Hen with swollen abdomen, treatment suggestions please

[Sunny Side Up]

I was out all day & didn't get home until after sunset. Layette didn't eat much of her scrambled eggs, but did finish all the oiled bread. Still swollen below, still no egg or big poops in the cage. I soaked her again, after soaking her vent bulges as if she's trying to push something out (?) Poor old girl!

Island Time, what kind of needle did you use? Where did you stick it? What came out? Did it relieve your hen's swelling? Layette & I need to know!

 

[Sunny Side Up]

I am not sure what to do for Layette anymore, or if I've made the right choice.

Two days ago I let her back into the yard when her flock-mates were out free-ranging in the afternoon. She moved around fairly well and climbed up the ramp to roost in the coop with her pals. But she still has that big swollen abdomen.

If there's ANYthing I can do to relieve her symptoms & make her more comfortable I will be glad to do it. Please advise! More soaking? More oil? Drain with a needle? What do you recommend?

Otherwise, I'm going to let her continue life with her flock. They're not picking on her and she seems more content being with them. Even if she never lays again, she's earned herself a comfortable retirement with her best chicken friends.

 

[caralouise1974]

Can you tell me how things ended up for poor Layette? My bluebelle hybrid has very similar symptoms, although she's still behaving normally for the moment and doesn' appear troubled by them at all.

I do hope Layette's problems resolved and she had a happy ending...

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Awww, thank you for asking. Layette is still with us, and still about the same. No better but not at all worse. She still hangs with her flock-mates and gets up in the coop every night (her coop is a 2-story construction, with the roosts up over the nesting area). She's just a dear old lady, can't do much but doesn't need help either. She's in good company here in sunny South Florida enjoying her retirement, I should take her into town some day to enjoy an early bird special.

As long as someone doesn't try to turn her into one.

Let me know if you learn of anything that helps your hen, perhaps there really is more I could do for Layette.

 

[caralouise1974]

I'm so glad to hear that layette is still with you, and not getting any worse. As long as she is happy and joining with her flock mates then that's got to beat for her hasn't it?

My main thread about our dearest Bella is still going strong - and I just posted an update as I just got back from the vets, where I was astounded to find that she had two membrane-less eggs inside her (which she laid on the examination table, after an abdominal massage). It doesn't look good quite honestly - she's obviously got some issues with her reproductive tract (she's only six months old, and has been having troubles ever since she started laying four weeks ago) and I hear that only an expensive hysterectomy will sort out internal laying/egg peritonitis.

I do hope she'll recover though. She is much-loved.

 

[aitchbe]

xx