Recovery time egg yolk peritonitis/internal laying?

[DianeB]

Hi
My hen has been recovering from EYP for over a month. The infection has been successfully treated and her abdominal swelling is gone. Also, she has completely stopped laying internally or otherwise. Over this time, she has definitely made considerable improvement to the point she is practically back to normal except for being very, very tired in the afternoons. Is this normal? How long should it take for her to be 100% better? Is this possible after having EYP?
Thank you.

 

[Fishkeeper]

Are you sure she's just tired, and not in pain?

 

[DianeB]

Thank you. Maybe I hope not.

She's very perky in the mornings and the evenings, though (eating, running around, dust bathing, sunning herself). If I try to bring her inside during those times, she will practically break down the crate door to get out. Then in the afternoon, she crashes for four or five hours.

In the past, either a sick hen would have fully recovered or passed away by now.

This has been a very fusturating and confusing experience.

 

[coach723]

Is she under vet care? Just curious to know how you are sure she is not laying internally and all infection is gone. Did she get an implant to stop laying? EYP often does recur since the underlying reason is often still there. I'm just really curious as to what the complete picture is with this hen.

 

[DianeB]

Her comb is shrunken and she is going through a mini moult. Earlier this month, the vet did a sonogram and said her ovary is now inactive. I've been giving her recovery formula, again, with some probiotics. This seems to have made her perk up some more.

Her recovery has been very slow but steady. She definitely has not gotten any worse since her initial vet visit. Bit by bit, things have improved. Her comb is now upright, her appetite is back, poop is normal (but a little loose), abdominal swelling is gone, crop empties normally, etc. She even is slowly putting back on her weight. It's these bouts of long naps that still have me concerned. I'm still very hopeful that she will make a full recovery. I would just like to know how I can help move it along.

 

[coach723]

Well, I'm glad she's improved. I've not had much luck at all with hens recovering from reproductive problems, so was curious about her case. It sounds like you've done everything that you possibly can, so I would just make sure her nutrition, vitamins and probiotics (I do weekly) wouldn't hurt, is good and keep an eye on her. It's so hard to know exactly what is going on inside of them. Hopefully she will continue to slowly get stronger, but if she passes then having a necropsy done would answer for sure. Sometimes it just helps for peace of mind, or learning so when you have a similar situation down the road you are a little more informed. If you are open to herbals then ashwagandha might be of help. See post #15 here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...eds-for-chickens.1316108/page-2#post-21453276
And here:
http://www.poultrydvm.com/supplement/ashwagandha

 

[DianeB]

Thank you. Unfortunately, I have had my fair share of hens with reproductive issues. But, surprisingly, never internal laying.

Even though she is on the trajectory to a full recovery, I still have that fear she will still surcome to this. Over the first few weeks of treatment, she passed eggyolk in some of her droppings. The infection, sour crop and abdominal swelling hasn't returned. So, I assume that her body has cleaned out most of the eggyolk material. Hopefully, this along with a break from ovulating will allow her to fully recover.

Wanted to add that she is the top hen and this episode in her life hasn't stopped her from bossing the others.

Thank you, again

 

[DianeB]

She's eating and drinking like a champ, putting back on weight and no longer tired. Also, she's going through a pretty big moult. Hopeing this will prevent any internal laying for a while.