Need Help. I think my hen has Ascites

[FarmerWife]

Hello all,
I have a problem with my hen, she's a RR, about five years old, For the last two weeks I've been noticing her being a little lethargic, and she looked like she had trouble walking. She has green runny poo, it's stuck to her back side, and her abdomen is so hot and swollen, I feel so bad for her. It has to be painful. The more I've been reading online, the more I come to the conclusion that she has Ascites, all the symptoms match. I started giving her Amprol for the green poo, but it made no difference, so I started her on Duramycin, no help. I thought maybe it could be worms, and I gave her Ivermectin. Nothing. I know she's suffering, and normally I would never even consider putting her down, but I don't see that she is going to improve, she's getting worse. I'm not going to break her neck, I can't do that. So if it comes down to it, how can I put her to sleep so she just goes peacefully?? Can someone help me please?? Thanks.

Dianna in NM

 

[Judy]

I'm sorry. She does indeed sound like the time has come. Internal laying and cancer are probably the two most common cause af ascites (fluid in the abdomen.) There are several threads in Meat Birds that talk about ways to do it. My personal preference is the ax as it is instantaneous.

It's just one of those things that you have to accept as part of animal stewardship, unfortunately.

 

[cafarmgirl]

If she is red, hot and swollen she most likely also has peritonitis, the fluid has become infected. I agree that it's in the hens best interest to put her down. I've dealt with this stuff a lot, too much, and they really do suffer as it progresses so I put a stop to it before it gets that far. If you are uncomfortable putting a bird down you might see if a vet can help you.

 

[FarmerWife]

Thank you both for your replies. We have no vet here who will even consider looking at a chicken, we have to drive to the city to take our dogs to the vet, and he is limited to dogs, cats, and horses. Well, believe it or not, our hen is still with us. I did some poking around online, and tried some things. Some I had to stop because they were making things worse. I had started her on antibiotics, and gave her Lasix for the fluid. It didn't help, at first she passed quite a bit of fluid, but then she stopped pooping all together, and bloated even more. So I turned to a natural approach, and saw some improvement. I started giving her one capsule of black seed, and 1/2 tsp. of yucca root powder. The black seed is good for many different illnesses in humans, so I gave it a try. The yucca root is like natures cortisone. I'm also giving her yogurt now, to help her good bacteria , as her diarrhea was pretty severe. In her water I'm giving her a tiny bit of ACV. So far, she has gone from completely bloated, and her bottom side being red, hot, and so bloated it looked like her skin was going to tear, to a very small amount of swelling in her bottom area. Her bottom side is no longer hot, just a little warm. I have no idea if she will survive, she's still weak, but she's eating normally again, and drinking water. She was standing straight up, with her bottom dragging, and now she's back down to a normal stand, but she still has trouble walking with the little swelling she has left. She wouldn't even attempt to walk before, I'm keeping her on the front porch, and she's now walking all around it during the day. She sleeps alot, but she wakes up to walk around, eat, and peek in the door. She's pooping again, no longer green and runny, but more normal, sometimes she gets a little runny still. I don't know how to stop that, but that's why I started giving her yogurt. I plan on going to get her some probiotic tomorrow if she's still with us. I know some might think I'm cruel for not putting her down, but she's my daughters pet chicken, and she begged me in tears not to put her down. I just didn't have the heart to do it and break my daughters heart in the process. If Penny survives this it will all be worth it, but either way I had to try. I just wanted to post what I've been doing just in case some of you might have chickens in an earlier stage than mine, maybe you could try the same thing and get even better results. Hope everyone has a good night, take care.

Dianna