My hen is sick, egg yolk peritonitis?

[leveric]

I've found one of my hens very lethargic two days ago, other symptoms have developed which lead me to infer that it could be egg peritonitis. She now has a bright red comb that is flopping down, and I felt her vent, it's not necessarily hard but it is definitely bloated and tense, her pupils also appear dilated at times. Her weight has gone down and I can feel her keel bone, she hardly eats and just pecks her food. Overall she is definitely weaker and can't balance too well so she just sits around all day hardly moving, I've isolated her in case her disease is contagious and given her separate food and water. After some reading I best believe it is egg peritonitis.
Any general tips on what to do or ideas on what this could be and what the best way to approach it would be?
Some pictures are attached.

 

[azygous]

How old is she? How long since she's laid?

How long have you had your flock? Have any chickens sickened and died suddenly and mysteriously?

If she's losing weight, she may have an underlying avian disease, and that will often cause reproductive disorders such as internal laying and EYP. Often tumors grow on organs and the entire system slowly fails.

When I have a chicken such as yours that is obviously sick, I give an oral antibiotic a shot. If it works, great, but if it doesn't, then it will be even more apparent that a more serious disease is responsible. This is when a necropsy is very helpful in letting me know what this means for the rest of my flock.

This is the antibiotic I use most often. https://www.kvsupply.com/item/aqua-mox-250mg-capsules-100-count/P06184/ You might be able to find something similar at Petsmart. (Fish antibiotics are very useful for chickens.)

 

[micstrachan]

Do you know what her laying status is? I think a laying disorder, like the peritonitis you are suggesting, is a reasonable guess. Is her actual vent bloated or her fluffy, downy area? If it’s her vent, can you post a photo?

If she is sitting around, I would bet she is dehydrated. Can you keep water near her? She might enjoy a special treat of dampened, mushy feed.

If she were mine and an avian vet were not an option, I’d consider treating her with doxycycline or enrofloxacin, along with an anti-inflammatory like aspirin or ibuprofen. It’s aggressive treatment, and not for everyone, but that’s what J would do if I felt it was peritonitis or salpingitis.

 

[leveric]

How old is she? How long since she's laid?

How long have you had your flock? Have any chickens sickened and died suddenly and mysteriously?

If she's losing weight, she may have an underlying avian disease, and that will often cause reproductive disorders such as internal laying and EYP. Often tumors grow on organs and the entire system slowly fails.

When I have a chicken such as yours that is obviously sick, I give an oral antibiotic a shot. If it works, great, but if it doesn't, then it will be even more apparent that a more serious disease is responsible. This is when a necropsy is very helpful in letting me know what this means for the rest of my flock.

This is the antibiotic I use most often. https://www.kvsupply.com/item/aqua-mox-250mg-capsules-100-count/P06184/ You might be able to find something similar at Petsmart. (Fish antibiotics are very useful for chickens.)

She is about four, we haven't kept track of her laying. We've had our chickens for about six years and we haven't had any chook casualties in the past half-a-year or so. We have had a similar case like this with another black hen however; similar symptoms, about five months ago, she slowly got better and her vent returned to normal.
Thanks for this info, we will try this antibiotic shot. I should mention this one is store bought and thus I would say she had been vaccinated at a young age.

 

[leveric]

Do you know what her laying status is? I think a laying disorder, like the peritonitis you are suggesting, is a reasonable guess. Is her actual vent bloated or her fluffy, downy area? If it’s her vent, can you post a photo?

If she is sitting around, I would bet she is dehydrated. Can you keep water near her? She might enjoy a special treat of dampened, mushy feed.

If she were mine and an avian vet were not an option, I’d consider treating her with doxycycline or enrofloxacin, along with an anti-inflammatory like aspirin or ibuprofen. It’s aggressive treatment, and not for everyone, but that’s what J would do if I felt it was peritonitis or salpingitis.

Haven't been tracking her laying status (we have about 15 chickens of which a few are laying hens like ISAs). I realised now that it's her fluffy area that is bloated and not the vent. I have been keeping water nearby and will give her mushy feed and if we can, give her some of these treatments.

Her droppings:

 

[micstrachan]

Poor girl.

I don’t like the look of that dropping. With the bloating, I think it is probably a laying disorder, but it could be almost anything. Yep... I’d hit her hard with antibiotics and anti-inflammatory if she were mine.

Is the bloating affecting her breathing yet? I have had pretty good results with Lily of the Desert Aloe Detox (I get it on Amazon) for helping with the bloating (ascites). I create a mash of feed with with some of that and warm water. I like to add olive leaf extract and echinacea goldenseal, but I think it’s the dandelion in the detox that’s the diuretic.

 

[leveric]

Poor girl.

I don’t like the look of that dropping. With the bloating, I think it is probably a laying disorder, but it could be almost anything. Yep... I’d hit her hard with antibiotics and anti-inflammatory if she were mine.

Is the bloating affecting her breathing yet? I have had pretty good results with Lily of the Desert Aloe Detox (I get it on Amazon) for helping with the bloating (ascites). I create a mash of feed with with some of that and warm water. I like to add olive leaf extract and echinacea goldenseal, but I think it’s the dandelion in the detox that’s the diuretic.

Will do, we plan on going tomorrow to some aquariums and pet shops to find some of these chemicals.
Her breathing seems normal, she breathes with her mouth shut and it appears to be at normal pace. We gave her some yoghurt mixed with normal feed but now that you've mentioned it I will look for diuretics to give to her in the mash. Thanks for info, I will provide updates.