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I'm sorry to hear she is not doing well.
Is her abdomen still swollen?
Yes. Do you think she needs to lay an egg?
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I'm sorry to hear she is not doing well.
Is her abdomen still swollen?
Quote:
The swelling in the abdomen, the heavy breathing and difficulty standing/moving around - to me would be an indication of some type of reproductive/internal laying issue. Sometimes a hen may have an egg or egg matter that travels in the opposite direction - this matter can drop into the abdomen, which in turn causes swelling of the abdominal cavity and infection. The swelling puts pressure on the air sacs, legs and internal organs - causing difficulty breathing, walking and can ultimately shut the system down.
Some hens can recuperate for a period of time with supportive care and do well, then they will start to decline. Sometimes the best you can do is make sure she is drinking well and eating. If you have a vet, they can x-ray the abdomen to see if she has an egg in there or if it's just fluid - if it's fluid, sometimes it can be drained, which will give them some relief for a while.
Yesterday she had a really bad wheeze. It was agravated when she and another chicken who apparently hated the sound she was making got into a really bad fight.
Cupcakes eye is swollen this morning. I don't know if it's because of the fight or if it's a symptom. Cupcake also has some hurts on her face from the fight but are not to bad. The other chickem Yellowfeet is good too
When a chicken is sick, other members of the flock may attack to try to drive her off. Illness and weakness are usually considered a threat to the flocks well being.
If you can keep her separated that may be a good idea. Since she is wheezing, you may need to keep her inside. If that's not possible, a large wire dog kennel set up in the run/coop works well. This keeps sick injured birds relatively safe from being picked on.
Keep watch on the swollen eye. It's possible she may have been pecked in the eye, got dirt/debris in it or it could be a symptom of illness that presented due to the stress of the fight. Time will tell.
You can flush the eye with saline to try to clean any debris that may be in it if need be.
Let us know how she is doing.
I'm glad she is improving. Most likely she was pecked in the eye, when there's a squabble, it seems they like to aim for the eyesShe seems better today, no wheeze. Her eye also isn't swollen so I'm guessing she was pecked in the eye. She is not breathing heavy anymore and she layed a egg. I started her on antibiotics and the day after is when the symptoms stopped.