Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[ChicoryBlue]

@notabitail How is Beetov-hen doing?

 

[BY Bob]

We’re in the middle of a multiple day atmospheric river, and so made the most of a surprise break in the rain. Becky usually has more composure than this:View attachment 3696721
Albert had to shake all that confinement off of her.
View attachment 3696722

That picture of Becky is amazing!

 

[Ponypoor]

Sous chef Duke helping me with the chili. "Moral support"View attachment 3696884View attachment 3696885

Smells wonderful even from here

 

[Ponypoor]

Little pumpkins

I had mama and babies out and about,l for a few hrs, pretty much kept Henny to the Hen House, it was a success with no Marty fights and no one bothering her.

The young pullets were very curious about the babies, but kept their distance.

They are back on their crate now, I don’t trust the others, I need to go to town for feed and stuff.

And caught the little pumpkins inside their little pumpkin - it’s a big hit with them!

 

[ManueB]

Hello FBA. I haven't been very present last week, so I was very grateful for @ChicoryBlue 's exhaustive synopsis .

@Ponypoor I have some (well actually many) questions about drainage and ascites. I think my hen Kara possibly has that, but I am not 100% certain. Her abdomen feels swollen and squishy, her vent is constantly pulsating, her crop is normal and she doesn't smell bad. She has a penguin stance and I thought she was eggbound, but she is laying normally. I remember you said no fluid came out of Red when you tried draining her. Is there a risk to try drainage in case it isn't ascites ? Is it possible to damage any organs ?
I’m hesitant to take her to the vet to get a professional diagnosis and get them to show me, but that would only be in ten days, and she looks quite uncomfortable. Would pain meds help at all if I wait ?
And you said you were using a butterfly needle, right ? What did you attach it to to collect the fluid ? I am not sure about what supplies I should get if I do it at home, and I would have to order them, which will certainly take a bit of time as well.

She doesn't look to be in terrible pain as she can still run a bit and eat and move, although she spent most of the last two days lying down, but I am afraid it will get worse.
I think am not too squeamish with needles since I helped vaccinate lambs but that also taught me I am very clumsy with them, so I don't want to risk doing any serious damage.

Thank you for any help or advice. I will be also posting in the emergency forum.
Kara dozing in the sun.

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

I'm Seeing Spots

View attachment 3696420

Hurry up before it gets to cold!

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Hello FBA. I haven't been very present last week, so I was very grateful for @ChicoryBlue 's exhaustive synopsis .

@Ponypoor I have some (well actually many) questions about drainage and ascites. I think my hen Kara possibly has that, but I am not 100% certain. Her abdomen feels swollen and squishy, her vent is constantly pulsating, her crop is normal and she doesn't smell bad. She has a penguin stance and I thought she was eggbound, but she is laying normally. I remember you said no fluid came out of Red when you tried draining her. Is there a risk to try drainage in case it isn't ascites ? Is it possible to damage any organs ?
I’m hesitant to take her to the vet to get a professional diagnosis and get them to show me, but that would only be in ten days, and she looks quite uncomfortable. Would pain meds help at all if I wait ?
And you said you were using a butterfly needle, right ? What did you attach it to to collect the fluid ? I am not sure about what supplies I should get if I do it at home, and I would have to order them, which will certainly take a bit of time as well.

She doesn't look to be in terrible pain as she can still run a bit and eat and move, although she spent most of the last two days lying down, but I am afraid it will get worse.
I think am not too squeamish with needles since I helped vaccinate lambs but that also taught me I am very clumsy with them, so I don't want to risk doing any serious damage.

Thank you for any help or advice. I will be also posting in the emergency forum.
Kara dozing in the sun.
View attachment 3696993

There is no way you can take her sooner? Could she have an internal infection? Is her poop normal? No other excretions? I think a hen can be laying while also having problems from peritonitis. An X-ray may show you tumors if she has them. She could also be having both those problems concurrently. Her vent action may be from feeling something there in or pressing on her, as if there's poop or an egg that needs to go out.

The vet here I brought Peanut to did have some good wary points about puncturing for drainage. I was more gung-ho about learning it before I heard her warnings about it, and saw her do it. She did not want to teach me anyway (as opposed to tube-feeding, which they were fine with teaching).

