Prevention for egg perintosis?

[Chikenshiken]

My hen has suffered from this condition and recently went to the vet. She was drained and seems a lot happier and was prescribed an anti inflammatory for the rest of her life, along with her sisters when they eventually retire. However, my vet suggested our hens take two tums a day (2000mg) to try and control her condition.

Has anyone ever heard of this? Is there any real way to completely prevent this condition or just control it until she needs to be drained again? I may talk more to my vet over the phone because I still have a million questions about what the rest of my baby’s life is going to look like

 

[Debbie292d]

So sorry!

The two Tums per day, to me, sounds excessive, as that or one of our own calcium pills given to the hen whole, is the answer for an egg-bound chicken. Both cause contractions so the hen can expel the egg or egg parts easier. I suppose to ensure they never have anything stuck inside, this would help.

Probiotics may help too, to get more "good bacteria" in their systems.

As for prevention, I know high protein diets can lead to it. That would probably not mean the all-flock type feeds, but more so consistently feeding them higher protein "treats" like mealworms, etc.

 

[orelsi]

Two is excessive to me as well. I would give her one every other day.

There is no prevention except the general rules of healthy food, clean water, clean coop, etc. You can prolong her life with anti-inflammatory drugs and antibiotics, but the condition is serious and prospects are not good in most cases.

 

[Chikenshiken]

So sorry!

The two Tums per day, to me, sounds excessive, as that or one of our own calcium pills given to the hen whole, is the answer for an egg-bound chicken. Both cause contractions so the hen can expel the egg or egg parts easier. I suppose to ensure they never have anything stuck inside, this would help.

Probiotics may help too, to get more "good bacteria" in their systems.

As for prevention, I know high protein diets can lead to it. That would probably not mean the all-flock type feeds, but more so consistently feeding them higher protein "treats" like mealworms, etc.

Two is excessive to me as well. I would give her one every other day.

There is no prevention except the general rules of healthy food, clean water, clean coop, etc. You can prolong her life with anti-inflammatory drugs and antibiotics, but the condition is serious and prospects are not good in most cases.

Thank you for the responses. Unfortunately I had to put her down yesterday because she wasn’t responding to any treatments. I talked further with my vet about the two tumms and she said calcium was important for things like muscle contractions etc and egg peritonitis robs the body of calcium consistently.

My baby’s digestive tract and cropped failed to work because of her lack of calcium even providing two tumms a day. My guess is that it’s excessive if a chicken is not suffering from any reproductive issue but is more than enough if a chicken is to have an issue and needed additional calcium for organ function

 

[nuthatched]

I'm sorry you lost her. It's often genetic predisposition that causes it, often compounded by diet.

 

[Debbie292d]

Thank you for the responses. Unfortunately I had to put her down yesterday because she wasn’t responding to any treatments. I talked further with my vet about the two tumms and she said calcium was important for things like muscle contractions etc and egg peritonitis robs the body of calcium consistently.

My baby’s digestive tract and cropped failed to work because of her lack of calcium even providing two tumms a day. My guess is that it’s excessive if a chicken is not suffering from any reproductive issue but is more than enough if a chicken is to have an issue and needed additional calcium for organ function

Awe, I'm sorry!! It's hard to lose our favorites!

Take consolation in knowing she lived the best life she could have because of you.

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry for your loss. If you feed a layer type chicken feed and have crushed oyster shell available in a separate container, the hens are getting enough calcium. Calcium citrate with D3 is given to a hen who is egg bound to help her pass the egg. Hens with soft shells are given calcium for up to 7 days to prove if she is having shell gland issues. I would not give calcium or Tums for more than 7 days.

 

[Chikenshiken]

Thank you for everyone’s condolences. It means a lot to me. As well as the advice for calcium.

Here is a thread of some pictures of her if anyone is interested. It’s just a tribute to my chicken

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/i-lost-my-first-chicken-yesterday.1626390/#post-27780055

 

[Wyorp Rock]

My hen has suffered from this condition and recently went to the vet. She was drained and seems a lot happier and was prescribed an anti inflammatory for the rest of her life, along with her sisters when they eventually retire. However, my vet suggested our hens take two tums a day (2000mg) to try and control her condition.

