Laying hens with "water belly" or "ascites"?

[Lady Badlands]

I've had this problem with several of my hens. Last summer, the girls were so incredibly stressed in the torrid heat that I believe this is how the heat stress affected them. I had three die so far from the bloated belly and I'm treating several more. I paid for one of those on-line avian vets and she told me it was the result of heart failure. Perhaps the liver is involved, too. The hens that are dying are the older ones--they're about 3 to 3-1/2 years old.

One of my favorites, Henny Penny, is almost standing upright, her belly is so huge and hanging down. What I also notice happening in these hens is they become emaciated in the "rib cage" - so bloat in the belly and they're starving to death. Plus they have trouble breathing normally because their lungs don't have much room to expand. It's terrible to see this happening.

This summer I will put a small $99 air conditioner in the coop if we have the same kind of heat and keep them cool during those months. It's not worth the stress on me or them to go through another summer like that.

 

[critterfixer]

I had to put my little hen down yesterday. I did a necropsy. The mass that I felt turned out to be her gizzard. She was so emaciated that it was that prevalent. Her liver was VERY enlarged and her gizzard and intestinal tract were very bright yellow. She already had filled back up with about 200 ml fluid. I know I made the right choice. She died peacefully.

 

[Bellurd]

I have an EE hen that is prone to the ascites fluid build up. She has always acted normal and healthy. She just gets a huge butt and starts walking funny, then it's time to drain. It hasn't filled up in a few months though so maybe it's resolving itself. The only difference between her and my others is that she's molting much later than my others. Most of mine have just finished and she is just now starting.

 

[Lady Badlands]

Critterfixer, I'm so sorry you lost your hen. But I am really appreciating this post because for the longest time I couldn't figure out what my hens were dying from. This post and the other info I have gathered helps me to understand that heating up their core body temperature to such a degree as last summer's heat did, totally damaged their hearts and livers. And the fluid leaking from their liver is what is bloating them. It's so sad. Henny Penny is still able to fly up to a nesting box to sleep in even though she weighs soooo much. I'm getting the box with comfortable soft towels ready in the house for her to transition in when she is no longer able to move about. :-(

 

[Bellurd]

You can still save henny penny, Lady! The draining is so easy and fast. It helps them so much. My Ruby is still top ranking in my flock even with the fluid build up. I just keep an eye out for when it gets big enough to make her walk funny. There are a few threads about ascites draining I believe.
Good luck!

 

[cosmoskitty]

I lost a 3 year old red sex link hen last spring to ascites. She was my daughter's favorite and she still misses her. We kept her in the house for awhile and I drained her as needed. Now her hatch mate has ascites too. I'm wondering if it is genetic or if I might have some other problem making them sick. We have new hens-heritage breeds and I'm hoping they won't get sick in a couple years too. They are pets and this is really heartbreaking.
So glad I found this thread!

 

[speckledhen]

I have to tell you that ascites is usually only a symptom of the real issue, not the actual disease, in laying hens of that age. Draining her will not fix her.

Internal laying and egg yolk peritonitis are almost always accompanied by a bloated belly. I've done this so many times, I'm about to lose count. You can drain them all day long, but it won't fix the solidified cheesy masses of infection and egg yolk inside the oviducts and abdomens.

Hens with late stage reproductive cancers also get water buildup in the abdomen. Have seen that as well in hens over 4-5 years of age.

So, draining and draining will rarely do anything other than make the hen temporarily more comfortable.

 

[kathleen23]

i just lost a hen to ascites today after finally learning through these threads that was her "disease'. i got a syringe and needle and set up my first aid station to draw out the fluid. as soon as i turned her upside down to have access to her vent area, she stiffened her legs out and died i decided to draw the fluid anyway for practice and drew 120 ml of pale yellow fluid from her abdomen. i also decide to perform a beginner's necropsy and see what her insides told. she was still seeping fluid and her liver was huge, but not falling apart. her heart was squishy and enlarged. her intestines seemed quite hard and rigid and i saw no eggs formed in her system. she was very thin as well. her skin, wattles and comb were purple for about two weeks but i couldn't find the right info to help her until last night. i felt bad that i couldn't help her live, but i am no longer afraid to butcher a chicken or look to find out what killed her. i guess that's a good thing.....

 

[kathleen23]

i forgot to mention that like one of the prevoius posts, this hen has fought bumble foot off and on for about nine months.... wonder if there is a link there...? when i did the necropsy, i removed the old bumblefoot scab and pulled out a length of infection from the old site... interesting...

 

[airlite]

I have a hen in very bad condition with Ascites - could you tell me how to do a belly tapping. I have sterile syringes, needles (smallish,) and am a nurse - so reasonably proficient.. I know I am just delaying her end, but she is sooo swollen and has been battling so bravely for months now! i would really appreciate your input.