Hen with abdominal buildup

[Fishsticks06]

Hey all,

I have an almost 4 year old hatchery production blue hybrid breed which has had a health decline in recent weeks. It has gotten worse now, I’ll go over her current state concisely.

Lethargy, loss of appetite but does drink and eat seldomly. Free ranged. Not laying currently. Drooping comb and liquid stool which has begun to buildup around her vent feathers which I have been cleaning up. Shifting posture with tail facing slightly downwards. Weight gain between her legs with some squishy mass but has lost body weight and I can feel her keel bone very easily. I don’t know if I’m probing organs but it feels a little like impacted crop texture wise in hear rear. Not egg bound, there is no egg, she’s passing stool, and she’d be dead by now if it were to be the case. I have her separated and put her on .5 mL of SMZ 2 days ago in case of peritonitis.

Thank you for all and any help.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

When was her last egg?

If she should be laying and hasn't, I'd get Extra Calcium into her. Aim for at least 300mg Calcium Citrate+D3 once daily for 5 days.

Work on hydration, encourage her to eat and check to make sure her crop is emptying.

Could be she's having some reproductive issues which are common in laying hens. EYP, Salpingitis, Cancer, etc. are conditions that affect laying hens and can cause bloat or swelling of the abdomen and unfortunately cause decline in many.

It would be good to get a fecal float to rule out worms as part of the problem.

 

[PennelopeSpeaks]

Could be water belly, dose the swelling in her abdomen feel like water?

 

[Fishsticks06]

Could be water belly, dose the swelling in her abdomen feel like water?

I don’t know if it’s ascites because it feels like the mass is more fleshy.. like I’m just grabbing at a organs which have been pushed back but it could be a buildup of something.

 

[Eggcessive]

Can you post a picture of her droppings?

 

[Fishsticks06]

When was her last egg?

If she should be laying and hasn't, I'd get Extra Calcium into her. Aim for at least 300mg Calcium Citrate+D3 once daily for 5 days.

Work on hydration, encourage her to eat and check to make sure her crop is emptying.

Could be she's having some reproductive issues which are common in laying hens. EYP, Salpingitis, Cancer, etc. are conditions that affect laying hens and can cause bloat or swelling of the abdomen and unfortunately cause decline in many.

It would be good to get a fecal float to rule out worms as part of the problem.

Thank you for your response.

I don’t know when her last egg was. Definitely not recently though. It has been at least 2 weeks but probably longer.

I got her drinking pretty well, but she’s a little picky on food. Crop is emptying and no issues there. Hens are all dewormed 6 months ago, I’ll probably go ahead and deworm again as a precautionary but I feel like it’s probably reproductive.

Thank you again.

 

[Fishsticks06]

Can you post a picture of her droppings?

Well it’s all sticking to her but I can get some after work, sorry to make you wait.

 

[Fishsticks06]

Can you post a picture of her droppings?

I can grab and feel the mass, and it doesn’t hurt her. It feels like how a slightly squishy impacted crop feels if you know what I mean. She’s drooping over and her vent is straining a little. Well it’s opening and closing but she’s producing waste and she’s not backed up.

This stool color is similar to what I’ve seen in hens with similar symptoms who all die shortly after. I don’t know what to do for her.

 

[Eggcessive]

I would try to keep her vent area cleaned up, and offer some plain Greek yogurt with cultures or some probiotics several days a week.

 

[Fishsticks06]

I would try to keep her vent area cleaned up, and offer some plain Greek yogurt with cultures or some probiotics several days a week.

Yea, I’ve been washing it but it’s constant cleanup. I’ll deworm and get her to try and eat some probiotics. Thanks a lot.