Reproductive disorder experience / support for hen on antibiotics

[Nicky S]

I took my 10 month old Wyandotte to the vet today as she's not been laying for a few weeks and I was worried about internal laying or something else. Her abdomen was distended (I hadn't noticed when I checked), and they did x-rays....she has a lot of tissue where her reproductive organs are, and her lungs are being squished by all the extra stuff. She's on antibiotics while we wait for blood test results in case it is an infection (really hoping it is) - I'm getting her probiotics to take as a supplement, but wondering if there's anything else I can do for her? If it's not an infection they say either a reproductive disorder or cancer, but they won't know until they open her up, which would be in a couple of weeks as they can't schedule it before. Apparently they see a lot of reproductive disorders in young hens like this from hatcheries...has anyone else come across this? Anyone else gone through this that has any advice? She's our pet, so we're treating her just as we would our cat or dogs. Feeling rather overwhelmed as we are mid-run renovation, have a broody and 4 week baby reintegrating with the flock and 5 two week babies inside the house!

 

[Eggcessive]

Reproductive disorders are common in older hens, but occasionally it will happen to a pullet. Enlargement of the lower belly can be from ascites (water belly,) internal laying, cancer, or something else. Is she overwieght? Has she lost weight through her breast muscles or when you lift her? How does her crop feel—empty and flat, full, hard, doughy, or puffy, and does it empty by the next morning? Is she eating and drinking well? What do her poops look like?

 

[Nicky S]

Her general condition was deemed good by the vet - they certainly didn't say she was overweight, and she's eating very normally. She's running happily around the yard right now scratching in the dirt, if it weren't for the lack of eggs I'd never suspect a thing. I haven't noticed any weight loss when I pick her up, though she's my one that hates to be held, but she'll perch on my arm very happily. I will check her crop tonight and tomorrow morning - I haven't noticed anything amiss so far. Poops look normal to me - she did a more liquid one this morning (white and green/brown color), but she also pooped at the vet and it was of the more solid kind...I asked them to do a fecal sample just in case as well, I thought it was odd that they didn't ask about the poops actually. They said there was no egg in the x-ray, but I'm a bit confused about internal laying...would they be able to see those deposits in an x-ray? They checked her vent and that was normal too. Many thanks!

 

[Eggcessive]

Some vets can offer a hormone implant to stop laying for 4-6 months in hens who are laying internally. Here is some info on internal laying:
https://www.scoopfromthecoop.com/laying-issues-internal-layers-and-peritonitis/

https://bitchinchickens.com/2021/03/04/case-study-internal-layer/

 

[Nicky S]

Some vets can offer a hormone implant to stop laying for 4-6 months in hens who are laying internally. Here is some info on internal laying:
https://www.scoopfromthecoop.com/laying-issues-internal-layers-and-peritonitis/

Thanks - yes, ours definitely can do that if that turns out to be the case, but they didn't seem to think it was that.

 

[Eggcessive]

Here is a picture of a hen with advanced salpingitis with internal laying:
https://cluckin.net/media/posts/80/responsive/Xray-of-a-chicken-with-internally-laid-eggs-lg.jpg

 

[Nicky S]

Here is a picture of a hen with advanced salpingitis with internal laying:
https://cluckin.net/media/posts/80/responsive/Xray-of-a-chicken-with-internally-laid-eggs-lg.jpg

Thanks - definitely not that - there were no egg shapes...just a lot of tissue in that area that was squishing her lungs flat. A little gas too.