eggbound or not eggbound?

[coach723]

If the breast bone is prominent, that indicates weight loss or muscle loss (some birds are just naturally leaner than others, so take that into account) which can also happen as a symptom of what is going on in the abdomen. Body condition slowly deteriorates. I suspect the lump you are feeling is the crop, it's usually low on the right side. there are probably contents in there that have not passed. The gizzard is not accessible from outside, you won't be able to feel it. You can try giving the olive oil or coconut oil and massaging that lump with your fingers to see if it will break up and pass. But not emptying completely is not uncommon with reproductive problems, it just slows everything down. Heavy laying breeds are more prone to reproductive problems, but it can happen to any hen, and anytime after the age of two it's not uncommon.

 

[PrettyCoolChicks]

I had 5 eggs again this morning, so confirmed this is the hen that hasn't resumed laying after the winter break.

Sounds like the best I can do is return her to her flock so she's with friends and just keep her comfortable, monitor changes and cull if she's too poorly. (And I'll post home necropsy results here if/when it comes to that)

Is it still worth giving her calcium and baths?

Thanks everyone for sharing your thoughts and advice so far!

 

[PrettyCoolChicks]

If the breast bone is prominent, that indicates weight loss or muscle loss (some birds are just naturally leaner than others, so take that into account) which can also happen as a symptom of what is going on in the abdomen. Body condition slowly deteriorates. I suspect the lump you are feeling is the crop, it's usually low on the right side. there are probably contents in there that have not passed. The gizzard is not accessible from outside, you won't be able to feel it. You can try giving the olive oil or coconut oil and massaging that lump with your fingers to see if it will break up and pass. But not emptying completely is not uncommon with reproductive problems, it just slows everything down. Heavy laying breeds are more prone to reproductive problems, but it can happen to any hen, and anytime after the age of two it's not uncommon.

thanks for clarifying!

I did think it was weird to feel the gizzard through the ribs but had just read some posts mentioning it was possible. Ok crop makes more sense, i pictured it being bigger i guess, but makes sense if she eats little. I'll see if oil and a massage does anything.

I felt up the other birds and all are similarly lean, so maybe that's normal - they're all well fed.

 

[PrettyCoolChicks]

So i ended up taking her to the vet.
They found her dehydrated, she had a hard lump to the left side of her body cavity and crackling sounds in her lungs indicating sepsis.

Vet gave her clavaseptin 250mg (200mg amoxicillin and 50mg clavulanic acid) 3 times daily for 7 days, and meloxadin for pain relief.

She showed little improvement (swollen abdomen, lump unchanged), neurological symptoms worsening (walking backwards). Her appetite improved slightly and she behaved more like a chicken (eg scratching for food) but since ultimately it would not get better, I had her put under and sent for a necropsy to learn from it at least.

I'll share the results when i hear back from the lab if there is interest.

 

[coach723]

Please do post the results of necropsy. Many times we can learn from them. I'm so sorry you lost her, but hopefully you will get answers.

 

[RedHillChicken]

So i ended up taking her to the vet.
They found her dehydrated, she had a hard lump to the left side of her body cavity and crackling sounds in her lungs indicating sepsis.

Vet gave her clavaseptin 250mg (200mg amoxicillin and 50mg clavulanic acid) 3 times daily for 7 days, and meloxadin for pain relief.

She showed little improvement (swollen abdomen, lump unchanged), neurological symptoms worsening (walking backwards). Her appetite improved slightly and she behaved more like a chicken (eg scratching for food) but since ultimately it would not get better, I had her put under and sent for a necropsy to learn from it at least.

I'll share the results when i hear back from the lab if there is interest.

Please do share the necropsy results.