Hoping to use this site for good chicken advice

[WindsorGurl]

Did the Leghorn hen also have decreased laying when her comb started to pale and shrink?

Yes. She even started to look like she was improving at one point and started laying again, but it didn't last long. Maybe one week and then she got pale again and stopped laying and eventually passed.

 

[Kiki]

I did the abdomen check and it's twice the size of my healthy hen. It's very extended. What could that mean?

Could mean she has a serious infection. She needs antibiotics stat but unfortunately that may not help.
The yellow poop is a sign of infection.

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

Could mean she has a serious infection. She needs antibiotics stat but unfortunately that may not help.
The yellow poop is a sign of infection.

What type of infection do you think?

 

[rebrascora]

If she hasn't laid an egg for a year and she has a bloated abdomen, my guess would be that she has been laying internally and may now be developing EYP or her gut is becoming stopped back due to the swelling and she has an intestinal infection. Unfortunately, the internal laying over that sort of time scale means that even if you give antibiotics for infection, her days are still numbered due to the egg material in her abdomen pressing on her gut. A good vet might be able to remove the yplks and flush the abdominal cavity but it would be horrendously expensive with no guarantee of survival and probably require 3-6 monthly hormonal implants if she did survive the surgery and recovery and you are looking at 100-150 dollars a go for those, which is beyond the finances for the average person and a tremendous amount of stress for the sick bird to go through. I would give her whatever she will eat at this stage..... scrambled egg would be better than bread but her days are almost certainly numbered and it would be wise to make enquiries about euthanizing her for when her quality of life is no longer tenable. I usually call time when they lose interest in food.

I'm sorry I can't offer much hope for her.
That feed should be fine and I don't think her problem is diet related but probably more to do with genetics. I can explain a bit more about internal laying if you are particularly interested in understanding it.

 

[Kiki]

What type of infection do you think?

Egg Peritonitis in Poultry - Poultry - Merck Veterinary Manual

 

[Kiki]

This is a fellow BYcer and I think it explains things pretty good.

 

[WindsorGurl]

Thank you all so much for taking the time to offer advice and opinions. I never expected this kind of attention with my intro. I'm very humbled. I hope this will have a happy ending but it really doesn't look good. It's soooo hard to watch your pet dying and not know how to help them. The video was very informative thanks for sharing. I will let everyone know what the necropsy turns up. My Rhode island red is still laying and very perky so I'm hoping it stays that way for her and whatever this is isn't contagious.

 

[Kiki]

Thank you all so much for taking the time to offer advice and opinions. I never expected this kind of attention with my intro. I'm very humbled. I hope this will have a happy ending but it really doesn't look good. It's soooo hard to watch your pet dying and not know how to help them. The video was very informative thanks for sharing. I will let everyone know what the necropsy turns up. My Rhode island red is still laying and very perky so I'm hoping it stays that way for her and whatever this is isn't contagious.

I am sorry this is happening to both you and her.
I really doubt it is anything contagious.

 

[Kiki]

I don't remember if you said you have already been in touch with your state lab or not.
If not you can find the link to it here:
Necropsy and disease testing lab info

 

[Shezadandy]

Do you have a farm supply store near by? If you do- you might want to call ahead- see if they have any 16 gauge needles. If you can find a 14 gauge, get that instead- but try to make it at least 16 gauge- generally they're in the cattle section. I'll post my favorite video about how to drain the abdomen- the one that gave me courage to help my bird and confidence that I wasn't causing harm to her in the process. You'll find a lot of videos where people have tiny needles- 18, 20 and so on- the bigger the number, the smaller the hole, and they go from area to area in the abdomen, inserting the needle multiple times, drawing out small amounts.

Think of it this way- how hard is it to suck a thick milkshake through a tiny straw? The bigger the hole in the needle, the easier it will drain- especially if you have thick material- and you should only have to poke her ONE TIME in an area where you're not going to nick anything. If it doesn't come up as linked below, go to youtube and search for "You won't believe what came out of this hen"

You'll also need a syringe- I like the 35ml kind, if they have the kind that will fit the needle. So many places only sell that size with the "feeder" top on it.

Chances are good that either she's laying internally and it's turned into EYP as others have noted. You can't cure it- but you CAN potentially make her SO much more comfortable. I had a hen start down this road in fall - we kept her drained - but the day did come this spring when she just stood in a corner - and I kept my promise to help her when she wasn't able to enjoy her life anymore.

You'll learn a lot by what comes out of her abdomen. If it's thick yellow puss, she won't have long- but you can help her be comfortable by draining her regularly. If it's clear but amber to some variety of yellow, there's probably something else going on - either way you can help her be comfortable.