She's still not doing well. I isolated her last night. She is still eating and drinking fine, and her droppings look normal. She is still a big puffball and waddles when she walks.
Here is a snippet of an email I recieved yesterday from our local poultry extension specialist. I think it has some useful information:
"If it came on more slowly, especially the swelling in the abdomen, then she could be laying internally. In this case, the yolks aren't getting to the oviduct, so they just pile up in the abdomen. This often causes the posture of a penguin, or a bowling pin, as the abdomen fills up. If this is the case, they usually eventually get infected (peritonitis, technically) and it will likely kill her eventually.
She might also have an infection of the oviduct (salpingitis). In these cases, it's a bit of a debate whether the yolk material causes the infection, or the infection causes the internal laying.
She could also have lymphoid leukosis. This is a fairly common viral disease which often shows up when the hens are 2-3 years old. It may have caused a tumor, and this could be the cause of the problem. If that's the case, there's really nothing you can do for her."
I'm thinking she does not have lymphoid leukosis because I read online that "...affected birds show loss of appetite, progressive emaciation and diarrhea"...and she has none of these characteristics.
Whatever she has, the outlook is not good but I'll keep an eye on her for now.
Is there a way to tell if a chicken is in pain or not? I would assume that they would make some noise if so, but she is very quiet and only clucks softly when I come nearby.
