Need Help Identifiying. Is it EYP/Ascites/or a blockage? Any Suggestions for Treatment?

[kit-e-kate]

1) What type of bird , age and weight (does the chicken seem or feel lighter or thinner than the others.)
Approx 2 year old ex-battery. She's seems thin, I can feel her breastbone.

2) What is the behavior, exactly.
Over the past two weeks or so I noticed her looking quite rounded and wide legged, not penguin-y though. It seemed to come on quickly, and I assumed it was ascites. But then she developed a dirty bottom, and the material coming out is pale and creamy, and it is leaking out in small drips rather than coming out like poop. I haven't seen her poop at all recently. I have had her in the kitchen for a bath this morning and she hasn't pooped at all.
Her abdomen is swollen and tight.

She seems to still be eating and drinking okay, and is fairly active, not running, but moving around the whole garden ( and managing up the coop ramp at night) inbetween she does have bouts of sleepyness when it's cold (she stays on her feet though). She is interested in treats.

3) How long has the bird been exhibiting symptoms? A couple of weeks

4) Are other birds exhibiting the same symptoms?
No
5) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma.
No.
6) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation.
Nothing.
7) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all.
Fresh water every day from a bowl, and drinking quite freely. Food is a free choice of layers pellets and a little corn, and whatever the find in the garden.

8) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc.
Just tiny amounts of creamy water

9) What has been the treatment you have administered so far?
A couple of warms epsom salt baths to see if she would pass a stuck egg, and to clean her behind.

10 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? For example, do you want to treat completely yourself, or do you need help in stabilizing the bird til you can get to a vet?
I just want her to be be comfortable. I'm concerned that it's fatal, but also worried that I might be missing somthing obvious that's easily cured.

11) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help.

12) Describe the housing/bedding in use
Dry, well ventilated coop, shared with others, washed straw for bedding.

 

[Eggcessive]

Has she recently been laying eggs? Can you insert a finger into her bent one inch to check for a stuck egg. If there is no egg, it should just feel soft. Lubricate just inside of her vent with a little oil or vaseline. It is hard to know for sure what is happening, but she could have cancer, internal laying, or ascites if her belly is enlarged. Does her swollen belly feel hard or tight? The constant dripping of her vent could be from blockage, but some hens will develop vent gleet. Gleet is a fungal infection, and the droppings usually drip and smell much worse than normal. A blockage might be an egg, some lash material, or pressure of a tumor or fluid (ascites.) A vet would be the best way to know know for sure what is going on. So if you answer some questions, we might go from there.

 

[kit-e-kate]

"Has she recently been laying eggs?"
Its hard to tell, as I'm not sure which hens lays which eggs, but I am only getting 2 a day from 5 hens, so I wouldn't be surprised if not.

"Can you insert a finger into her bent one inch to check for a stuck egg. If there is no egg, it should just feel soft. Lubricate just inside of her vent with a little oil or vaseline."

I haven't done this and would be nervous about hurting her if I do it wrong! But I will give it a try.

"It is hard to know for sure what is happening, but she could have cancer, internal laying, or ascites if her belly is enlarged. Does her swollen belly feel hard or tight?"
Yes, her belly feels firm and rounded.

"The constant dripping of her vent could be from blockage, but some hens will develop vent gleet. Gleet is a fungal infection, and the droppings usually drip and smell much worse than normal."

I did come across vent gleet when looking online earlier and wondered about it, but there is no bad smell from her at all.

"A blockage might be an egg, some lash material, or pressure of a tumor or fluid (ascites.) A vet would be the best way to know know for sure what is going on. So if you answer some questions, we might go from there."

We don't have a good hen vet anywhere nearby, so it would be best if i can figure out what's going on first for myself.

Thank you very much for your help so far!
Kate

 

[kit-e-kate]

Just a quick update,
I checked her to see if i could feel any kind of blockage, but there was none. I now think whatever it is it's terminal. So, she's back out in the garden for now, eating and drinking okay, and enjoying a little potter about, but she's still dozing often. The others aren't bothering her so I'll just keep an eye on her until she looks like she's unhappy.
Thanks for your advice, much appreciated!

 

[kit-e-kate]

FURTHER UPDATE:
Little Crumple seems to have rallied and is happily pottering about the garden with her friends again!
I am still unsure what was wrong with her but the treatment I gave was as follows:

A couple of espom salt baths, a very gentle rinse up the vent (paying particular attention to where to yellow creamy seeping was coming from) with clean (not from the bath) epsom salts solution, a worming treatment, giving flubenvet(sp?) mixed with a few mealworms, a dose of nettex poultry drops along with a few cc of water fed to her with a dropper, and a couple of days isolation in the warm greenhouse with plenty food (layers pellets spalshed with water, treats of scrambled eggs, mealworms and a little cat food) and clean water.

She looked utterly miserable for about 2 days after my last post, with creamy liquid just dribbling down her backside, and no real poop at all. At this time I had her in the greenhouse and was continuing to worm her. But she was eating very well, keen and interested in everything I offered, and drinking plenty of water herself. Her droppings returned to normal, if a little pale green, and her back end cleaned up. Her interest in the other hens (who she could see outside) grew and I would let her out near bedtime so she could make her own way to bed (which she did happily).

On about day 4 we had a nice warm day so I let her out earlier in the day and she ate and drank from the communal feeders confidently, although kept herself to herself mostly. Since then I've just been letting her out as normal with the others and she is hanging around with them fine, no bullying, eating and drinking well, cleaning herself and appears happy. Her walking has eased (no wide legged waddling), and all in all, she seems to have made a good recovery.

Many thanks to you, Eggcessive, for your help and advice!