Hen Struggling to Walk

[rebrascora]

Is she still able to poop? If so, then I am pretty sure she is not egg bound and what you are feeling is probably not an egg. When they are egg bound, the egg is usually right inside the cloaca and they are unable to pass faeces which is what causes them to die within a couple of days. The oviduct is located in the upper part of the back end.... see diagram below....

I wonder if you are feeling her gizzard, which is very solid and egg sized.

 

[MickWithChicks]

Thanks @rebrascora. She is still able to poop and the mass that feels like an egg hasn't moved. If it is the gizzard that I'm feeling, then the gizzard is very enlarged and swelling past the intestines. I'm only putting a finger in about 1 inch deep and never more when I feel the egg-like mass. It's hard to see in your image, but from some anatomy photos and diagrams I was studying earlier, it feels like the the mass is in the uterus and can't pass through the vagina to the cloaca. If that's the case, then normal defecation would be expected as it wouldn't be impacting the intestines.

Here's a couple of the images I was referring to:

She's still very bright eyed with full colour in her wattles and comb. She's still talkative and squawky, and is still standing and trying to walk. Her balance is definitely no better than it was yesterday and she looks like she had one too many fermented fruit drinks!

The swelling in her abdomen is no worse than yesterday. It was warm to the touch today, but it doesn't appear any larger or feel any fuller.

She's eating well, and has a full and high crop. I've continued feeding her the yoghurt and pellets + liquid calcium and vitamins stirred together which she is enjoying. She doesn't want to drink, but I blended some strawberries with water in the nutri-bullet and she lapped that up and got a good 100-150mL into her tonight.

As it's been about 36 hours since her symptoms showed, I've got her booked in to the local avian vet tomorrow. I tried to book her in today, but this avian vet is the only avian specialist in my area and was off work today. Hopefully she survives to get to the check and I can get some answers.

 

[rebrascora]

The strawberry smoothie was a great idea to get fluids into her. Are you mixing her pellets with the yoghurt and a bit of water to make a wet mash? If so I would not be too concerned about her not drinking much. If she is not producing eggs then she will not need to drink so much anyway, but better to encourage her to stay hydrated if you can.
I agree it is unlikely to be her gizzard if you are only an inch in. Is the egg/solid mass you are feeling upward of her vent, as in your diagram or straight ahead?

It is good that she is still able to poop and is quite perky apart from her poor mobility. The drunken description is a bit concerning as that is often how Marek's presents but lets just hope it is an egg pressing on her sciatic nerve and causing a dead leg instead of pain.
I would be interested to hear the result of the vet's visit if you don't mind posting an update. Will be keeping for her.

 

[nancyrat]

In my opinion (and I'm usually the first to suggest Marek's) this is a reproductive issue. When did she last lay an egg? She appears to have significant abdominal swelling from that photo of her laying on her side. That would suggest there is a mass inside her, whether that is lash egg from salpingitis or a tumour or ascites from some other issue like fatty liver haemorrhagic syndrome is hard to tell but that tail down walk suggests it is most likely reproductive and a normal egg binding would not cause such swelling, so there is most likely something else going on. Can you cup your hand and feel between her legs and then do the same with a healthy hen? Roosting time is a good time to check this to save trying to chase down chickens. I am guessing she has a fullness either hanging between her legs or more likely below her vent. The mass may be pressing on a sciatic nerve and causing her pain and to want to rest.

I may of course be wrong and it could be a straight forward egg binding. You are doing all the right things to help with that ie bathing in warm Epsom salts bath, lubrication and calcium supplement. You might want to give her another soak in a few hours. Covering the bathing tub with a towel to make it dark will help her relax better, but do not leave her unsupervised. It may be that she had a spasm of pain that unsettled her the first time, half way through her soak.

"I am guessing she has a fullness either hanging between her legs or more likely below her vent." What you're describing is what I've been asking about for help with my girl! She is very swollen down between her legs and very warm! Hot to the touch! She doesn't want to move around much - drinks but doesn't appear to be eating. I have gloved up and check for an egg but could not feel anything. Someone suggested a warm bath and I will try it ….she suggested garlic (not sure how that works) but I do for sure have some Epson salt....I have her separated so the other birds don't bother her and I can monitor any feces or egg she may leave....not sure what else to do for the poor girl!

