Hi All,
I have a 1.5 year old EE hen who may have possible egg yolk peritonitis. On Wednesday, we noticed that she was moving around the yard a little slower than normal, not foraging or pecking at the ground like she normally would, and generally just sort of standing in one spot and staying very still. During one of my trips out into the yard to check on her, I noticed one shell-less egg on the floor of the coop, intact, and another spot that appeared to be splattered egg yolk. Additionally, she kept going in and out of the nesting box like she wanted to lay an egg, but was not laying anything.
So of course at this point I got very concerned and brought her inside to check for signs of being egg-bound. I couldn't feel a thing, and she wasn't bloated. When I got through checking her and put her down, she pooped out what looked like watery, yellow egg yolk. So then I started thinking...maybe she has gotten egg-bound with a shell-less egg that broke inside of her, and can't pass it.
I have been giving her several warm, epsom salt baths and feeling her vent to check for blockages, but I just could not detect very much at all. After one of her baths, she was perching on the side of the water bucket, and I noticed that she had a white, rubbery substance hanging out of her vent. I pulled on it, and it looked to me exactly like the soft outer membrane of an egg. So I am thinking, she either layed internally, or an egg broke and there's still some stuck in there....very worrisome.
I have been continuing to give her baths and she is on broad-spectrum antibiotics. Have been checking her vent and abdomen, but I can't see or feel a thing. She seemed to be moving around a little better yesterday, she was drinking and eating mealworms, but today she seems more lethargic - she is sitting still in her run, sometimes she goes in and out of her roost. She doesn't seem to have very much interest in food this morning, either - not even worms. Her eyes look alert and her comb is red and healthy-looking. The lethargy combined with loss of appetite has me very concerned, obviously, as she is normally a very happy, energetic little thing, is fed a great diet, has a huge yard to forage in. I have been hours each day researching everything I can on egg bound hens and peritonitis. I am a little familiar with the condition, and I once even had a horse pass away from intestinal peritonitis years ago, so the loss of appetite and listlessness look like familiar symptoms to me. It seems like a horrible thing to happen to an animal. She is extremely sweet and I have had her since she was a baby, so I feel a tremendous sense of guilt that she is ill.
We're in a pretty urban area, so I don't have access to a true farm or livestock vet, but there are a couple emergency clinics around here that specialize in avian and exotic care. My next step would be to contact them to see if they have any experience with chickens and would be willing to see her, I don't think all vets do. Has anyone else had any luck with this condition and visiting a vet? I am already pretty devastated - like I said, I have been her chicken mom since she was like, five days old, so I feel like I have totally failed by not being able to prevent this somehow.
Thanks everyone!
I have a 1.5 year old EE hen who may have possible egg yolk peritonitis. On Wednesday, we noticed that she was moving around the yard a little slower than normal, not foraging or pecking at the ground like she normally would, and generally just sort of standing in one spot and staying very still. During one of my trips out into the yard to check on her, I noticed one shell-less egg on the floor of the coop, intact, and another spot that appeared to be splattered egg yolk. Additionally, she kept going in and out of the nesting box like she wanted to lay an egg, but was not laying anything.
So of course at this point I got very concerned and brought her inside to check for signs of being egg-bound. I couldn't feel a thing, and she wasn't bloated. When I got through checking her and put her down, she pooped out what looked like watery, yellow egg yolk. So then I started thinking...maybe she has gotten egg-bound with a shell-less egg that broke inside of her, and can't pass it.
I have been giving her several warm, epsom salt baths and feeling her vent to check for blockages, but I just could not detect very much at all. After one of her baths, she was perching on the side of the water bucket, and I noticed that she had a white, rubbery substance hanging out of her vent. I pulled on it, and it looked to me exactly like the soft outer membrane of an egg. So I am thinking, she either layed internally, or an egg broke and there's still some stuck in there....very worrisome.
I have been continuing to give her baths and she is on broad-spectrum antibiotics. Have been checking her vent and abdomen, but I can't see or feel a thing. She seemed to be moving around a little better yesterday, she was drinking and eating mealworms, but today she seems more lethargic - she is sitting still in her run, sometimes she goes in and out of her roost. She doesn't seem to have very much interest in food this morning, either - not even worms. Her eyes look alert and her comb is red and healthy-looking. The lethargy combined with loss of appetite has me very concerned, obviously, as she is normally a very happy, energetic little thing, is fed a great diet, has a huge yard to forage in. I have been hours each day researching everything I can on egg bound hens and peritonitis. I am a little familiar with the condition, and I once even had a horse pass away from intestinal peritonitis years ago, so the loss of appetite and listlessness look like familiar symptoms to me. It seems like a horrible thing to happen to an animal. She is extremely sweet and I have had her since she was a baby, so I feel a tremendous sense of guilt that she is ill.
We're in a pretty urban area, so I don't have access to a true farm or livestock vet, but there are a couple emergency clinics around here that specialize in avian and exotic care. My next step would be to contact them to see if they have any experience with chickens and would be willing to see her, I don't think all vets do. Has anyone else had any luck with this condition and visiting a vet? I am already pretty devastated - like I said, I have been her chicken mom since she was like, five days old, so I feel like I have totally failed by not being able to prevent this somehow.
Thanks everyone!
