Loss of vent feathers, swollen abdomen, slight labored breathing - ascites?

[loohoo]

I have a 3 y/o Barred Rock hen that is in obvious discomfort, and there’s something really wrong.
For the past month, I noticed she has lost a lot of vent/bottom feathers, the skin is slightly red, but not too bad. Up until yesterday she was acting completely normal, so I just sort of wrote it off.
Yesterday, I observed these symptoms:
- Lethargy: She would slowly follow the other girls around when I let them out of their run for a bit, and did scratch around but it was halfhearted. When in the run, she stood with a puffed stance, or laid down with her eyes closed.

-Slight labored breathing: Not panting, but noisy breathing..you can hear the air going in and out and see her chest moving.

- Loss of appetite: This unfortunately has been going on longer, but I really just noticed this yesterday. We only have 3 hens, and she has always been the most voracious eater of the bunch. When I went to fill their feed bucket, it had considerably more food left in it than it should have, so I suspect her appetite has been gone, or diminished for a week or so.

-Abdomen feels distended more so than the other chickens: not quite squishy, not rock hard. More in between the legs, and it does make her legs kick out to the sides more. Feels very warm to the touch.

-Crop feels water balloon-like: She still was drinking water yesterday, even though she wasn’t eating. I assume it is mainly water with no food.

-Bright yellow, runny poop

With all that being said, this poor girl has struggled with laying eggs for the past year, or more. First the first good while, she was my best layer. Then, she began laying soft eggs, and a year ago she laid a completely shell-less egg. I found her in the nesting box after bedtime, an egg laying under her and dripping from her vent like someone cracked an egg…there was no shell present at all. I gave her a warm bath, and she acted off for a couple days…I thought I was going to lose her then, but she bounced back. She stopped laying for a long time, then the soft eggs started again. She has laid some normal ones, and now that they have started laying again since it’s spring…we have the situation we’re in now. Is it right of me to suspect possible internal laying that has caused ascites given her history?
Is there anything I can do? I’ve only got access to what is available at Tractor Supply. Or is it time to say goodbye?
She’s clearly very uncomfortable. Being she’s one of 3, I adore her and absolutely love her personality…I’m really sad, but I don’t want to prolong her misery if there’s nothing I can really do. Mainly just looking to see if there’s something it could be that I could actually treat. I don’t want to drain her, as I know that’s just prolonging the inevitable.

 

[coach723]

With her history of laying abnormal eggs, and the bloated abdomen, it does sound like she likely has a reproductive problem. Symptoms can be hard to distinguish between them. Often it's not known for sure until necropsy. Once they are presenting a bloated abdomen, then whatever is going on is usually pretty advanced. Birds with reproductive problems will often start to show crop symptoms also as their digestion slows or stops due to what's going on in the abdomen. More than likely there is really nothing you can do for her other than keep her comfortable, or end her suffering. It could be internal laying, egg peritonitis, a cancer, infection, etc. I'm very sorry.

 

[loohoo]

With her history of laying abnormal eggs, and the bloated abdomen, it does sound like she likely has a reproductive problem. Symptoms can be hard to distinguish between them. Often it's not known for sure until necropsy. Once they are presenting a bloated abdomen, then whatever is going on is usually pretty advanced. Birds with reproductive problems will often start to show crop symptoms also as their digestion slows or stops due to what's going on in the abdomen. More than likely there is really nothing you can do for her other than keep her comfortable, or end her suffering. It could be internal laying, egg peritonitis, a cancer, infection, etc. I'm very sorry.

With her history of laying abnormal eggs, and the bloated abdomen, it does sound like she likely has a reproductive problem. Symptoms can be hard to distinguish between them. Often it's not known for sure until necropsy. Once they are presenting a bloated abdomen, then whatever is going on is usually pretty advanced. Birds with reproductive problems will often start to show crop symptoms also as their digestion slows or stops due to what's going on in the abdomen. More than likely there is really nothing you can do for her other than keep her comfortable, or end her suffering. It could be internal laying, egg peritonitis, a cancer, infection, etc. I'm very sorry.

Thank you so much for your response! I really appreciate it. I made another post today as I’ve had her inside last night and really had the time to monitor her closely, so there’s a bit different info…however, probably the same outcome. Abdomen is definitely firm instead of squishy..maybe egg peritonitis instead of water belly. She’s got an appetite today and is super alert, so I feel like I can’t give up on her yet.

 

[coach723]

Sometimes they can have good days and bad days. In my flock, I leave them with the flock as long as they have some quality of life, are mostly doing normal chicken things, though they may be slower. When they go off food and water, isolate themselves, are obviously unwell, or are attacked by the flock (it sometimes happens, it's a normal survival instinct to drive a sick or weak bird away that might draw predators) then it's probably time to consider not letting them suffer. Depending on the actual issue, I've had some birds live for quite some time, up to 18 months, and others go in a much shorter time. It's hard to predict. I would just keep an eye on her, she will let you know.

 

[loohoo]

Sometimes they can have good days and bad days. In my flock, I leave them with the flock as long as they have some quality of life, are mostly doing normal chicken things, though they may be slower. When they go off food and water, isolate themselves, are obviously unwell, or are attacked by the flock (it sometimes happens, it's a normal survival instinct to drive a sick or weak bird away that might draw predators) then it's probably time to consider not letting them suffer. Depending on the actual issue, I've had some birds live for quite some time, up to 18 months, and others go in a much shorter time. It's hard to predict. I would just keep an eye on her, she will let you know.

It’s been a few months now, but I took your advice - returned her to the flock, and let her be. She ended up perking up, abdomen went down a lot, and she was back to her old self. I was shocked! She then immediately went through a HARD molt, and now that that’s done, she is on the downward slope again. She’s got a bad case of sour crop, which I’m treating with miconazole, but from what I’ve read, a lot of times crop issues are a symptom of an underlying condition. I truly think she has a reproductive problem - when she molted, all that stopped, and she was great- and now that the molt is over, problems have returned. (I’m thinking the egg making/laying process resumed.)
Anyway, I know it’s months later but just wanted to say I appreciated your response, and took your advice! I’m going to treat the sour crop to the best of my ability but I also have this feeling that her time may be coming.

 

[coach723]

I've also had them do better during an off laying period. With older birds, molt, or the shortened days of winter will often give them a respite, and then symptoms will worsen in the spring as days get longer and their bodies try to lay again. I'm glad she had a few good months. Good luck with the sour crop. My least favorite thing to deal with since it's so hard to know what's going on inside.