EggBound or Tumor?

[Lelilamom]

One of our 6 mos old RSLs started acting lethargic about a week or two ago. I've been keeping my eye on her, checking her vent, making sure she eats and drinks and so far all I could say was that she was just walking slowing while the others ran around the yard.

Yesterday morning she was noticeably puffed and stood in the corner while the other ate and drank. Her comb had turned darker with the ends crusted over. I checked her vent and while she had poop on her feathers, her vent was clear and a normal color. She was not pushing. This morning, when I threw out scraps of lettuce, spinach and bread, she sat by and watched while the others gobbled up the treats. It was time to check her out.

I took her up to the house and washed her with warm water. She has a foul odor coming form her vent. I lubed her up and felt inside her, but could feel only one track - she has a large mass about the size of a grapefruit pressing up against her backend. It had the consistency of an orange or grapefruit too - firm but with some give.

What am I dealing with here?

 

[Lelilamom]

I checked on her this afternoon and she was sitting in virtually the same spot I left her. I gave her a warm bath and massaged her and could feel two hard lumps in her abdomen. Eggs? After I dried her off and lubed her up, some pretty foul smelling, watery poo came with small black chunks came out. Not eating enough? Dehydrated?

I put her in our infirmary with a wounded chicken and she started eating and drinking immediately.

 

[Eggcessive]

She could be laying internally or have a condition called salpingitis. Cancer is also a possible cause. You could take her in to your vet, or give her some antibiotics. Many times we don't know answers until we do a necropsy after death.

 

[Lelilamom]

Thanks. She's on antibiotics now. I gave her another warm bath and gently messaged her abdomen and dried her off. She's in the infirmary and she's started to push. I hate to see such a young bird going through this.

We don't have a vet anywhere near us that will see a chicken and frankly, I can't spend that kind of money on her. We are a small homestead and these are working birds, not pets. I don't want to see her suffer by any means and after losing so many of these RSLs over the last four years, I'm move toward heritage birds. I don't like to see unnecessary death, which seems to be common in these hybrids.

 

[casportpony]

Thanks.  She's on antibiotics now.  I gave her another warm bath and gently messaged her abdomen and dried her off.  She's in the infirmary and she's started to push.  I hate to see such a young bird going through this.

We don't have a vet anywhere near us that will see a chicken and frankly, I can't spend that kind of money on her.  We are a small homestead and these are working birds, not pets.  I don't want to see her suffer by any means and after losing so many of these RSLs over the last four years, I'm move toward heritage birds.  I don't like to see unnecessary death, which seems to be common in these hybrids.

I have some pictures of what I think it could be, but they are quite graphic. Let me know if you want to see them. If it is what I think it is, it's not treatable.

-Kathy

 

[Lelilamom]

I have some pictures of what I think it could be, but they are quite graphic. Let me know if you want to see them. If it is what I think it is, it's not treatable.

-Kathy

Thanks Kathy. I think she has Peritonitis. I thought this morning she'd be dead. I put her outside for fresh air and sunshine and she's walking back to the coop, slowly and eating grass. I think I'm going to let her do things at her own pace. As long as what she has is not communicable, I'm going to let her live out her days.

 

[casportpony]

I have some pictures of what I think it could be, but they are quite graphic. Let me know if you want to see them. If it is what I think it is, it's not treatable.


-Kathy

Thanks Kathy.  I think she has Peritonitis.  I thought this morning she'd be dead.  I put her outside for fresh air and sunshine and she's walking back to the coop, slowly and eating grass.  I think I'm going to let her do things at her own pace.  As long as what she has is not communicable, I'm going to let her live out her days.

I necropsied one that had a huge mass that I guess started out as one egg, but by the time she died, it was a large, infected mass about 4" x 6".

-Kathy