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

[casportpony]

Turning them on their backs could cause the weigh of the fluid to put pressure on their heart and lungs.

-Kathy

 

[CuteChick369]

This is what I do, about twice per month as my RIR fills with water. Go to Tractor Supply and buy an 18 gauge needle. Poke it into her abdomen below and to the right or left of her vent. If you can get her to stand sill, leave the needle in her (no syringe) and she'll drain. Put a bowl under her to catch the fluid. You may be 4 or 5 cups worth, or more! I let mine eat a bowl of raw egg while she drains.

OR, you can poke the needle into her, make sure fluid is draining out, then remove the needle. Do this in a couple of places. She'll drain through the poke hole on her own. I normally put my RIR in a cage with a towel while she drains, but you could probably put her right back outside.

You'll need to get that fluid off of her quickly, or she could die due to so much pressure on her organs. And, the root cause is likely liver failure, so you'll need to do this often. Milk Thistle is a good liver supplement, so you could give her a half a capsule per day of that. I give it to my hen, but she needs to be drained every couple weeks, and has been like this for a couple of months. I read of someone who's hen needed to be drained like this, but went on to live for 5 more years!

p.s. It's a lot of fluid loss, so offer electrolytes and raw egg after draining her.

 

[TwinsLoveChicks]

Is there any way that someone could post a video to show precisely how to drain her? I'm kinda nervous that I might accidentally hurt her.
Thank you!

 

[Eggcessive]

TwinsLoveChicks, here are some videos that are posted. I have no idea if they are doing it properly or not



Draining a hen's abdomen - YouTube

1:22​

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Jun 17, 2012 - Uploaded by tdbarani
My nearly 3 year old hen, Buttercup, is laying internally and I have to drain ... This is my process for draining ...

Mrs. Cowl, our hen with Peritonitis, getting her abdomen dr ...

3:38​

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Feb 11, 2014 - Uploaded by Tammy White
This poor hen moves like a penguin because she has Peritonitis, ... By draining the fluids, gradually, & dosing ...

Tapping Ascites Fluid From An Egg Perotinitis Hen - YouTube

10:51​

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Mar 18, 2015 - Uploaded by Gretchen Sweetheart Silkies
Thank you Ashleigh Fitzpatrick for helping me make this video. ... Fluid can be drained from these hens to ...

Sick Hen with Fluid in Abdomen 271010 - YouTube

0:46​

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Oct 27, 2010 - Uploaded by Ross Perry
PoultryHealth.com brings you 2 short video clips of a sick henwith a floppy ... is outside the intestines the ...

 

[TwinsLoveChicks]

Thank you for answering!

 

[TwinsLoveChicks]

By the way, except for her belly feeling like it's full of fluid, green liquidy poop, and not much interest in food, she's been acting perfectly normal. Not sure what that signifies.

 

[casportpony]

By the way, except for her belly feeling like it's full of fluid, green liquidy poop, and not much interest in food, she's been acting perfectly normal. Not sure what that signifies.  

Just green poop or not eating is enough to worry me. I suspect that she has also lost lots of weight.

-Kathy

 

[TwinsLoveChicks]

Yes, but not a seriously alarming amount or anything. At the most she's lost one pound if not less. She ate more this evening as well, but I'm monitoring her closely for any sudden change. I'll let everyone know if anything happens. Also, I still haven't gotten the chance to get a needle and syringe, but I'm trying to as soon as possible.

 

[casportpony]

Yes, but not a seriously alarming amount or anything. At the most she's lost one pound if not less. She ate more this evening as well, but I'm monitoring her closely for any sudden change. I'll let everyone know if anything happens. Also, I still haven't gotten the chance to get a needle and syringe, but I'm trying to as soon as possible.

Get a kitchen scale and start weighing her daily.

-Kathy

 

[s33xpt]

Shabana.................. I just want to say a MASSIVE thank you . One of my girls has ballooned up , and I was losing her earlier today....... her heart was giving up, I couldn't get a vet , I couldn't cull, I started searching online. I came across your posts here... and despite not having a proper needle to drain her, I followed what you had said. I can't measure how much clear /slightly yellow fluid I have managed to drain from her using the sterilised sewing needle and gravity method. She is breathing more normal, she has had some water and a taste of tomato , I gave her some metacam, and she is now sleeping . I hope she will still be here in the morning, if not I take comfort from knowing she is definitely more comfortable now than she was before. So thank you <3