Please, I desperately need information!

[Reigndrac]

I've been raising small flocks of hens on and off mostly as pets and for eggs for several years now. Our latest family members, a flock of twelve, includes a large pure white Americana named Dove. I came home from helping my father (a veterinary ophthalmologist) with a summit today and noticed she was acting oddly. I couldn't place my finger on anything in particular until I walked up to her. While she's not very skittish, she usually doesn't like me picking her up. Yet this time, she didn't offer any protest. When I picked her up my heart sank. She was panting heavily with each breath and the skin around her face (which is slightly exposed due to a slight feather-picking problem we're trying to deal with) seemed to be tinted blue. Her stomach also seemed to be bloated, but she's always been bigger than the other hens to I thought little of that part at the time. My dad and I turned right back around and headed to the Vet's where he works and the staff working the ICU there said that she had something called[FONT=Arial, Helvetica] ascites. Since I was sort of hyperventilating in the car, I wasn't there, but my dad said that they drained a significant amount of fluid from her abdomen. This made her breathing better, but the staff's reaction didn't seem too positive to her condition. Does anyone else have more experience with this particular condition? I've lost many of my hens already due to stupid mistakes or things that I wasn't proactive enough on, and I don't want that to happen again. I want to know anything and everything about this; even the slightest thing I can do to help her when she comes back will be greatly appreciated. Any home remedies, medications, changes in living conditions, etc., as well as what I can do to make sure none of my other hens get this. [/FONT]

 

[sourland]

Ascites in chickens is generally a result of a congestive heart condition and is generally found to happen in rapidly growing meat breeds. What is happening with your hen is not a result of anything that you have done wrong. More likely, for some reason or other she has a genetic predisposition towards developing this condition. If she is overweight, a reduced feeding regimen may help - the prognosis is generally not good. I believe that ascites may also develop in cases of egg peritonitis, but am not certain about this. Try an on line search for more information. I wish you luck with her, and welcome to BYC - sorry for the circumstances.

 

[fiberart57]

How old is she? It could be internal laying/egg yolk peritonitis if she's been laying. Ascites is one of the symptoms. There's a lot of info here about it if you do a search.

 

[casportpony]

Ascites in chickens is generally a result of a congestive heart condition and is generally found to happen in rapidly growing meat breeds. What is happening with your hen is not a result of anything that you have done wrong. More likely, for some reason or other she has a genetic predisposition towards developing this condition. If she is overweight, a reduced feeding regimen may help - the prognosis is generally not good. I believe that ascites may also develop in cases of egg peritonitis, but am not certain about this. Try an on line search for more information. I wish you luck with her, and welcome to BYC - sorry for the circumstances.

I have seen that in mine and also in a hen with cancer that I just did a necropsy on.

 

[Reigndrac]

How old is she? It could be internal laying/egg yolk peritonitis if she's been laying. Ascites is one of the symptoms. There's a lot of info here about it if you do a search.

She's just a little under three years right now. Before this incident, she's never shown any real signs of a health issue other than slight feather loss from the feather picking I mentioned before. And as far as I know, she and all of the other hens have been laying normally. However, one thing I just remembered (and I don't know whether or not this will be helpful) is that they have developed a very slight egg eating tendency as well. The hens all have free range of a size able backyard during the day, more than enough room for all twelve of them and more, but at night they are perhaps a little cramped in their coop. They have two 'roosting bars' to sleep on but they all squeeze together onto just one. And even though there are plenty of laying boxes all over the place, they all try to lay in the same spot which leads to broken eggs, feather picking, and some egg eating. Could this have attributed to it? Even if not, it's something we're working on changing for all 12 hens, but should we immediately separate Dove from this environment at night when she gets home?

And I have done quite a few searches on ascites, but most of what websites offer are how to prevent the disease or how to find the symptoms. I can't really find a whole lot on any sort of treatments other than just draining any fluid retention.

 

[Reigndrac]

Update: We just got a report back on Dove's ultrasound and though the radiologist expert isn't there, what the avian vet thinks it could be is egg yolk coelomitis. We still can't say for sure, though. Right now Dove is still in an oxygen cage in ICU and they say she seems to be doing better for the moment being. As compared to yesterday when we found her, her breathing is much more normal and they didn't have to tap her for anymore fluids when they checked on her this morning. I hate to keep asking, but along with any info on ascites, does anyone have anything substancial on egg yolk coelomitis? I've looked up the basics on some avian websites, but I'm mostly looking for treatments and what I can do to make her more comfortable when she comes back home.

 

[casportpony]

Can they do surgery? I know someone here did their own and the hen lived.

 

[Reigndrac]

I'm unsure about surgery. From what I've read, it's not uncommon for a hen to live after this incident for a while. However, the long term prognosis is uncertain at best. They can drain any fluid build-up to relieve the pressure on the bird and allow it to breathe more easily. But sorry, I don't quite know what you mean by 'do their own'. Are you just referring to the draining? If that's the case, yes, from what I've read at least it seems as though some owners have safely removed excess fluid on their own.

 

[Zrcalo]

Is it possible to remove a chicken's ovaries?

 

[casportpony]

I'm unsure about surgery. From what I've read, it's not uncommon for a hen to live after this incident for a while. However, the long term prognosis is uncertain at best. They can drain any fluid build-up to relieve the pressure on the bird and allow it to breathe more easily. But sorry, I don't quite know what you mean by 'do their own'. Are you just referring to the draining? If that's the case, yes, from what I've read at least it seems as though some owners have safely removed excess fluid on their own.

By "do their own", I meant abdominal surgery to remove bits of yolk, fluid, etc. I'm not recommending anyone try it, just though you might want to know about it... I'll see if I can find the thread for you. FWIW, I drained one of mine about a week ago and she's doing okay, but I know she won't be around much longer.