Impacted gizzard or reproductive problem? Large squishy abdomen, lethargic

[SarahGfa]

About 4 days ago, a hen broke into my black soldier fly larvae bin. It's where I throw animal carcasses, rotting meat, anything that is too gross for normal compost. She probably ate a few thousand maggots and god knows what else. Now she is sick.

1) What type of bird , age and weight (does the chicken seem or feel lighter or thinner than the others.)
2 year old leghorn. Normal weight.

2) What is the behavior, exactly.
Standing around hunched up, not her usual active self. I noticed yesterday that she was refusing food, even her favorite mealworms.
Abdomen is large and squishy. When she walks, it's slow and wide-stanced, almost like an egg-bound hen (I could not feel an egg).
Crop was small in the morning, felt like a small golf ball.
Have not seen her poop at all (clogged up?)

Could this be an impacted gizzard, or something else?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

It is something else. There could have been so many pathogens present in what the larvae were eating. Good luck.
Aspergillosis, aflatoxicosis, algae poisoning, listeriosis, histoplasmosis, paratyphoid and so many other things.

 

[Eggcessive]

Is a vet possible? That would be best. She sounds very sick. I would try to give her water and some Poultry NutriDrench or electrolytes right away. There are flush recipes online for chickens using Epsom salts or molasses mixed into water for possible toxins. Have you inserted a finger into her vent to check for a stuck egg? Egg bound hens cannot pass droppings.

 

[SarahGfa]

Is a vet possible? That would be best. She sounds very sick. I would try to give her water and some Poultry NutriDrench or electrolytes right away. There are flush recipes online for chickens using Epsom salts or molasses mixed into water for possible toxins. Have you inserted a finger into her vent to check for a stuck egg? Egg bound hens cannot pass droppings.

I put my finger in her vent, there is no egg. She put up quite a fight when I did that, so she is not that sick.

I put her in a dark cage and she just started eating her wet food. So that's good. I have not seen any poop yet. Will a flush help her poop?

The nearest avian vet is over an hour a way and pretty expensive, so I don't really want to go to a vet if I can treat her at home.

 

[SarahGfa]

Should I put her in an epsom salt bath, or feed her epsom in a syringe? Or both?

 

[Eggcessive]

If she doesn’t seem to bad off, she may just need water and lots of it. A flush would probably give her some diarrhea, but since she hasn’t been pooping, you could make your own decision about that. I would not give a bath. A tsp of coconut oil refigerated and chopped into pieces for her to peck could lube her GI tract.

 

[SarahGfa]

I've been giving her some water in a syringe, and she is also drinking rooster booster on her own. Eating a little bit, not much. She pooped a few times, small wet poops. I'm not sure what else to do besides keep forcing her to drink more.

 

[Eggcessive]

When did she last lay an egg? It is sounding more like she might be suffering from ascites or a reproductive disorder such as salpingitis or egg yolk peritonitis. But it is good that she is passing droppings now. I would continue to offer water and some wet feed. I really don’t know what else to suggest.

 

[SarahGfa]

When did she last lay an egg? It is sounding more like she might be suffering from ascites or a reproductive disorder such as salpingitis or egg yolk peritonitis. But it is good that she is passing droppings now. I would continue to offer water and some wet feed. I really don’t know what else to suggest.

I think you might be right. I can't remember when she last laid an egg. Do reproductive disorders happen this fast? Four days ago she didn't have a swollen belly, and was feeling rambunctious enough to fly over a fence and pry the lid off of my worm bin.