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

[VirginiaEdie]

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I think I may have given her too much fatty food during the winter. I was worried about the chickens because we had a pretty cold January and February so I upped their kitchen scraps and added sunflower seeds to the mix. Then to compound the extra food,we had snow on the ground for some time and the girls didn't get any exercise. They did not like the Snow!

There may have been too much protein, but I was assuming fatty liver. Either way, they are now only getting their layer feed and whatever they scratch in the yard. We only have 5 chickens so I'm hoping I fixed things before anyone else has problems.

We did have sour crop issues with this same hen, so it's possible she has some hereditary problems. It was probably me, though.

Thanks for your insights.

Edith

 

[kraez chickens]

I had a chicken that I believed to of had water belly. I used a syringe to pull some fluid out of the abdomen, and then left isolated and went inside for a minute while the rest of the fluid dripped through the needle hole. When I returned the chicken was feet up in the air dead and had vomit coming out if it's mouth. What could this be?

 

[VirginiaEdie]

Thanks for your speedy response! I understand it doesn't fix the underlying problem, but I know it will help her feel more comfortable. It did seem to help, She's been having trouble keeping up with her flock mates and she seemed a little more spry. But, there is more fluid in there.

Based upon the youtube videos I watched the demonstrators had to re-insert the needle each time to extract more fluid. If I keep the top off the syringe, will fluid just keep coming out through the needle or do I really need to keep poking and extracting?

Edith

 

[casportpony]

Many things can caus the fluid to build up and draining them can kill them, though that only happen to me one time. Best to drain much as possible with one poke of the needle, but sometimes multiple poke are needed.

Longest I had one live after draining was about one year, shortest was one week.

-Kathy

 

[Clamart]

OMG! After reading all the posts I just got sad and in panic! My one year old orpington since the weekend is with the tail down, walking like a duck and a huge water belly! Her sister lays egg since february and I belive last week she has laied the first egg, without the shell! After reading everything here I tried to remove some secretion from her belly with a needle, 3x. 2x I just got blood and one time some yellow no-smelling liquid, but just a little bit, based on the size of her belly it should be at least 0,5L of it! I hope she has no asciste, it sounds really bad! I do not know what to do! It is my first time with chickens in my life and i am a pussy afraid of hurting, seeing blood... Everything! My chicken is pooping normal, eating snd drinking water. Sometimes she lays down and act werd, like she is having pain, shaking, I do not know :/ what do I do? Try again with the needle? Give her paracetamol? I can not get antibiotics without a vet prescription here.

 

[Mequita]

Hi Ruth,
I just posted about on of my hens with a bloated stomach. I have nowhere to take her to be checked so I want to try what you did. Is this or letting her die.

So where exactly you insert the needle? In the front, middle area??? How deep? What is the risk of puncturing a blood vessel or another organ?

Thank you,
Sandra

 

[chicknmania]

I would like to know this too. I have a BR bantam with the same problem. Where do you insert the needle, and how difficult is it? I read it is easy but like lots of others here, I'm so squeamish and afraid of hurting her. This is the second chicken we've had in two years with this condition,we had a rooster with it last spring. Same time of year, and shortly after I had him euthanized, we were diagnosed with a Capillary worm problem, which we battled for the entire year. I wonder if worms contribute to this? I also notice that a lot of people seem to be having this problem in the springtime....????

 

[chicknmania]

Lower and to the right of the vent a couple of inches. I guess we'll try it, not sure what the point is, since we don't know the underlying cause, it's sure to come back, just a question of when. If she fills up within a few days, we will have her put down anyway, because it's stressful for her, and way too time consuming for us.

If she doesn't fill up again for a few months, then maybe it will be worthwhile. Guess we'll see. I read that you're supposed to give Baytril the day of the procedure and for two days after. Interesting that I read someone else had a BR that had this problem, so I wonder how much of this is genetic......

 

[chicknmania]

We withdrew a bunch of fluid from Bitsy today. I'm concerned though because although it was straw colored to clear in color, it was hot. As was her abdomen. There was so much and we were afraid to draw it all out. So we drew out most of it. She's much better now and she's decided she's cured, she wants out. I'm not so sure. I will put her in a bigger pen tomorrow.

 

[casportpony]

We withdrew a bunch of fluid from Bitsy today. I'm concerned though because although it was straw colored to clear in color, it was hot. As was her abdomen. There was so much and we were afraid to draw it all out. So we drew out most of it. She's much better now and she's decided she's cured, she wants out. I'm not so sure. I will put her in a bigger pen tomorrow.

How hot was it?

-Kathy