Eggbound or something else??

[chickndays]

So my silver Wyandotte has been acting way off and I'm not sure exactly what she needs.
Her back end seems to be heavier, maybe a mass or something and she's been straining to poop and drinking a lot of water, less intetest in eating.
Last night I gave her a warm Epsom salt soak and a tums. She was trying to preen as I did this so I took that as a hopeful sign. After I put her in coop but she kept preening and never jumped onto the roost.
This morning she looked like death. For awhile she was huddled on a corner of the coop then she was being pushed around by other hens- as puffed up as she could be and lethargic. I had to move her to a laying box and do what I could to keep others hens out as they were tormenting her. She was in there several hours, finally pooped, and finally got down into the run and is now drinking and was tempted to eat with some treat mix. She's hanging out by the waterer now and doesn't seem to be being bullied by other hens.
Do I try to give her another soak tonight?
She hasn't been laying in months. I question whether she's also overweight because she looks so heavy compared to my Australorp and scrappy Rhode Island Reds.
Note that hens are 18 mos and molting. New feather growth noted at tail base of Wyandotte.

 

[CherishedFowlGuardian]

When was her last egg?

 

[chickndays]

Three months ago maybe? She has been my only 18 month hen not laying.

 

[CherishedFowlGuardian]

@coach723

 

[texsuze]

I'd keep her safe from being picked on, either fenced off or in another safe location. Give her a comfortable, quiet place to stay with hay? shavings? Perhaps offer a mash of her regular feed and provide her own water source. Do you have a veterinarian who will see chickens? Radiographs (X-rays) would show if she's eggbound, but she likely would've become much worse if that were the case. It could also demonstrate a mass that might be causing her problem. Fingers crossed for a complete recovery.

 

[Debbie292d]

Check the both sides of her back end and see if it's swollen. Like from her back side, put your hands on her rear, either side of her vent. Compare her to another hen so you can tell if she is.

If that's swollen, it could be ascites or a liver dysfunction.

If you think she might have started to lay again and is having issues, I'd give her another Tums, one per day for a few days. Better would be if you could pick up some Calcium Citrate plus D3, around 3-400 mg, and give her one of those per day for a few days.

 

[chickndays]

I'd keep her safe from being picked on, either fenced off or in another safe location. Give her a comfortable, quiet place to stay with hay? shavings? Perhaps offer a mash of her regular feed and provide her own water source. Do you have a veterinarian who will see chickens? Radiographs (X-rays) would show if she's eggbound, but she likely would've become much worse if that were the case. It could also demonstrate a mass that might be causing her problem. Fingers crossed for a complete recovery.

I cannot take a chicken to a vet. My husband would sooner cull her than do that.
(No offense but for us these are utilitary animals and don't get the same medical treatment the dog does. I'll do what I can at home for her, but no vet bills for a chicken.)

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I would not bathe a distressed chicken. It can be too much of a stress for them and you might lose her.

 

[coach723]

Does her abdomen feel bloated, below the vent, between the legs? Also is her keel bone well muscled or is the bone very prominent? Hard to say if she's not laying due to molt, or if there is more going on. The stance and behavior makes it sound like a reproductive problem. Do you know for sure she was laying before, and was she laying normally and regularly? When she poops, are they normal looking? Is she pooping less often than normal or straining? Also check her crop. If possible check it tonight to see if there is food in it and how it feels, then check first thing in the morning before she's had access to food or water, it should be empty then. 18 months is a little young for a reproductive problem, but it's not impossible, and if she's laying internally, that can start very early. Have you checked her over carefully to make sure there are no injuries hiding in feathers?

 

[chickndays]

I would not bathe a distressed chicken. It can be too much of a stress for them and you might lose her.

Noted. Thanks. I only soaked her backside where the problem seemed to be, plus cleaning off dirty rear feathers. It seemed that Epsom salt bath is recommended for many ailments so I thought it couldn't hurt.

She did go up the ramp to the coop herself tonight and tried to jump onto roost but couldn't make it. She seems weighed down at the back end still so I assisted her onto the roost.