Distended belly, not egg bound - please help!

[casportpony]

So sorry for your loss.

 

[Kassaundra]

Yes, egg yolk peritonitis for absolute certainty, and it had been going on for a while, lots of infection. There was nothing you could have done for it, even very aggressive antibiotic and abd drainage would not have helped. The picture w/ the liver that green is the gall bladder, but it is usually not open and bile is NEVER outside of the sac, so if you didn't cut it, and it was open by itself likely a sign of serious abd infection. There were several eggs broken and most or all of those white "sacs" you have pictured are eggs not yet calcified. the ovary will look like a round thing COVERED in tiny egg yolks.

 

[kmb383]

Thanks everyone. Is there anything I can do in the future to help avoid this?

 

[Kassaundra]

Nothing specific to internal laying, just generally keeping a healthy environment for good general health, but really if a bird is going to have this problem the "die is cast" already. If you catch is very soon sometimes antibiotic tx can help but the problem is most don't show symptoms until it is too late.

 

[casportpony]

Yes, egg yolk peritonitis for absolute certainty, and it had been going on for a while, lots of infection. There was nothing you could have done for it, even very aggressive antibiotic and abd drainage would not have helped. The picture w/ the liver that green is the gall bladder, but it is usually not open and bile is NEVER outside of the sac, so if you didn't cut it, and it was open by itself likely a sign of serious abd infection. There were several eggs broken and most or all of those white "sacs" you have pictured are eggs not yet calcified. the ovary will look like a round thing COVERED in tiny egg yolks.

Great post... I wonder if the reproductive tract got so infected that it burst?

 

[Kassaundra]

W/ sepsis the capillaries become "leaky" so some connective tissues become weak, I wonder if the connective tissue creating the "sac" became leaky too???

 

[casportpony]

@kmb383 , is that a shelled egg I see in the pictures? If so, was that found in the hen?

Edited to add: I read read your post before the pictures and read that the shelled egg was there. I wonder if all of this started with her being egg bound? That one stuck egg would allow everything to get backed up, then the the repro-tract would get infected (salpingitis), and eventually burst.

You asked about ways to prevent this, and I think all you can do is make sure your hens have access to a good layer feed, oyster shell, plenty of fresh water, and don't let them get too fat.

 

[kmb383]

Yes, the shelled egg was in there. She didn't show any symptoms of being eggbound before this. Friday she seemed fine. She came running to the run door eager to get outside with the rest of the flock. She was outside pecking for grubs and enjoying herself like normal. At the end of the day, she went to roost with everyone else in her normal spot. I didn't consider any drop in egg production because my Polish girls don't always lay regularly. She is resting in the ground under my lilac bush with her sisters who have died in the past.

Thanks again everyone for the help and insight.

 

[TwoCrows]

Thanks everyone. Is there anything I can do in the future to help avoid this?

Usually, no, you can't really prevent internal laying, they can be genetic, from injuries and other issues. BUT... I have heard that in some cases of internal laying, oviduct infections can cause the hen to begin internally laying. When EVER I see one on my hens laying gelotinous globs or even lash eggs, I start them on antibiotics, Amoxicillin or PenG injections. My last internal layer began lay gelitin like globs before her internal laying began. I eventually put her down before she got too awful sick. So after this, I use antibiotics if I see these geltin blobs or too many lash eggs. Not that ALL cases case be cured this way, but possibly catching oviduct infections early can help to prevent? Just my thoughts on this.

 

[Cluckies]

@kmb383 So sorry for your loss


@TwoCrows where do you get the antibiotics?