's abdomen appears to be much bigger than our hen's buldges so I don't know how much of a concern a prolapse is for ours, *assuming* our hens both have hernias.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/strange-growth-below-hens-vent.1434620/#post-23708319

With my hen, I frequently forget she even has it. When she molted hard that last time I was like "oh yeah, she has that". Chickens are crazy.

I wish you luck!