I'm confussed..& need help....Sick hen swollen belly, not egg bound

[Mama Kay W]

Thank you so very much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am so very happy to report she is back in the coop with her flock mates

It wasn't too easy since she has been in my office for over 2 weeks, but I stayed out with her and the rest of them for most of the day and made sure she wasn't picked on too much, I knew there would be some picking on, but she had enough room to get away from the others (unfortunately I couldn't make a barrier but I did the best I could) then I left for a bit, I could see them from my kitchen window and kept an eye on them the rest of the day. She took about almost a 2 hour dust bath

guess she thought she didn't smell good after the bath I gave her.

I just went out to close up their window and they all were on the roosting bar, the others were a bit away from her but weren't picking on her, she seemed not to remember to "lay down" on the bar but hopefully she will remember. But she's back in with her old buddies

She seems to be doing much better, I'll see in the next few days for sure and all of them will be wormed again on Saturday (gonna be fun then) but apparently it is what she needed.
I knew that since her comb wasn't red (like it is when they are laying) and she was still eating so much (she loved food!!) that it couldn't be internal laying. Only time will tell for sure though.

But I am doing a VERY happy dance today

 

[My Fav Chickens]

Im so sorry, my girls haven't experienced this but i will do some research to help you if i can as i can't imagine what i would do if this happened to my girls!

Questions:

Is her poop normal?

Is her breast plate still sticking out?

Can you feel if she has any meat on the breast plate?

Is she constantly in penguin stance?

Has her stomach inflated more than it already has or has it deflated at all?

Is she eating properly?

Does/can she move?

is she laying eggs?

Is her comb the right colour?


I know you might have already answered some of these questions but maybe if you answer them again and we can somehow analyse the answers maybe we can find out what it is. in the meantime i will do some research on the internet, ask the place where i got my chickens and i'll describe the symptoms to my vet and we'll see what will happen. I ask you to post some pictures of her, her stomach, breast plate, poop and anything else you are concerned about. i'll see what i can do. don't ever think you never have help. don't give up.

 

[My Fav Chickens]

Im so glad she is better, but i suggest to be careful because you still don't know what it is.

 

[Amy lee]

Please give me some suggestion

Symptoms:

Diarrhea, swollen belly, Feather pecking, sleeping all of the time standing up, eating much less, no pruning, no dusting, and no laying, super watery poop, and extreme weight loss.


Many thanks

 

[Amy lee]

please help,

2 year old red rhode island chicken has became sick for 8 days.

Symptoms: Diarrhea, swollen belly, Feather pecking, sleeping all of the time standing up, eating much less, no pruning, no dusting, and no laying, super watery poop, and extreme weight loss.

swollen belly

I treat her antibiotic three days

 

[Veggie4life55]

I didn't read through all the posts so sry if someone has mentioned this before...

We have an Avian vet and have had two of our hens in the past seen for internal laying... Which isn't really egg bound ... But being egg bound can be the first sign of internal laying... But it's when something stops working rather it's the muscles that push the yoke down through the process or what ... But they can keep the yokes inside them causing yoke peritonitis ... Or water on the belly from infection...


Link to my old blog when we had one of our chickens spade... This is what builds up and attaches to their organs and can http://respectlifeeatveggies.blogspot.com/2011/05/chicken-report-big-reds-surgery-jasmine.html

You can also get an implant that will stop the chickens from producing eggs and it would stop the infection cycle ...


Good luck hope this helps and hope your girl gets better and stays health

 

[Veggie4life55]

Forgot to mention our vet told us draining to much fluid off at once can cause an upset in electrolytes... So just watch how much fluid is drained and if she seems weak make sure she gets some electrolytes and food into her quickly ... And even if she doesn't it's a good idea for her to have some extra electrolytes .

 

[Mama Kay W]

She seems to be doing ok. Her belly looks like it is getting a little fuller, and she is loosing a few feathers on it. She is down on the ground a lot more pecking at food and sunning herself, she isn't running away from the 2 that peck at her a bit, she eats great and loves her treats especially grass.
She wasn't laid an egg since last October, all 4 of them stopped laying for winter and only 2 have started laying again, there is nothing wrong with the 3rd hen. She makes no attempt to try to lay either (squatting or trying to get in the nesting box).
As for your questions: her poop looks normal, her breast plate does stick out slightly and she does seem to have lost a little bit of breast meat on her. She only stands in the penguin stance, when she walks it's almost normal her tail feathers are about half way up. Her belly does seem a little more inflated. she eats/drinks great, she seems to be able to move fine and she gets up on the roosting bar at night. She hasn't laid an egg since last October when they all stopped for winter ( they will be 3 in June). As for her comb it is a nice pinkish/red, not the bright red as when she was laying but not pale.

When I tried to drain her last time I didn't get much fluid just 15 ML, she seemed to do much better after I wormed her. I have no money to take her to a vet and have them do any surgery on her, there is none around here at all, I've called every vet in the area and none will treat her.

 

[Veggie4life55]

Yeah it is really hard to find an Avian vet.. We r very lucky that we have one that actually also is a big part of the WV Raptor Rehab and also is one of the vets( or used to be I don't know if he still is) for the Aviary in Pittsburgh .PA .. We have 1 other vet that seen 1 once and a farm vet... But none of them do surgeries except the first Avian vet. Its so hard to find someone who really knows anything about birds. He has taught us alot and I am so happy to have found him.

A friend of our had a chicken that internally laid and they didnt drain her but she lived for quite a while. They had to take her in and out of the coop everyday but other wise she seemed to get around decently.

I know its hard to see that happen but really without a vet you are doing everything you can... Antibiotics, Draining, and Giving the best nutrition or adding nutritional supplements to make sure she is getting enough to keep her weight up...

Good Luck and well wishes.

 

[Mama Kay W]

Thank you. You'd figure living up in a rural area with all the farms around here there would be a vet that would be able to treat her, but there is only one and all he treats is large farm animals all they would do is be able to euthanize her.

I felt her belly yesterday and it feels pretty firm, not squishy at all

she seems to be walking around slower, but she sure does love to eat, if the other 2 would stop pecking at her. I've been making sure she can get her share of the grass I give them but it's really hard to see her this way.