 

[rebrascora]

Hi @nancyrat
I'm sorry your hen is not well too. The fullness hanging between the legs is often ascites (water belly)..... does it feel like it may be fluid like a water balloon? Ascites is actually just a symptom rather than an ailment in itself and often stems from a serious reproductive disorder like internal laying, but can also be caused by other things like liver and heart problems. Unfortunately these are all mostly terminal but if it is ascites, fluid can be drained off to give almost immediate relief from the worst of the symptoms. It would be difficult to say from a description or computer screen photo if it is ascites and or what is causing it..... if your hen has not laid for many weeks or months even and is not desperately old then internal laying is a likely cause. It is a very common reproductive disorder.
I will attach a You Tube video link which explains and demonstrates really well about how to drain the fluid from a hen with Ascites. It may give you the confidence to try this yourself if veterinary treatment is not possible....

You should be aware that your hen's condition is most likely terminal and that there are risks with trying to drain her but it could well extend her life and comfort for several weeks or months, so may well be worth it if she is a pet.
Good luck with her and let us know how you get on.

 

[nancyrat]

Thank you. She is 1.5 years old. We have several layers so I don't know the last time "she" specifically laid. Yes the swelling feels like a water balloon and it is very warm. I have feared we may need to dispatch her because I don't want her to suffer or make others sick if it can be spread...but it doesn't sound like it is contagious...thank you so much for your help. This is just a weird problem I've never experienced before. The video reminds me of when they pulled fluid from my dad's chest cavity around his lungs...wow....thank you.

Hi @nancyrat
I'm sorry your hen is not well too. The fullness hanging between the legs is often ascites (water belly)..... does it feel like it may be fluid like a water balloon? Ascites is actually just a symptom rather than an ailment in itself and often stems from a serious reproductive disorder like internal laying, but can also be caused by other things like liver and heart problems. Unfortunately these are all mostly terminal but if it is ascites, fluid can be drained off to give almost immediate relief from the worst of the symptoms. It would be difficult to say from a description or computer screen photo if it is ascites and or what is causing it..... if your hen has not laid for many weeks or months even and is not desperately old then internal laying is a likely cause. It is a very common reproductive disorder.
I will attach a You Tube video link which explains and demonstrates really well about how to drain the fluid from a hen with Ascites. It may give you the confidence to try this yourself if veterinary treatment is not possible....

You should be aware that your hen's condition is most likely terminal and that there are risks with trying to drain her but it could well extend her life and comfort for several weeks or months, so may well be worth it if she is a pet.
Good luck with her and let us know how you get on.

 

[nancyrat]

She's about the same today. No egg overnight, so I'll bath and massage her abdomen again once I've finished my morning meetings. Still swollen around the abdomen, but it seems to have subsided a bit.

She's eating, drinking, and trying to walk about. Her walking is a bit better, but still pretty wonky and drunk looking. As a normally very active hen, she obviously doesn't like sitting around too much.

I've given her a couple of drops of Avi-Calcium and Avi-Vital in some greek yoghurt this morning and she lapped that up. Her crop felt a little light when I put her outside, so I'll mix some of her feed in with yoghurt and eggs to entice her to get into the food.

MickWithChicks, I want to thank you for posting and sharing. My girl passed away today. Her issues sounded much the same.....she was very swollen down low between her legs and her abdomen felt very hot, she didn't want to walk...and wouldn't eat. She seemed fine until yesterday when I noticed she wouldn't leave the coop. But who knows, yours seems to be responding a bit better. Best of luck to you....I hope your girl feels better soon.

 

[nancyrat]

rebrascora, thank you for your support too.

 

[MickWithChicks]

Thankfully she laid her egg overnight last night. I haven't yet checked inside her vent for what I had been feeling over the last two days, but her gait is much better and her tail is up.

The egg was not in anyway misshapen or large in size, so there may be some other issues inside her reproductive tract that caused the egg binding. The swelling has gone down significantly.

The white egg is hers, compared to one of my ISA brown eggs:

Here's a video of her walking:
https://streamable.com/zcym5

@nancyrat, I'm so sorry you lost your girl. I'll write a follow up post in this thread with everything I did to help her pass the egg.

 

[ChickNanny13]

@nancyrat Sorry for your loss