Chicken seems to be dying: bloated belly, sandy poop, bleeding from vent

[cantorhome]

My favorite hen is extremely lethargic, slowly waddling if at all, very swollen in the abdomen, having trouble breathing. The area around her vent was crusted with gritty, hard waste pellets. I washed her and probed her vent. More sandy, white waste came out, then about a teaspoon of blood. I couldn't feel any eggs inside her, but I felt a lump about the size of a pea on the wall of her cloaca, half an inch in from the opening.

This particular hen, one of four that I have, is fond of eating cat food (dry food, good quality from Costco). I don't allow it, but she sneaks into the house at every opportunity for a few quick pecks before she gets thrown outside. The other hens aren't having trouble, so I'm wondering if this could be what caused the problem. In any case, it's an emergency right now, and she's not looking good. Advice is much appreciated.

 

[Bellurd]

I'm so sorry you havent gotten a reply yet. I'm not quite sure about the sandy poo or blood, but does her abdomen feel like a water balloon? It could be build up of fluid caused by one of the organs not functioning properly, I believe. The fluid can start putting pressure on the lungs and also cause other issues. I have a hen with this problem and as long as I drain her about every 3 months, she's fine.
Hope others reply.

 

[DDNONIN2016]

Waddling and bleeding from vent could be results of being egg bound. You can type that in the search bar and possibly get some information there. As for the cat food, I feed all my chickens cat food mixed with tuna or salmon for protein. They get cat food at least 3 times a week and I have never had any problems. Hope your hen is feeling better