Egg bound

[CackedNut]

She's still hanging in there!  The vet said she had the egg yolk peritonitis.  She said since she is eating and drinking she had a 50/50 chance of making it.  She gave us baytril.  Real nice vet and only charged me $ 27.00.  I sure hope she makes it.  Is your girls stomach swollen like Pennys?

It's good to have a diagnosis. that everything works out. Please keep us posted.

 

[seminolewind]

I have never heard of a hen with egg yolk peritonitis survive. That's an awful lot of egg that gets in their peritoneum. And it being in there breeds infection.

 

[scratch'n'peck]

She's still hanging in there! The vet said she had the egg yolk peritonitis. She said since she is eating and drinking she had a 50/50 chance of making it. She gave us baytril. Real nice vet and only charged me $ 27.00. I sure hope she makes it. Is your girls stomach swollen like Pennys?

I had a hen with egg yolk peritonitis (EYP) who lived for well over a year with the condition. If a bad infection does not settle in, than they may be able to survive with the condition. I suppose it does become more and more uncomfortable for the hen as it continues, but the hen may produce fewer misdirected eggs as she gets older, so maybe the belly wont grow as fast. My hen lost the feathers on her belly like your Penny has, and she could waddle around okay. Unfortunately, the other hens in the coop were tempted to peck the bare skin on her belly, so I had to bring her in to live in a large dog kennel. I would bring her outside for supervised visits so she could sand bathe and peck around. She kept her appetite up to the end when she finally sucumbed to an infection.

 

[scratch'n'peck]

egg yolk peritonitis.......I read some about this a few minutes ago. do yall think that could be my hens problem??

Fortunatly, I don't think it is the most likely cause of her symptom. If things don't get any better by next week or we don't figure out what is ailing her and how to treat it, then it might be time to bring her to the vet. The sooner you can figure out what her problem is, the sooner you can help her get better.

 

[the3ofus+oursixchicks]

well she has been out eating grass and some feed but I felt her crop yesterday and it felt empty. I did see her eating so I know she ate. she setting in the coop right now. when she went in the pen yesterday evening she made a clucky sound like a broody hen. I think I told yall someone said she could be broody. shes just sluggish and slow wants to stand around sometimes. here is some pic of her you can see her tummy isn't swollen

 

[tenmile67]

I had a hen with egg yolk peritonitis (EYP) who lived for well over a year with the condition. If a bad infection does not settle in, than they may be able to survive with the condition. I suppose it does become more and more uncomfortable for the hen as it continues, but the hen may produce fewer misdirected eggs as she gets older, so maybe the belly wont grow as fast. My hen lost the feathers on her belly like your Penny has, and she could waddle around okay. Unfortunately, the other hens in the coop were tempted to peck the bare skin on her belly, so I had to bring her in to live in a large dog kennel. I would bring her outside for supervised visits so she could sand bathe and peck around. She kept her appetite up to the end when she finally sucumbed to an infection.

Did her swelling subside? Was she able to lay again? Or did you have to segregate her until she passed?

 

[tenmile67]

I have never heard of a hen with egg yolk peritonitis survive. That's an awful lot of egg that gets in their peritoneum. And it being in there breeds infection.

The vet said some survive and some dont.

 

[tenmile67]

awwwww, I sure hope she makes it I am praying she will. no, my hens name is Little Turkey, when the two of them were tiny I would just say yall two little turkeys so they both are named Little Turkey. so that's her name. No my Little Turkeys tummy isn't swollen. I have actually had someone tell me she could be broody. I don't think so but, some people know a lot about chickens. Mine may be at the vet tomorrow. How did your vet determine Pennys diagnosis

How's little Turkey doing? That Vet just knew she had it because of her tummy. She knew chickens really well.

 

[scratch'n'peck]

Did her swelling subside? Was she able to lay again? Or did you have to segregate her until she passed?

The size of her belly did not subside. It was not a mushy belly but a pretty solid feeling big belly. If your hen has some mushiness to her belly then perhaps that can reabsorb some liquid and decrease a bit in size. My hen was a few years old when her belly was really getting big and she was finally diagnosed, so her ovaries were probably not releasing as many eggs, so she only laid the occasional egg. Her feathers did not grow back on her belly and each time I tried to reintroduce her to the coop she would get pecked on her belly. She ended up living in her dog kennel for a few months, but she still loved her sand bathing sessions and her special treats. I think how Egg Yolk Peritonitis progresses can vary a lot and depend on many factors, but there really is not a cure for the condition.

But if your hen can get around okay and is not pecked on her belly and generally accepted by the flock, then maybe she would do fine in the coop for a while after she finished her antibiotics... I don't know. I guess you just have to see how things go.

 

[tenmile67]

The size of her belly did not subside. It was not a mushy belly but a pretty solid feeling big belly. If your hen has some mushiness to her belly then perhaps that can reabsorb some liquid and decrease a bit in size. My hen was a few years old when her belly was really getting big and she was finally diagnosed, so her ovaries were probably not releasing as many eggs, so she only laid the occasional egg. Her feathers did not grow back on her belly and each time I tried to reintroduce her to the coop she would get pecked on her belly. She ended up living in her dog kennel for a few months, but she still loved her sand bathing sessions and her special treats. I think how Egg Yolk Peritonitis progresses can vary a lot and depend on many factors, but there really is not a cure for the condition.

But if your hen can get around okay and is not pecked on her belly and generally accepted by the flock, then maybe she would do fine in the coop for a while after she finished her antibiotics... I don't know. I guess you just have to see how things go.

Was your girl able to walk? Mine can only wobble. I wasn't aware that their swelling would never go down. Wow, what a bummer!