Feels like chicken has a mass stuck in her, if she's not egg bound what could it be?

[ladyhenrietta]

My 4-year old Barred Rock hen, Helen, doesn't really lay anymore. Two days ago, I saw her just laying down which isn't super alarming (she has an injured leg, so she does this often). I decided to just randomly check if she was egg bound because 1. she's been egg bound before and 2. our Barred Rocked hen, Scooter, just passed from being egg bound last week. To my surprise, I felt something that felt like an egg in her lower abdomen.

We did a warm Epsom salt bath but it didn't budge at all. The thing is, she isn't showing any symptoms of being egg bound, then or now. She is eating, her tail is up, and she is pooping perfectly normal. I used a lubricated gloved finger to check and sure enough I felt an egg. BUT I didn't feel the egg shell, rather skin or tissue on top of an egg. I don't really see a way to get the egg out because it's covered by her skin or tissue - this is exactly what I felt when my hen Scooter passed last week. We took her to the vet and they found that her ovaries were enlarged and that she had a PETRIFIED egg stuck in her vent. We had to put her down unfortunately. However, in Helen's case, I'm thinking it might not be an egg (maybe a tumor?) because it's not interfering with her normal vent functions and she has made no attempt to lay said egg.

Anyone have ANY idea what this could be? Picture below with a blue circle in the approximate area where I feel this "mass" or possible egg.

 

[NatJ]

I felt something that felt like an egg in her lower abdomen...Anyone have ANY idea what this could be? Picture below with a blue circle in the approximate area where I feel this "mass" or possible egg.

Have you tried feeling some healthy chickens for comparison? If you find the same thing in a few healthy chickens, then it is probably something normal, even if you can't be sure what it really is.

Maybe her gizzard? It's about the right size, shape, and texture to feel like you described, but I don't think it should be in quite the place you marked (good idea to use the diagram that way!)

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Interesting there was a thread by a new member about almost the same thing yesterday...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...-but-not-showing-signs.1548380/#post-26153334

 

[Invsochicken]

Interesting there was a thread by a new member about almost the same thing yesterday...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...-but-not-showing-signs.1548380/#post-26153334

Ha, yea this is my sister’s account. I asked her to repost this because my post wasn’t really getting any traction before you answered.

 

[Kriscam]

My 4-year old Barred Rock hen, Helen, doesn't really lay anymore. Two days ago, I saw her just laying down which isn't super alarming (she has an injured leg, so she does this often). I decided to just randomly check if she was egg bound because 1. she's been egg bound before and 2. our Barred Rocked hen, Scooter, just passed from being egg bound last week. To my surprise, I felt something that felt like an egg in her lower abdomen.

We did a warm Epsom salt bath but it didn't budge at all. The thing is, she isn't showing any symptoms of being egg bound, then or now. She is eating, her tail is up, and she is pooping perfectly normal. I used a lubricated gloved finger to check and sure enough I felt an egg. BUT I didn't feel the egg shell, rather skin or tissue on top of an egg. I don't really see a way to get the egg out because it's covered by her skin or tissue - this is exactly what I felt when my hen Scooter passed last week. We took her to the vet and they found that her ovaries were enlarged and that she had a PETRIFIED egg stuck in her vent. We had to put her down unfortunately. However, in Helen's case, I'm thinking it might not be an egg (maybe a tumor?) because it's not interfering with her normal vent functions and she has made no attempt to lay said egg.

Anyone have ANY idea what this could be? Picture below with a blue circle in the approximate area where I feel this "mass" or possible egg.

View attachment 3262153

I was about to post a similar experience to see if anyone had any ideas. My barred rock is only 1.5 years old and has a baseball sized protuberance in the area you've highlighted in blue. I first noticed it because I have to give her booty baths regularly. The protrusion catches poo. Like your hen, she acts normal in every way. She did have some reproductive trouble when she started laying. She would lay three eggs in one day, sometimes a double yoker, just all over the place. I wonder if her system got stretched out of shape and never recovered? If it's water belly, wouldn't she be acting sick? I'm ready to take her to vet! Maybe an Xray will give a clue?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I was about to post a similar experience to see if anyone had any ideas. My barred rock is only 1.5 years old and has a baseball sized protuberance in the area you've highlighted in blue. I first noticed it because I have to give her booty baths regularly. The protrusion catches poo. Like your hen, she acts normal in every way. She did have some reproductive trouble when she started laying. She would lay three eggs in one day, sometimes a double yoker, just all over the place. I wonder if her system got stretched out of shape and never recovered? If it's water belly, wouldn't she be acting sick? I'm ready to take her to vet! Maybe an Xray will give a clue?

Sound like you need to see the vet then.
Good luck

 

[KMac091]

I'd love an update on the hens with the hard mass in their abdomen. I've got one that seems very similar (1.5 years old; her color has been off. noticed the mass yesterday, still there today, and I haven't seen any signs of poop from her today. her crop didn't fully empty last night. we did the warm epsom salt bath. I lubed up and put my finger in her vent, but didn't feel anything but empty space). I gave her nutridrench straight down her throat, in case she needs the calcium. she's not standing in the typical penguin pose, but is fluffed up and lethargic

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'd love an update on the hens with the hard mass in their abdomen. I've got one that seems very similar (1.5 years old; her color has been off. noticed the mass yesterday, still there today, and I haven't seen any signs of poop from her today. her crop didn't fully empty last night. we did the warm epsom salt bath. I lubed up and put my finger in her vent, but didn't feel anything but empty space). I gave her nutridrench straight down her throat, in case she needs the calcium. she's not standing in the typical penguin pose, but is fluffed up and lethargic

Welcome To BYC

Do you have a thread about your hen?

A hard mass in the abdomen could be tumor, salpingitis, cancer, etc. hard to know what unless you lose them and perform a necropsy.

Not pooping is not a good. I'd give her some coconut oil, 1tsp twice day to see if that helps get things moving. Work on hydration, electrolytes would be good. If you feel she needs calcium, then give her 1 Calcium Citrate daily. PND is o.k. for a quick vitamin boost, but it's not a source of significant calcium.

Crop issues often accompany reproductive disorders. You can work on treating the crop according to this article https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

 

[KMac091]

Welcome To BYC

Do you have a thread about your hen?

A hard mass in the abdomen could be tumor, salpingitis, cancer, etc. hard to know what unless you lose them and perform a necropsy.

Not pooping is not a good. I'd give her some coconut oil, 1tsp twice day to see if that helps get things moving. Work on hydration, electrolytes would be good. If you feel she needs calcium, then give her 1 Calcium Citrate daily. PND is o.k. for a quick vitamin boost, but it's not a source of significant calcium.

Crop issues often accompany reproductive disorders. You can work on treating the crop according to this article https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

Thank you. I don’t have a thread about this hen, though she has had a lot of issues over her short life. Her crop was still full this morning, only a small amount of very bad-smelling greenish sludge poop overnight, and the mass is still hard in her abdomen. It’s not squishy, but rather feels like an eggshell. In any case, I can’t reach it when I examined her vent. I gave her olive oil yesterday with a syringe, plus three warm epsom salt baths. I don’t think we can solve the crop issue when she’s unable to pass poop, so I think we’ll have to cull her today.

 

[NatJ]

I don’t think we can solve the crop issue when she’s unable to pass poop, so I think we’ll have to cull her today.

If you do cull her, you can look afterward to see what the mass in the abdomen actually is. I'd be curious to know what you find. (Sorry I don't have any ideas about helping her, just curiosity about what the mass is.)