Pullet has swollen abdomen, what to do?

[Chicken Keith]

My 7month old pullet feels like she was a water balloon under her down, between her legs and below her vent. This is not the crop, I'm sure of that, but the abdomen area.

She has been laying for only about a month or so. I don't feel any hard mass like an eggbound condition.

She walks ok, jumps up on the perch fine at night, and does not seem to be in any pain.

Since I'm sorta strapped for cash and can't afford a vet bill right now, can anyone on here offer some sort of advice as to this condition?

Thanks in advance!

 

[NatureBoy86]

Heard of this condition but never found a solution. Hope someoneone can help cure her. Best wishes!

 

[CrestedGirl]

Possibly EYP (Egg yolk peritontitis) I just dealt with a hen who had it. We ended up taking her to a vet. They gave her some baytril and she has been going up-hill ever since

. These websites are lots of help http://dlhunicorn.conforums.com/index.cgi?board=diseasecasestudies&action=display&num=1169201098
http://fowlfacts.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=afflictiondiseaseff&action=display&thread=1199

 

[CrestedGirl]

Have you been seeing any yolk colored substance in her stool?

 

[Chicken Keith]

Quote:
You know, I'm not sure. I have seen shell-less eggs laid, and the hens "lay" them like feces, the membrane is found on the coop floor, dropped when they're on the perch.

But I could have seen yellow runny stools and just wrote it off in my mind as diarrhea, or similar.

 

[CrestedGirl]

How is he breathing? Is it labored? Have you tried giving her any warm baths? Those help relax the muscles around the abdomen. If you suspect EYP I would put some antibiotics in her water or something.

 

[Chicken Keith]

Her breathing seems fine. I felt her abdomen tonite and it is still swollen and it feels a little firmer now, which has me concerned.

She jumps up on the perch ok too. What type of antibiotic is recommended and can I buy it over the counter from a feed store or something?

I am going to start looking around for vets. Surely a vet won't charge me a dog's price. I dumped $1,000 (x-rays prescription painkillers, etc) on a Welsh Corgi that got accidentally run over by a farm truck 2 yrs ago, I don't want to do that for a chicken. I love my chickens, don't get me wrong, but they don't have health insurance and I don't necessarily call them my pets--although I ensure they're comfy and live a humane life.

 

[CrestedGirl]

We use some Duramycin-10 as an antibiotic. They sell it at our feed store, they might even sell it at TSC (not positive though. But for you best chance I would see if you can take her to the vet and get some baytril (also an antibiotic). The battril did the trick with my girl. If the antibiotic doesn't work, someone will have to draw out the fluid from her abdomen (vet said if the antibiotic didn't work the would use a needle

) . But usually it is a 50/50 chance the bird will make it. I hope she gets better soon. Here is my thread that at first I suspected egg bound. https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=591587

Also, does the skin around her vent look yellowish? ~CG~

 

[Chicken Keith]

Quote:
Will check this morning. Thanks for the advice so far.

 

[Chicken Keith]

Quote:
Will check this morning. Thanks for the advice so far.

Ok, went to check on her this morning. The good news, I think, is her vent is white, no redness, no yellowish, no more swelling than normally what's seen in a laying hen. She's up walking around normally, stools appear to have a mixture of solid (normal) and brown (not yellow and not black) runny stool mixed in.

She's a black copper maran, so not sure what color their skin is normally, white or yellow, but I pulled back feathers on her belly to examine the abdomen skin and it appears yellowish white--but no red. That could be her normal skin color. The other thing I checked for is fever and I felt no hotness (any more than her normal body warmth). It's cold here this morning (in North Alabama) so her normal body temp feels "hot" to my cold bare hands, but I do not think it is inflamed or fevery.

Also, and it could be my wishful imaginary thinking but it "feels" like her swelling has gone down, but just a little. The firmness of her abdomen has not seemed to change (hasn't gotten harder or softer) since last night. Two nights ago while on the roost her whole belly seemed to fill up (rest in) my whole hand fingers and all, now it seems to just fill up my palm. I won't swear the swelling has gone down but I feel hopeful. I have not yet gotten any anti-biotics yet. Should I wait until conditions worsen? I'm concerned about throwing A/B's at my chickens if they don't need it, out of fear of killing good flora gut bacteria.