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.

 

[PrettyCoolChicks]

Got the results a while ago, only getting around to sharing them now. The result was unsurprising. Cause of death: salpingitis.

But I learnt a few things:

• The salpingitis was caused by mycoplasma (MG)
• …meaning my entire flock was exposed and has it.
• Recommended prevention is strict biosecurity and disinfection protocols, but no specific measures were shared by the vet as “none of the recommended ones are practical to implement in a small backyard flock” like mine. (I assume: because it would imply culling the entire flock and I cried over just one bird.)
• No genetic susceptibility factors identified.
• Getting certified MG-free chicken was an option, but they’d just get infected by my current flock. The the vet flagged that I was unlikely to eliminate MG from the environment (esp. soil in the run) as MG is very environmentally resistant. New birds would have to be moved into a new coop and run far enough from the original.
• Now that I know what to look for, if another hen shows symptoms, treatment may be effective if given before the infection becomes generalized. (And if I catch one late stage again like Keiko, I will cull sooner next time.)

And just one interest chicken behaviour from the follow-up exam: Keiko was pretty chill at the vet’s, super easy to handle but she made the predator noise as soon as the vet put on gloves. She remembered and had made the connection between the gloves and cloacal exam after just one time.

PS: I’m not going to send in a bird for necropsy again unless I have a very good reason. From the first exam and treatment to euthanasia and necropsy, the vet bill totalled about CAD 700. The necropsy was only CAD 50, which I expected to be worse, but what I did not expect in the moment was the ~CAD 250 “biological sample” fee for the plane and courier to get her to the lab…

 

[RedHillChicken]

Got the results a while ago, only getting around to sharing them now. The result was unsurprising. Cause of death: salpingitis.

But I learnt a few things:

• The salpingitis was caused by mycoplasma (MG)
• …meaning my entire flock was exposed and has it.
• Recommended prevention is strict biosecurity and disinfection protocols, but no specific measures were shared by the vet as “none of the recommended ones are practical to implement in a small backyard flock” like mine. (I assume: because it would imply culling the entire flock and I cried over just one bird.)
• No genetic susceptibility factors identified.
• Getting certified MG-free chicken was an option, but they’d just get infected by my current flock. The the vet flagged that I was unlikely to eliminate MG from the environment (esp. soil in the run) as MG is very environmentally resistant. New birds would have to be moved into a new coop and run far enough from the original.
• Now that I know what to look for, if another hen shows symptoms, treatment may be effective if given before the infection becomes generalized. (And if I catch one late stage again like Keiko, I will cull sooner next time.)

And just one interest chicken behaviour from the follow-up exam: Keiko was pretty chill at the vet’s, super easy to handle but she made the predator noise as soon as the vet put on gloves. She remembered and had made the connection between the gloves and cloacal exam after just one time.

PS: I’m not going to send in a bird for necropsy again unless I have a very good reason. From the first exam and treatment to euthanasia and necropsy, the vet bill totalled about CAD 700. The necropsy was only CAD 50, which I expected to be worse, but what I did not expect in the moment was the ~CAD 250 “biological sample” fee for the plane and courier to get her to the lab…

I'm sorry for your loss. Here's a vet's report on our hen that died of salpingitis. The cause of contracting salpingitis is stated to be E. coli.

 

[RedHillChicken]

I'm sorry for your loss. Here's a vet's report on our hen that died of salpingitis. The cause of contracting salpingitis is stated to be E. coli.

View attachment 4172478

And just to add, our hen showed no respiratory issues, nor eye inflammation.

 

[coach723]

I've lost a fair number to salpingitis. There doesn't seem to be a single cause, it's identified as many different possible bacterial causes. E. coli is listed often, as well as others. I hadn't heard of MG being a cause before, but I'm not really surprised. I think any bacteria that can settle in the oviduct and cause inflammation is probably a cause.
Sorry it cost you so much, the shipping was exorbitant, to say the least.