EYP and draining

[AWa3785]

Hi all!

I continue to have trouble with my Plymouth Blue Rocks. These poor girls have their trouble. I’ve dealt with EYP already with the first one I had lost. She was emaciated but definitely full of fluid and was able to drain pretty consistently until it was time to let her go. I have another girl on the same path however this time- she didn’t present the same way for sickness until recently and upon feeling her abdomen there is very obvious hard masses in her abdomen. The other day she was roosting while others were free ranging and I noticed she hadn’t eaten. So I decided to try to drain from fluid. I was able to pull 4 ounces but with it came a lot of air too! Is this common? I never had this issue with the first girl.

I’m curious what could cause the air in her abdomen? I have a rooster that had mounted her a few times so could it be from this process and air enters her abdomen through the vent?

Thank you!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

If you didn't get much fluid and it was air, then it does not sound like she has symptoms of Ascites. You were in the abdominal cavity which is a bit like an open space.
Not every swollen abdomen is fluid.
Unless you do a necropsy when the hen dies, you probably won't be able to give the condition as "name". EYP, Cancer, Tumors, Salpingitis, Internal Laying.....all of these are reproductive problems and fluid (Ascites) can be a symptom that accompanies any of them. Ascites is also a symptom of liver, heart, organ dysfunction.

You may want to observe a hen for several days if you note they are off. Leave them with the flock unless they are getting picked on. Check for lice/mites, that the crop is emptying, get a fecal float to see if worms are part of the problem. See that she's staying hydrated and eating a little.

I would not dry draining again unless it's clear she's in a state of decline and that there's fluid in the abdomen that can be drained.

 

[Eggcessive]

What color was the fluid that you got out of the abdomen? Ascites fluid is yellow to deep amber, and green with severe liver issues. If it was clear and colorless, it wasn’t ascites. Hens with ascites can have cancer, egg yolk peritonitis or internal laying, liver disease, and in some cases heart failure. With emaciation, cancer might have been a problem if the hen’s crop was functioning. Most of the time, it can be hard to diagnose a sick hen until you can do a necropsy after death. Your state vet can also do a more thorough one.