Has anyone ever heard of this? Is there any real way to completely prevent this condition or just control it until she needs to be drained again? I may talk more to my vet over the phone because I still have a million questions about what the rest of my baby’s life is going to look like

I'm sorry about your hen.

I'd like to understand better the thinking behind giving all that extra calcium to "control her condition". And anti-inflammatories? This is to help with...swelling perhaps?
Are you having a necropsy performed to confirm EYP? It may be a good idea.
Have you read up on and research EYP to actually understand what it is? If not, then it's time to do some reading and research on your own. Start with some basic anatomy and learn how a hen's reproductive system works and go from there - it's fascinating.

EYP is simply material like Albumen (Whites) and/or Ovum(Yolk) that has been deposited into the abdominal cavity. Once there, the material has no place to go. This material causes inflammation and infection over time. Sadly, there's no cure.



"""""Peritonitis, which may or may not be initiated by yolk deposition in the abdomen (coelom), follows reverse movement of albumen and E coli bacteria from the oviduct into the abdomen.

Egg peritonitis or egg yolk peritonitis (coelomitis) describes inflammation of the serosal surfaces within the coelom of a hen in response to yolk material that has been deposited into the body cavity. The inflammatory response may be sterile initially, but yolk material is an excellent bacterial growth medium, prone to infection by bacterial organisms, most commonly Escherichia coli.

Management of body weight and uniformity, reproductive development (ovary follicle growth and maturation), and drinking water sanitation are the best preventive strategies.

EODES is prevented by avoiding light stimulation of underweight pullets too early and by following guidelines for body weight and uniformity and lighting recommendations for each breeder strain. Overweight hens may also have a higher incidence of erratic ovulation and mortality associated with egg peritonitis""""
https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poul...-system-in-poultry/egg-peritonitis-in-poultry

 

[Chikenshiken]

I'm sorry about your hen.

I'd like to understand better the thinking behind giving all that extra calcium to "control her condition". And anti-inflammatories? This is to help with...swelling perhaps?
Are you having a necropsy performed to confirm EYP? It may be a good idea.
Have you read up on and research EYP to actually understand what it is? If not, then it's time to do some reading and research on your own. Start with some basic anatomy and learn how a hen's reproductive system works and go from there - it's fascinating.

EYP is simply material like Albumen (Whites) and/or Ovum(Yolk) that has been deposited into the abdominal cavity. Once there, the material has no place to go. This material causes inflammation and infection over time. Sadly, there's no cure.



"""""Peritonitis, which may or may not be initiated by yolk deposition in the abdomen (coelom), follows reverse movement of albumen and E coli bacteria from the oviduct into the abdomen.

Egg peritonitis or egg yolk peritonitis (coelomitis) describes inflammation of the serosal surfaces within the coelom of a hen in response to yolk material that has been deposited into the body cavity. The inflammatory response may be sterile initially, but yolk material is an excellent bacterial growth medium, prone to infection by bacterial organisms, most commonly Escherichia coli.

Management of body weight and uniformity, reproductive development (ovary follicle growth and maturation), and drinking water sanitation are the best preventive strategies.

EODES is prevented by avoiding light stimulation of underweight pullets too early and by following guidelines for body weight and uniformity and lighting recommendations for each breeder strain. Overweight hens may also have a higher incidence of erratic ovulation and mortality associated with egg peritonitis""""
https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poul...-system-in-poultry/egg-peritonitis-in-poultry

I know how the condition works. I’m studying for poultry research in college. I was just following whatever my vet prescribed and I will not be getting a necropsy because it makes me uncomfortable and I’ve already buried my hen.

She had already been prescribed amoxicillin potassium before hand. The anti inflammatory was for just general swelling or rather to lessen it in her abdomen while the high calcium was because egg peritonitis sucks a great amount of calcium in the chickens system. The lack of calcium in the body can cause things like digestive disorders because the body needs calcium for muscle contractions. I know there is a general distrust for vets in regards to chickens and I already knew her condition was fatal. However the vet I went to was specialized in poultry and I have been seeing her for a long time. Our goal was to prolong her life, and a good life, as long as possible.