Yes, there is risk, of introducing infection with the needle, and of puncturing an organ, by way of the needle insert, or of drawing the organs closer through the fluid pull and the space the ascites fills getting smaller (that's why they don't try to get it all). The vet had X-rayed Peanut, to see how things are arranged in there and get a better guess as to what her swelling was from. Tumors can push stuff around and displace organs. She aimed low because I think normally the organs are up near the spine, and didn't appear really displaced in the X-ray. The insides are compartmentalized by membranes, so she carefully went in, then almost out and back in, in a couple of directions.

I should add that Peanut was a very compliant hen, she was feeling so bad too, so there wasn't a ton of struggle and she stayed put during the procedure with a basic wrap and me helping to hold her.

She ended up getting a ton of fluid (clear colored fluid, ascites from cancer, if it was cloudy it would show infection), but it didn't give Peanut much relief, she got about one good day from it, she had too much tumor in the wrong places. One can drain a hen every so often and give her a good life for awhile, the vet knew of one that went about two years, with a slow-growing tumor that wasn't growing in a critical area.

I don't see a downside to pain medication in the meantime, if at least you can alleviate her discomfort that is good. You could try them and see how she appears to feel.

 

[BeastBaby]

Quincy looks as if to say “If you don’t like it, don’t take my picture! Silly hooman “

I think she’s in denial about how disheveled she is. Her self image is definitely more

and less

She looks fierce but I bet she’s a sweetie

She is pretty great! As sweet as a Don’t-touch-me chicken can be . One thing I love about her is how gentle and accepting she has been of the new pullets- she was the first to share food and perch alongside them.

 

[BeastBaby]

That picture of Becky is amazing!

Thanks!

 

[ManueB]

There is no way you can take her sooner? Could she have an internal infection? Is her poop normal? No other excretions? I think a hen can be laying while also having problems from peritonitis. An X-ray may show you tumors if she has them. She could also be having both those problems concurrently. Her vent action may be from feeling something there in or pressing on her, as if there's poop or an egg that needs to go out.

The vet here I brought Peanut to did have some good wary points about puncturing for drainage. I was more gung-ho about learning it before I heard her warnings about it, and saw her do it. She did not want to teach me anyway (as opposed to tube-feeding, which they were fine with teaching).

Yes, there is risk, of introducing infection with the needle, and of puncturing an organ, by way of the needle insert, or of drawing the organs closer through the fluid pull and the space the ascites fills getting smaller (that's why they don't try to get it all). The vet had X-rayed Peanut, to see how things are arranged in there and get a better guess as to what her swelling was from. Tumors can push stuff around and displace organs. She aimed low because I think normally the organs are up near the spine, and didn't appear really displaced in the X-ray. The insides are compartmentalized by membranes, so she carefully went in, then almost out and back in, in a couple of directions.

I should add that Peanut was a very compliant hen, she was feeling so bad too, so there wasn't a ton of struggle and she stayed put during the procedure with a basic wrap and me helping to hold her.

She ended up getting a ton of fluid (clear colored fluid, ascites from cancer, if it was cloudy it would show infection), but it didn't give Peanut much relief, she got about one good day from it, she had too much tumor in the wrong places. One can drain a hen every so often and give her a good life for awhile, the vet knew of one that went about two years, with a slow-growing tumor that wasn't growing in a critical area.

I don't see a downside to pain medication in the meantime, if at least you can alleviate her discomfort that is good. You could try them and see how she appears to feel.

Thank you so much for taking the time to explain all this. It's very helpful and makes us feel that we should indeed take her to the vet, so we can know what's going on.

I will call the clinic tomorrow as they only answer for emergencies on Sunday. The closest online reservation I could get was in ten days, but sometimes on the phone they manage to find emergency appointments.
It is a possibility that she has an infection, yes. She doesn't act or feel like my three other hens that died of EYP. She did have an issue laying about six weeks ago, she passed two eggs on the same day and since then her eggs shells are much weaker and lighter, but she has been laying every day.
Her poops are not great, but they never have been, and they are not worse. She is one of the POL pullets I got from a bad breeder that were all very unhealthy when they arrived here.

I was really thinking fatty liver disease, because she is a glutton like I have never seen before, and a big hen that feels really heavy. But I guess cancer or colibacillosis are also possibilities. She is only ten months old .