Hen with Swollen Abdomen

[DraigAthar]

i am just reading this - what happened. - just researching as i noticed one of my hens acting "shy" and keeping to herself and seems to have a slightly swollen abdomen and showing some skin.

Magrat died a few months ago, back in early spring. She was not quite two years old. She had an autumn molt last November-ish, then started laying again and laid somewhat regularly through the winter. She maintained her spot in the peck order the whole time, too. Then she just started slowing down a LOT. We gave her a small coop of her own and let her have a heat lamp, because we'd had some very cold snaps and I was worried she just wasn't handling the weather well. She spent a few days sleeping under the heat lamp, seemed to actually enjoy it because she would eat and drink if I put the food and water close enough to her so she could bask at the same time. But then she stopped being interested in food and died about a day later. I did a rudimentary necropsy on her and her abdomen was full of odd tissue and little tumor nodules all over her intestines, and the peritoneal wall was thickened significantly. Very odd, but I feel safe assuming she had some sort of neoplastic process going on there and it finally was just too much for her little body.

If you have a hen with a swollen abdomen like this, I would first rule out egg binding or peritonitis. Good luck.

 

[shannybell]

I did a search for "hen with swollen abdomen" because I have a hen with a swollen abdomen, and just finished reading magrat's story. I wasn't expecting the sad news in your last post. I'm really sorry. I can't believe how attached I have come to be to my chickens and others.

I guess I need to try to research a little about Rose. Her abdomen is huge. She is a auction hen, never laid an egg for me in the 8 or 10 months I've had her... I should have known better but my kids talked me into getting her. Wheaten Ameraucana. Have no idea how old she is and now she has a huge abdomen that almost drags the ground UGH.

 

[micatriance]

Oh, my chicken is having EXACTLY the same symptoms as your chicken with the same habitat and then i read your last post to find out what happened to Magrat and thats really sad

 

[DraigAthar]

Magrat died last winter, so she doesn't look much like anything anymore. But when she was still alive, her swollen abdomen was never as big as the hen in your photo. Your chicken looks more like it has ascites. Does it feel kind of squishy when you press on it?

 

[micatriance]

yes

 

[micatriance]

whats ascites?

 

[BrickWall Honey]

whats ascites?

Courtesy from the Poultry Site
]
Definition: The term "ascites" actually refers to the fluid accumulation in abdominal cavity (or so called "waterbelly"). The disease is more scientifically known as pulmonary hypertension syndrome. Ascites is most commonly diagnosed at 4 - 5 weeks of age. Total mortality due to ascites is higher in the male parent lines, which have the capability of faster growth and higher muscle deposition compared to the female lines (Dewil et al., 1996).

Pathology:
The pathology is associated with abnormally high blood pressure between the heart and lungs (pulmonary hypertension) leading to heart failure, increased blood pressure in the veins, and excessive build-up of fluid in the liver which leaks into body cavity (Maxwell, 1990).

 

[DraigAthar]

Ascites, simply put, is an abnormal accumulation of fluid in the peritoneal cavity. And it can have many causes, not just pulmonary hypertension. It can be a localized process (as in infection/inflammation) or a systemic process (as in the above mentioned pulmonary hypertension). Anyway, Magrat's lumpy abdomen turned out to be most likely neoplastic, and not due fluid accumulation. If your hen's abdomen feels all squishy, it's more likely ascites and diagnosing the root cause is complicated. It is a serious problem, though. If you want to figure it out, you're probably going to need a vet's help.

 

[casportpony]

FWIW, I recently lost a peachick to ascites caused by a heart defect according to the pathologists at UC Davis.

-Kathy

 

[IndigoRaven]

We have a chicken in a similar situation but she got a little worse. She had a big swollen abdomen, was dragging it, her tail was dropped, and she was needing to nap more than usual. We brought her to the pet ER and they did not see evidence of egg binding but did think the ovary looked swollen and gave her a 10 day course of antibiotics. We saw a local vet that specializes in agricultural animals and she agreed but added another 10 days of antibiotics. The mass got smaller, and now the skin feels pretty loose, most of the fluid is gone, but she still has what feels like a small solid mass in there. She is spending the days out in the run with the rest of the flock and the evenings inside so we can keep her on the antibiotic schedule and minimize the energy she needs to use keeping warm (we've had a nasty cold stretch in MA). She runs around with the rest of the flock, is foraging, is pooping normally, and 4 days ago she started laying eggs again every other day (she had been laying for just 3 weeks when this started, she is only one of two pullets in our flock of 6 that have started laying). I've been scrambling her eggs and feeding them back to her for a little extra nutrition (plus we don't want to eat them due to the meds). In a couple of days we'll be done with the 20 days of antibiotics. I can't afford to spend any more on this issue, but am hoping that we'll be able to stop the antibiotics, supplement with some herbs (oregano, thyme that we grew last summer, plus fresh parsley and cilantro), and get her back to her normal life out with the rest of the girls. There has been no pecking. They are happy to see her back. She's the one they all try to climb in under when it is cold. So at this point we aren't exactly sure what the issue is. Maybe a tumor? Has anyone else had this experience? Does anyone have suggestions for how to keep her well without spending anymore on antibiotics and trips to the vet?