hens breathing rapidly, dirty feathers by the vent

[minihorse927]

This is a 1.5 year old English orpington. She started this today. She started breathing rapidly, no rattle, no snot, no eye swelling or bubbles. No other sick chickens. Her vent looks fine other than looking dirty. She was given a bath about a month ago and I checked her backside 2 weeks later and she was still very clean. Tonight she has white and clear streaked down the feathers below her vent and from the rib cage to the vent seems rather warm and swollen. It looks like she laid an egg today as I only have 4 chocolate orpingtons and there was 3 eggs and 1 hen is broody. She is lethargic but has eaten some and was drinking water like nothing was wrong.

 

[Outpost JWB]

More questions for you:

Do her eyes look puffy or swollen?

Is her poo normal?

One of the illnesses I found that displayed the symptoms you posted here and on Dixie Chickens is Mycoplasma. Google that and see what you think.

 

[minihorse927]

She passed overnight
She did not have anything puffy or swollen about her eyes. The area below her vent was swollen and hot and still is even after her passing. She had no respiratory problems other than the rapid breathing and it started out very slow and increased all of a sudden.
She passed in less than 3 hours. This is not mycoplasma as she lacked all the respiratory infection symptoms. When I first found her breathing heavily i thought is was some type of respiratory infection but after inspecting her closer it seems her reproductive tract had become infected somehow. I'm going to send her to necropsy and see what they say.

 

[minihorse927]

Someone else on facebook mentioned fatty liver? The symptoms seems very close to that. They match egg peritonitis exact but this all happened in less than 12 hours and she laid an egg today, which leads me to believe it's not that. I am at a loss as this was my best chocolate orpington hen and I loved this one dearly. I seen her as much more of a pet than some of my others.

 

[Outpost JWB]

So sorry. I also read about Prolapse of the Oviduct. After the hen's insides prolapse, the other chickens may eat the stuff hanging out of her vent and she will ultimately die of shock or loss of blood. Let me know what they say happened. Again, so sorry.