Emergency hen 7yrs old, abdomen tight as a drum, listless

[Granny Hatchet]

She has always been a good layer. A few years ago I had to have my birds in foster care for 8 months (while I battled the borough). While in foster care my one lacewing Wyandotte stopped laying. She stopped for two years. Then out of the blue she started laying again!

I see a lot of people cull their hens after their 2nd yr. because laying slows down. Does my heart good to read of someone doing all they can for a 7yr old

 

[debigag]

I see a lot of people cull their hens after their 2nd yr. because laying slows down. Does my heart good to read of someone doing all they can for a 7yr old

Arrgghhhh....Cull is a swear word at my house. My chickens are my pets. They live until they die then they get buried in the pet cemetary at the corner of my property. No one gets culled unless they are extremely sick or beyond help injured. ...and we NEVER eat a chicken here (well we eat chicken just not MY chickens!!)....she has laid every summer for me and fairly regularly.

 

[debigag]

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10210956338130110

Here is my girl last night. She seems to be doing just fine. She eats pretty well, she is pooing regularly though still a bit sloppy...and she laid an egg yesterday. I get one every 2-3 days. She still has a very bloated abdomen though....tight as a drum....and she seems to fret with it some...poking and preening around her tummy more than usual, though not obsessing over it. When I showered her yesterday morning and cleaned her butt, I cut away most of the butt feathers just to cut down on any pasting messes.

 

[debigag]

Here is her poo yesterday around 5pm. I got home andlet her out of the crate....she always runs into the living room...she squatted and poo'd and this is what it looks like most days. My foot is there to show size!

 

[cottontail farm]

That's really odd looking poo, is it black? I've honestly wondered if she has some kind of cancer that has filled her belly with fluid?
HOWEVER, When I watch the video of your hen she doesn't look like she's in any pain at all, she looks curious and very happy.
As long as she's eating, drinking, pooping and puttering around there's only so much worrying you can do.
Thanks for posting the video, she's beautiful. Does she boss the cat around? My chickens love cat food. It's like chiclen crack or something.

 

[debigag]

That's really odd looking poo, is it black? I've honestly wondered if she has some kind of cancer that has filled her belly with fluid?

Her poo does have a lot of black in it. It is usually a pretty small amount compared to what she dumped last summer when she was living outside. Her belly just does not seem like it is fluid filled. I have had 3 hens with fluid bellies and hers feels nothing like it. Hers is round and full like she is bloated with gas.
Could it be worms? I ordered the goat wormer that was suggested above and it should be here in a day or 2........

 

[debigag]

Does she boss the cat around? My chickens love cat food. It's like chiclen crack or something.

LOL....the cats don't bother her and the don't mess with her. Neither do the dogs (I have a Boston mix and a Dalmatian) She is definitely the boss around here. If she thinks someone is horning in on her food she'll peck them in the head.

 

[azygous]

What sort of treats does she get? Red grapes, red cabbage, raisins, grit with woods ashes all can make poop almost black. A sick chicken likely will have watery poop, not solid.

 

[debigag]

she eats her layer crumbles, black sunflower seed and a wee bit of cracked corn, a lot of dried mealworms as snacks. Her greens for the last 10 days have most been snap peas chopped up and organic spring mix chopped up (she eats it better with less waste if I cut it up into bite size for her....yea I know she has me whipped!). Granite grit no ash. She ate some left over Chinese this morning......but she picked out the lo mein noodles!!! But she had what would equaled less than a tablespoon of those. I bought a bag of parakeet/finch seed as snacks and she has some of that while she watches TV at night!

 

[azygous]

I rehomed a cockerel years back to a family that gave him house privileges. He would sit on the back of the couch and watch TV with the family in the evenings, then go sleep on a file cabinet at bedtime. Just so you know you aren't the first to treat your chicken as a house guest.

There is every possibility that somewhere among the many delicacies your hen consumes is something that is giving her poop a dark color. The solid state appears normal to me.

I believe she's doing just fine thanks to your dedication.