older hen very bloated and heavy - worms?

[Gypsi]

I didn't notice she was acting odd until yesterday, my 3.5 year old black australorp. I picked her up to get her away from a big fire ant hill and noticed her weight. She is eating well, some waste is coming out, so today I checked for egg blockage. Nothing in that chute (used thin nitrile glove and coconut oil for lube.)

I haven't wormed the flock in a couple of years. They are somewhat confined to the back lot and I don't feed them grubs (although they really enjoy the worms that invade the beehives now and then)

I have Wazine, which is throw eggs away for 6 weeks. they have been moulting, well except this girl doesn't seem to be, so no eggs anyway. Have her isolated, will give her water with wazine in the morning. My feed store doesn't have any of the other worm remedies, but if one is suggested I could run to Tractor Supply to see what they have.

Advice please? I don't want to vet a 3.5 year old hen if I can help it.

 

[PeepersMama]

I know that rooster booster products have no discard period. I have some in storage, but haven't used it yet, so whether or not it really works is the big question. Most of the time (from my knowlege) chickens don't really need to be wormed regularly, like horses. They can deal with *normal* worm loads naturally.
If she isn't acting sluggish or getting picked on, and since she is eating normally, It doesn't sound like there's anything majorly wrong. I might let her hang with the flock unless another chicken starts acting sick. If she has probably been sick for a few days, and no one else is acting sick, she could probably stay out with her friends. Another tip for the future, if she was internal laying, she wouldn't be moving hardly at all, and she wouldn't be eating at all. I have had three birds die from it, so if she was, I would recommend sending her to heaven. Just a thought.
Hope this helps!

 

[Gypsi]

It helps. I don't believe she is laying internally, I checked as deeply as my finger would go and nothing, no shell shards no nothing, but she is very sluggish, is so heavy she is having difficulty moving. I am willing to worm her and see what happens, just want to use the right stuff and Wazine is labeled for pigs, not for chickens at all.

 

[PeepersMama]

Ooohh. Em, yeah, that would likely be a HUGE overdose. Likely, probably deadly huge. Tractor supply had better have rooster booster, or they are fired

Also, internal laying isn't the same as eggbinding. When a hen is laying internally, a yolk falls from the oviduct into the body cavity, so you wwouldn't be able to feel anything except for a very fat belly. I have seen a hen that is acting very similar to what you are describing: does she have any discoloration to her comb at all? Does she avoid you if you try to catch her? Unless she is super tame, that would be a bad thing

 

[Gypsi]

She used to lay normally, the body cavity is very bloated with something, don't know what. She used to outrun me, none of my australorps are terribly tame, but she hasn't been able to outrun me for a couple of days. Comb looks pretty normal, not bright red, bit bluish maybe, but nice and warm

 

[Gypsi]

Still live and not doing well, guess I will try to get a wormer in her? Or put her down.

 

[Gypsi]

Got some rooster booster in her with a syringe last night. A little watery poop with white over last 2 days, not eating or drinking on her own. Feed store out of corid. If no bright ideas will euthanize this evening, her breathing is labored, feet , she may die on her own.

 

[PeepersMama]

Do you think that the rooster booster caused the sudden sluggishness? I'm curious because (as I said earlier) I haven't used it yet. Based on the time you posted she's probably already in heaven: cut her open and see if you can figure out if it was worms or not.

 

[rebrascora]

If her abdomen is swollen and she is struggling to walk, she may be internally laying...I know you said you couldn't feel anything with a finger insertion but I don't think you would with internal laying as the eggs drop back into the abdominal cavity away from the vent. The other possibility is ascites (water belly) which if drained will give her pretty instant relief, as the fluid build up puts pressure on all the organs. A large gauge hypodermic needle into the bloated area to draw it off should sort it. Some people have removed as much as a pint and a half from their chickens, so you can imagine how much better they must feel getting rid of that.

I too would recommend opening her up if you do euthanize or she dies before you get the chance to do so, as finding out what was wrong may possibly prevent other deaths in your flock. If you can't face doing that yourself, it is possible to send the carcass off for a professional necropsy.

I hope my post is not too late (if it is ascites) or at least that she is no longer suffering. Sending hugs and sympathy

I know it's not an easy thing to do.

 

[Gypsi]

It is too late, I couldn't get on last night. I could necropsy now but the smell is going to be horrible and I am not sure if the results would be worth it. She died some time before 6 pm yesterday afternoon. I bagged her for the trash and it is in the sun. (she will be moving but that was a temporary solution)

The other older birds all look good, molting, especially my americauna pair are molting, but are looking good. no one is laying. They may have run out of their lifespan of eggs, their chief job is bug catching.

When I discovered she was ill she had not gone to roost with the flock last week, she was sort of tucked up under my shed for cover. I had noticed her weight the day before.

She was probably full of fluid but certainly hadn't drank any more than I syringed into her over the last few days. By the time you posted if she wasn't dead, she was close. Cold feet are a sign of impending doom. Unfortunately I had a 4 year old here until yesterday afternoon and that greatly limited what I could do.

I wish I knew but for the moment I put rooster booster in the water for the other older birds on the lot, none in the water for the pair in the backyard run. the australorps among these are her "siblings" but truly they are all hatchery birds from the feed store. Will observe. My young birds are kept separately, for as long as possible in this situation. Thank you for your help