Rescued hen with distended tummy!!

[Tasha71]

Hi, I am very desperate..

I have come home from holidays to find a new hen waiting in quarantine and only today when I picked her up, I felt she has a very large tummy...and yes, it feels like there is a very very large egg in her lower regions.

I violated her nether regions using a medi glove and vasoline, but I could not feel an egg where I thought it should be according to guides from this site and others. ( I inserted the finger straight, could not feel anything, although the hard shape was lower in her body)

I have bathed her in a warm bath, and massaged the area, have her in a warm bed, and she has food (grower pellets) and fresh water.

She is also molting from the head down to her under carraige, so I am at my wits end! I have no background info on this girl.. only that she is a Black maran cross, unwanted... she is lice and mite free thank goodness!

any ideas??

ty

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hi, I am very desperate..

I have come home from holidays to find a new hen waiting in quarantine and only today when I picked her up, I felt she has a very large tummy...and yes, it feels like there is a very very large egg in her lower regions.

I violated her nether regions using a medi glove and vasoline, but I could not feel an egg where I thought it should be according to guides from this site and others. ( I inserted the finger straight, could not feel anything, although the hard shape was lower in her body)

I have bathed her in a warm bath, and massaged the area, have her in a warm bed, and she has food (grower pellets) and fresh water.

She is also molting from the head down to her under carraige, so I am at my wits end! I have no background info on this girl.. only that she is a Black maran cross, unwanted... she is lice and mite free thank goodness!

any ideas??

ty

It sound like she may have an internal laying / reproductive disorder. With an enlarged abdomen that you feel a mass in, it could be Peritonitis, Salpingitis, tumors, cancer or some other issue.

Not much can be done to cure any of those illnesses. Antibiotics can be used in Peritonitis or Salpingitis, but there is not always much improvement or improvement is usually temporary.

Peritonitis and internal egg laying issues:
http://www.chickenvet.co.uk/health-and-common-diseases/egg-laying-issues/index.aspx
http://www.hobbyfarms.com/livestock-and-pets/6-causes-of-chicken-swollen-abdomen.aspx
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/134/salpingitis/

 

[Tasha71]

Many thanks for the info. I took her to the vets who said it was not something she would recover from unless she had surgery, and even then she may not survive that. He said the huge mass was mineral based and not a tumor, and that she would eventually suffer more over the next few days, so I had her put to sleep. Poor little chook had obviously not been cared for

Tasha

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Many thanks for the info. I took her to the vets who said it was not something she would recover from unless she had surgery, and even then she may not survive that. He said the huge mass was mineral based and not a tumor, and that she would eventually suffer more over the next few days, so I had her put to sleep. Poor little chook had obviously not been cared for

Tasha

I'm so sorry

Glad you were able to find a vet. Would be interested what causes a mass to be mineral based. Always something new to learn. Did the vet give any reasons how it's formed or what can be done to prevent it.

 

[Tasha71]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/853726/ascites-in-desperate-need-of-some-help-and-guidance/10

I am thinking he meant she had the same issue as the pictures Kathy linked... The necropsy pics. This is all I can imagine her to have suffered from. Basically a very poor diet prior to her coming to me.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/853726/ascites-in-desperate-need-of-some-help-and-guidance/10

I am thinking he meant she had the same issue as the pictures Kathy linked... The necropsy pics. This is all I can imagine her to have suffered from. Basically a very poor diet prior to her coming to me.

Peritonitis, Ascites, Salpingitis, cancer, tumors, etc., are usually caused by some type of reproductive/internal laying disorder and/or bacterial infection..
Any of these can somewhat look similar in symptoms and cause masses, distended or fluid filled abdomens. While diet - too much carbs-having obese chickens-may play a small role in any of these disorders, bacteria from "foreign matter" that enters the abdominal cavity is the usually cause the of the infection. Eggs and Egg matter can drop into the cavity as well as bacteria like E.Coli and Salmonella can also travel back up the oviduct causing the the infection.

Hens on very well balance diets and everything done correctly still die from these common diseases/disorders each year. Just search here on BYC you will see hundreds of threads about each one.

http://www.hobbyfarms.com/6-causes-of-swollen-abdomen-in-chickens-2/
http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/p...ingitis_in_poultry.html?qt=salpingitis&alt=sh

http://www.chickenvet.co.uk/health-and-common-diseases/egg-laying-issues/index.aspx
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2014/12/salpingitis-lash-eggs-in-backyard.html


Necropsy:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...scites-and-eyp-very-graphic-necropsy-pictures

 

[Tasha71]

So many ailments!! I just hope none of my own girls ever have this kind of problem. Thanks again for all the info. I know this site has oodles of posts about different health issues, my head hurts from searching!