My 6 yr old hen has fatty liver

Is the outside roost higher off the ground than the coop roost? They will try to roost as high off the ground as possible.
No it is lower than the coop roost. The man that I got them from keeps his hens in what looks like a long run with one long roost towards the back. He does not have a coop portion so all his hens when facing forward can see outside since the front of run has wire all the way across. Thinking that is another reason they preferred sleeping in the run. Thankfully last night they went straight to coop roost.
 
Something doesn't seem right with my Harriet :( She was fine early this morning even eating from my hand. Since noon she is moving very slow with tail down and making either a purring or gurgling sound. I've had her and Ester is smaller coop today and rooster with new hens in larger coop. She is standing still and allowing me to pet her. Normally when I pet her she runs away unless I'm holding her. Her bestie is staying right by her side at all times. I'd separate her but feel it is best she stay with Ester. It won't let me load a video..It is saying it is too large even though it is only 9 secs long? This last time I was out there she was making this noise for 30min and still doing it as I left. I've never had a hen die in my presence so unsure if she is on her way out. She does not have mites, worms. She does not appear to have sour crop or any wounds. Wondering it last resort I should give her Sulfamethoxazole and Trimethoprim tabs SMZ/TMP. I have bottle on hand.
 
Something doesn't seem right with my Harriet :( She was fine early this morning even eating from my hand. Since noon she is moving very slow with tail down and making either a purring or gurgling sound. I've had her and Ester is smaller coop today and rooster with new hens in larger coop. She is standing still and allowing me to pet her. Normally when I pet her she runs away unless I'm holding her. Her bestie is staying right by her side at all times. I'd separate her but feel it is best she stay with Ester. It won't let me load a video..It is saying it is too large even though it is only 9 secs long? This last time I was out there she was making this noise for 30min and still doing it as I left. I've never had a hen die in my presence so unsure if she is on her way out. She does not have mites, worms. She does not appear to have sour crop or any wounds. Wondering it last resort I should give her Sulfamethoxazole and Trimethoprim tabs SMZ/TMP. I have bottle on hand.
Sorry to hear Harriet is not doing well:(
You need to upload video to youtube and paste a link here!
 
Poor Harriet :hugs
She actually looks quite alert though.
Do you mind me asking... with Harriet being diagnosed with Fatty liver (something I know nothing about), is that likely to be the cause of her dying? I'm completely ignorant here, so I apologise, I am just wondering if there are symptoms you are looking out for if that is what is happening here... sorry again.
 
Yeah...she’s say “ohhh I don’t feel good” poor girl.
Are the other chickens coming when she calls like that?
Ester moves wherever she goes. I now have rooster & 2 new hens separate. I just went out and felt I must do all I can so gave her dose of RX of SMZ/TMP incase she has some kind of internal infection. She's only had that antibiotic once before years back. That way if she passes and Necropsy shows infection I will feel I did everything known possible. Over the last several days I have introduced my two new hens to the flock and they have all slept together the past two nights now. Harriet has handled it like a trooper and has maintained her top pecking order...She has had to comfort Ester. The video below was taken 2 days ago] and shows both coop doors open and you can hear Ester protesting as one of the new girls check out the large coop while Harriet is mingling with them as calm and carefree as can be so don't feel she has been stressed over the event.
 
Last edited:
Poor Harriet :hugs
She actually looks quite alert though.
Do you mind me asking... with Harriet being diagnosed with Fatty liver (something I know nothing about), is that likely to be the cause of her dying? I'm completely ignorant here, so I apologise, I am just wondering if there are symptoms you are looking out for if that is what is happening here... sorry again.
Her coloring does look good..I may be overreacting here. Since fatty liver has been her only diagnosis over the years I'm just wondering if it hasn't gotten worse over time. I've heard that many hens with fatty liver abruptly have internal bleeding that happens fast so they tend to die quickly. Don't feel that is happening with Harriet since her comb is bright red. It may be the fatty liver is causing her mind to not be as clear since 1st of the week she was star gazing and suddenly sitting and now this out of ordinary behavior. People with cirrhosis can act out of it when liver enzymes sky rocket and toxins aren't being properly removed. I seem to know more about liver issues in people more so than hens. When liver doesn't function properly it isn't able to remove toxins out of body and liver tends to swell putting pressure on other organs. It can cause fluid accumulation in abdomen [ascites] and can cause weakness and pressure in veins causing internal bleeding and over time can cause neurological issues. Or maybe she is just slowing down with age, has some kind of infection, or cancer? I'm always concerned with anything out of the ordinary. I will try and remain calm and watch her closely. Thank you so much for your support.
 
Last edited:
Ascites as I understand it is usually associated with liver failure which is part of the perfect storm heart failure. Usually you’ll notice a distended (belly bloat) fluid filled abdomen. I have not heard about bleeding internally. The fluid is a clear yellowish it doesn’t look bloody.
I’ll just be honest some hens show the belly bloat some don’t. Most likely when she gets really bad. She’ll just drop.
Just as in humans when one major organ is affected it starts a domino scenario.
It’s a difficult time. My heart aches. Thank you for your videos. Keep us posted. We’ll be here for you.
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom