DO YOU HAVE A HEN WHOSE ABDOMEN FEELS LIKE A FULL WATER BALLOON? READ THIS!!!

[casportpony]

Kathy
How many chickens do you have??

Many.

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

I just finished draining my hen and thought I should share the pictures. Unfortunately, I think she has laid internally as I felt something floating in her abdominal cavity.

Started her on Baytril at 20mg/kg, so we'll see how she does. Will also tube some much needed fluids to her, then fluids and food. Pictures are graphic, so please don't look unless you have the stomach for it.

Hen was cleaned with Chlorhexidine, had 18 gauge needle inserted and I syringed out about 500 ml of fluid.














-Kathy

 

[HelloChicken]

I just found a 5 year old leghorn with the swollen belly and I'm going to drain her tonight. She's lost a bunch of weight and having trouble breathing, so her prognosis is poor.

I'll also start mine on Baytril as I suspect she has an infection.

For you!

-Kathy

Good luck!
I drained about 200cc from my hen but she is still very heavy. I have moved up to a bigger syringe. Haven't used it yet....
By the way, where can I get Baytril? And how are you giving it to her?

-Thanks!

 

[casportpony]

Good luck!
I drained about 200cc from my hen but she is still very heavy. I have moved up to a bigger syringe. Haven't used it yet....
By the way, where can I get Baytril? And how are you giving it to her?

-Thanks!

I just drained another 200ml from mine and gave her 80ml subcutaeous fluids as well as 60ml orally, but I'm afraid she's not going to make it through the night, so I have her sitting on the couch that's in front of the fire. She seems happy enough, but there's not much left to her, she's just skin and bones.

The Baytril I was giving in what little breast muscle she had left because I have noticed that it can cause vomiting when given orally. You can buy it online many places, just do a search for enfloxil (generic made in Mexico) or here:

• http://www.allbirdproducts.com/newproductpages/baytril.html
• http://www.finchniche.com/product_baytril.php

-Kathy

 

[HelloChicken]

I just drained another 200ml from mine and gave her 80ml subcutaeous fluids as well as 60ml orally, but I'm afraid she's not going to make it through the night, so I have her sitting on the couch that's in front of the fire. She seems happy enough, but there's not much left to her, she's just skin and bones.

The Baytril I was giving in what little breast muscle she had left because I have noticed that it can cause vomiting when given orally. You can buy it online many places, just do a search for enfloxil (generic made in Mexico) or here:

• http://www.allbirdproducts.com/newproductpages/baytril.html
• http://www.finchniche.com/product_baytril.php

-Kathy

Oh thank you!
I'm going to order some ASAP!
I'm currently soaking her in Epsom salt water, lubbing her with vaseline, and I just put some Betadine on a cut on her abdomen.
And.. I'm sorry to hear about your hen, at least shes relaxed. I coo to my every now and then. She's such a sweet thing

 

[SteveBaz]

Well I have to say very nice write-up on the chicken with a tummy that feels like its a balloon all filled up. I followed your instructions to the letter and found her some relief by draining her of at least 50 syringes of 3 ml and her swollen bulge was reduced by both of us did not have the patients. So by giving her a break I will continue to drain and treat until its been reduced by almost 90+%. She is eating and drinking and now can walk without looking like she is waddling.

Couple of questions;
1. How often does this issue return. Never happened before in all these years.
2. You mentioned to leave the needle in the hen to drain. No tape just leave inserted to drain and she will not pull it?
3. Will her egg production be damaged or stop as a result?
4. Is she safe to eat in the event of death?
5.Was this an ongoing treatment or did it finally heal? Does it return?

More as I remember the questions or com across issues.

Thanks for this article or I would not have known what to do.

Steve

 

[SteveBaz]

Just went and bought a larger syringe body to speed up the process.

 

[casportpony]

I gotta get me some of those! All of my big ones have the wrong type of tip, so I use a bunch of 35's instead. Last night I drained 400ml from a hen and it would have been much easier with a bunch of those.

-Kathy

 

[SteveBaz]

I gotta get me some of those! All of my big ones have the wrong type of tip, so I use a bunch of 35's instead. Last night I drained 400ml from a hen and it would have been much easier with a bunch of those.

-Kathy

understatement!! 5 minutes instead of 30 minutes of struggle with the little one. I think if you called ahead it will be better it took me two tries at finding a store with one that size, so call first. Let your fingers do the driving and save the fuel.

 

[casportpony]

To answer one of you questions, the I hen I did in post #5 hasn't been done since then, which was last May, but the one that I have the pictures of died shortly after drainer her for the second time. Her necropsy showed some type of cancer and some soft-shelled eggs that she hadn't passed.

-Kathy