Egg Yolk Peritonitis Prevention or Management

[trainfullachickens14]

Unfortunately, zakandjen, I do.

I just lost Audrey, one of my older hens, Tuesday night and I'm having a bit of a hard time dealing with it. We think it was a combination of EYP and internal laying but we aren't totally sure of it. The symtoms appeared pretty much over night on Tuesday and she went downhill very fast from there on. Everything happened so fast that we didn't really have time to do much of anything to try to help her.

She was just standing (not even sitting down) on one far end of the top roost bar in one top corner of the coop building well into the afternoon while the rest of the girls were out and about. Her posterior area was very firm, bloated, and hot to the touch. She was reluctant to sit down and didn't seem to want to walk around much at all. She would eat some if someone held a handful of scratch or a worm up to her and she would drink some if we dipped her beak into some water. She seemed very uncomfortable but she got a hot bath in the middle of the afternoon. She would actually fall asleep in the water resting her head on my dad's hand, (which he held there to keep her from drowning herself) but we could tell that there was something really wrong at that point because that behavior was really not like her normal self. She was going to get another hot bath that night but she just didn't make it that far.

My little sister was holding her (Audrey) while sitting in a comfy chair inside and was petting and stroking Audrey a lot. Audrey fell asleep for the last time in her arms, but my sister didn't even notice that Audrey wasn't breathing anymore until my dad came by her and noticed.

This is the third time in the past two-and-a-half years that a pet has died while I was away from home but was doing something relatively closeby that only took a few hours at most.

We buried her last night next to our Guinea pig Buddy and Flora, the one Easter Egger chick from our first batch two years ago that didn't make it. Audrey was a good egg and will always be my favorite Rhode Island Red hen. Her "shoes" that she left for her job as the stand-in rooster of our all-girl flock will be hard (if not impossible) for any other hen to fill as well as she did. You will be dearly missed, Audrey, I hope you know this and all of these truths I've said about you.

I will post some pictures (possibly a slideshow-like thing) of and about her soon, but right now my computer is "not very happy" and is reluctant to easily put new pictures on here.

 

[trainfullachickens14]

Oops, double post.

 

[BeckySue]

An update on my flock. We now have access to a state veterinarian who will do necropsies. I've lost three birds since Christmas. On Christmas day, my Easter Egger, Dexter died in my arms. The results of the necropsy showed that she had a heart defect, some sort of vegetative growth on one of her heart valves was compromising the heart's ability to pump. She was only nine months old.

About a month and a half ago, my Rhode Island Red, Rosa Grande, my biggest bird by far, died of EYP. The vet said it was the worst case she's seen; one of the yolks inside her was as big as a tennis ball. Poor Rosa.

Then about three weeks ago, my precious house chicken, Evelyn, a Red Star, died of EYP. The vet said she was worse than Rosa and her oviduct was filled with yolks. Both Rosa and Evie were three years and four months old.

All told, I've lost four birds to EYP, three of them Red Stars, one a Rhode Island Red. I'm not sure that Alice died of EYP (I mentioned her earlier in this thread) but coccidiosis (diagnosed by the state from the flock's droppings after she died).

It's really hard to lose a bird to this because it makes them so sick. The state vet said that Rosa's skin was bright red because she was so septic. Poor things.

 

[casportpony]

Sorry for your losses, but thanks for the post. Can you post the contact info for the necropsy services so that other West Virginia residents can contact them?

-Kathy

 

[ellend]

Well, the good news is that I have found Baytril to cause infertility in chickens. So hopefully it will work for your girl too!

I have a roo and a hen that each received Baytril for a week long course a year and a half ago. The hen has not laid an egg since then and the roo (while he has TRIED) has not fertilized a single egg since being on Baytril.

Baytril didn't have that effect on my banty poult. No after-effects at all.

 

[ellend]

Dear All,

I took Diana to the vet this morning to have some fluid drained. Once he removed some fluid he could feel the lumps more easily. He thinks that as well as the yolks there are some eggs far inside her so she is egg bound as well as having the EYP. Is there anything I can do for my poor girl or should I be thinking about calling it a day? To make matters worse we have a holiday booked for 10 days - we leave this Saturday, if I cancel we'll lose a lot of money and I'll be divorced! I just want to give my poor girl every chance I can, I'll have house sitters staying but I know they won't have the same amount of time or dedication to give to Diana. Does anyone have any words of advice?

Don't do it to her. Euthanize her quickly, and go on your vacation; chances are you cannot save her even if you stay home, and without you there she is in very much increased risk of suffering before death. I've had to make this nasty decision with cats and dogs, also. Leaving an animal with a "babysitter" when they have a potentially lethal problem isn't fair to ANYONE, least of all the animal. Sorry. I really believe that staying home would only prolong the process, though, through good care, and probably not by that much.

 

[silkiechicken]

Don't do it to her. Euthanize her quickly, and go on your vacation; chances are you cannot save her even if you stay home, and without you there she is in very much increased risk of suffering before death. I've had to make this nasty decision with cats and dogs, also. Leaving an animal with a "babysitter" when they have a potentially lethal problem isn't fair to ANYONE, least of all the animal. Sorry. I really believe that staying home would only prolong the process, though, through good care, and probably not by that much.

I agree with this. It is hard, but sometimes you have to do hard things.

 

[Mitfordsmom]

I'm not sure why you guys picked up on this as I posted that about two years ago! As it was the poor hen died before I had to make the decision. Since then I've had to have several hens euthanised and have always felt it was the right decision for my girl - you have to decide "am I trying to keep her alive for her sake or my sake"?.