Chicken needs to gain weight

[Chris09]

Feed her a good High Protein feed, one around 20% protein or better yet one that is 22% protein.
Keep treats to a minimum, treats like eggs, grains, and most scraps deplete the nutritional value of there regular feed and will do more harm than good.

 

[lazy gardener]

Does the vet think that she has liver failure? what does he attribute the abdominal fluid to? How much money are you willing to invest in this sick chicken?

 

[chickencoop789]

Does the vet think that she has liver failure?  what does he attribute the abdominal fluid to?  How much money are you willing to invest in this sick chicken?

He didn't say anything about liver failure. What I gathered from the conversation was that because the uterus was inflamed, it was pushing on the other organs causing fluid. Well I've already invested over $500 on the vet visit and meds, so I'm just about at the end of my rope with spending money on this girl.

 

[aldarita]

I am very sorry to tell you that her condition is very common in hens over 2 1/2 years old, if they are production hens. I have lost five of my hens with this. They lay so many eggs in such a short time that their bodies wear out. Their abdomen gets distended because of fluid build up, they get an infection and start to deteriorate (loosing a lot of weight). If the fluid is not taken out (by a vet) it just continues to build up and even if it gets taken out, it will build up again so it is a lost battle.
There will be a point when you will have to decide to let her go because her quality of life is not very good, neither is her prognosis.
I spent tons of time and TLC with my first hen that had this condition until the battle was lost and I had to have her euthanized by the vet. Now I have come to recognize the symptoms and make decisions as to when it is time to let them go. Also I do not get hatchery chicks anymore, I get heritage breeds from local breeders, I still have 3 of my original hatchery hens, they look and act healthy so I hope they don't get the same illness as their sisters. This is a very heart breaking situation because there isn't anything I hate the most than seeing an animal suffer.
I had a necropsy done in 2 of these hens and they had ovarian cancer (tumors all over the reproductive tract).
I am not saying that this is definitely what your BR hen has but according to your description it sounds very much like it.
I wish you the best luck

 

[Free Feather]

I am very sorry to tell you that her condition is very common in hens over 2 1/2 years old, if they are production hens. I have lost five of my hens with this. They lay so many eggs in such a short time that their bodies wear out. Their abdomen gets distended because of fluid build up, they get an infection and start to deteriorate (loosing a lot of weight). If the fluid is not taken out (by a vet) it just continues to build up and even if it gets taken out, it will build up again so it is a lost battle.
There will be a point when you will have to decide to let her go because her quality of life is not very good, neither is her prognosis.
I spent tons of time and TLC with my first hen that had this condition until the battle was lost and I had to have her euthanized by the vet. Now I have come to recognize the symptoms and make decisions as to when it is time to let them go. Also I do not get hatchery chicks anymore, I get heritage breeds from local breeders, I still have 3 of my original hatchery hens, they look and act healthy so I hope they don't get the same illness as their sisters. This is a very heart breaking situation because there isn't anything I hate the most than seeing an animal suffer.
I had a necropsy done in 2 of these hens and they had ovarian cancer (tumors all over the reproductive tract).
I am not saying that this is definitely what your BR hen has but according to your description it sounds very much like it.
I wish you the best luck

I have heard of this very frequently. I do not like hatcheries because of how poorly they treat the animals(like objects for profit), so this is just another reason to steer clear of big egg laying breeds. I have one production red pullet, ten months old, and I am very afraid of this. I would never willingly get one, the eggs are not worth at all.

 

[chickencoop789]

Thank you all for your help. Unfortunately, my hen did pass away today. She was looking pretty good all week, but yesterday she started going downhill. Again, thank you all.

 

[Free Feather]

Sorry you had to go through that. Most I know would not have even taken her to the vet. I hope you do not need to go through that again.
How long was she unwell?

 

[chickencoop789]

Sorry you had to go through that. Most I know would not have even taken her to the vet.  I hope you do not need to go through that again.
    How long was she unwell?

Thank you. This is the first chicken that we lost and everyone is heartbroken. I have had her inside since New Years eve, but i started noticing there was a problem a few days before then.

 

[song of joy]

Thank you. This is the first chicken that we lost and everyone is heartbroken. I have had her inside since New Years eve, but i started noticing there was a problem a few days before then.

I'm so sorry this turned out badly. I understand the sadness - I also feel sad whenever I lose a hen. The first hen we lost was a RIR that was my daughter's favorite. She started acting very lethargic and stopped laying around 22 months of age. By 24 months, we culled her. It turns out she was an internal layer, which means eggs were accumulating internally. No wonder she was so miserable! I've heard this is common among high-production breeds like RIR, but I don't know if it's the same thing your hen suffered from.

You did a great job trying to help her, so I hope that dulls the sadness a bit.

 

[catballou]

Well the vet said that her uterus was inflamed and there was a build up of fluid in her abdomen. She is on an anti inflamitory and an antibiotic medication.

What vet did you find that would look at her?
It's so hard to find one!