Chicken w/ poopy butt has swollen belly

[MartyHikes]

We had a hen with severe poopy butt. She has been a little lethargic but acts normal otherwise. We had noticed a decline in egg production, but didn’t start worrying until now. We cleaned up the area and found that her belly appears (to us newbies anyway) swollen or distended. We don’t think it’s egg binding, as we felt in her vent and couldn’t find an egg that would have been blocking her up. I am attaching pictures of her after we cleaned her up and trimmed the poopy feathers away. Please help. She’s one of our favorites and would hate to have to cull her for just not knowing something was

treatable.

 

[GermanKennhuhn]

Her belly definitely looks swollen, do you feel an egg? @azygous @Wyorp Rock @Eggcessive

 

[MartyHikes]

Her belly definitely looks swollen, do you feel an egg? @azygous @Wyorp Rock @Eggcessive

Did not feel an egg when we felt in her vent.

 

[azygous]

Let's see if we can figure out a direction to go on this by asking you a few questions.

Your location.

Is there a discharge of fluids dripping from her vent?

Before you washed the poop off, what color was the poop? Yellow, white opaque, or clear?

Is her vent pulsating?

If you stand her on her feet and press a hand flat against her vent, does this cause her to want to squat and strain to poop?

If you stand her on her feet and let her start to walk away from you, are her legs farther apart than normal and does her belly seem very low to the ground, and does she waddle like a penguin as she walks?

Have you checked her crop? Is it overly full? Hard, soft, spongy, lumpy?

If you would copy the questions into a reply window and carefully answer every single one, each question will provide an important clue.

 

[MartyHikes]

Your location.

-North Carolina

Is there a discharge of fluids dripping from her vent?

-Not by itself, only when we massage her belly/probe in her vent.

Before you washed the poop off, what color was the poop? Yellow, white opaque, or clear?

-Dark-colored like normal chicken poop, but runny.

Is her vent pulsating?

-Not actively.

If you stand her on her feet and press a hand flat against her vent, does this cause her to want to squat and strain to poop?

-Didn’t try this, but we did stand her on her feet after massaging her belly and vent area a bit and she did not strain to poop or anything. Will try and let you know.

If you stand her on her feet and let her start to walk away from you, are her legs farther apart than normal and does her belly seem very low to the ground, and does she waddle like a penguin as she walks?

-Maybe a little, but only a little. Not much, if at all.

Have you checked her crop? Is it overly full? Hard, soft, spongy, lumpy?

-Did not check her crop specifically, but when we were cleaning her and checking her vent, etc, I didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary with it.

 

[MartyHikes]

Let's see if we can figure out a direction to go on this by asking you a few questions.

Your location.

Is there a discharge of fluids dripping from her vent?

Before you washed the poop off, what color was the poop? Yellow, white opaque, or clear?

Is her vent pulsating?

If you stand her on her feet and press a hand flat against her vent, does this cause her to want to squat and strain to poop?

If you stand her on her feet and let her start to walk away from you, are her legs farther apart than normal and does her belly seem very low to the ground, and does she waddle like a penguin as she walks?

Have you checked her crop? Is it overly full? Hard, soft, spongy, lumpy?

If you would copy the questions into a reply window and carefully answer every single one, each question will provide an important clue.

Correction: her vent is now discharging something white-ish looking.

 

[azygous]

Discharge of opaque white with clear mucous can indicate a blockage in the oviduct. If her crop is full in the morning when you would expect it to empty overnight, that together with the white mucous discharge points to oviduct obstruction, egg binding or other body tissue from harmless to cancer.

First, make it a point to withhold food and water tonight and check her crop first thing tomorrow. If it's got anything at all still in it, it will point to an obstruction.

Meanwhile, it won't hurt to give her a calcium tablet. This is best.

But Tums will due for now. Give one whole tablet directly into her beak. Continue each day until we see what else may be happening.

 

[MartyHikes]

Discharge of opaque white with clear mucous can indicate a blockage in the oviduct. If her crop is full in the morning when you would expect it to empty overnight, that together with the white mucous discharge points to oviduct obstruction, egg binding or other body tissue from harmless to cancer.

First, make it a point to withhold food and water tonight and check her crop first thing tomorrow. If it's got anything at all still in it, it will point to an obstruction.

Meanwhile, it won't hurt to give her a calcium tablet. This is best. View attachment 3132618But Tums will due for now. Give one whole tablet directly into her beak. Continue each day until we see what else may be happening.

So, there was nothing in her crop right now to speak of, despite the fact that she’s been free ranging all day. Does that alter your opinion at all?

 

[coach723]

How old is she? Does the abdomen feel very firm, or water balloon like?

 

[MartyHikes]

How old is she? Does the abdomen feel very firm, or water balloon like?

Not sure on her age. We got her already all grown up. Belly is more firm, not squishy or sloshy.