Rhode Island Red with a very swollen butt, loss in appetite, and pale floppy comb.

[Clemmy]

Recently, my rir has not been looking that good. She is a middle aged hen who has recently stopped laying. She is lethargic and tired-looking around the coop; and I can tell that she has had a massive loss in her appetite ( I can tell by how her crop is completely empty). Her butt also seems very swollen and firm to the touch and poop is splattered around her vent. Earlier this summer, I noticed that she had a loss in her appetite, and a more floppy and pale comb (which she also has now) , but after that small incident it seemed that she had bounced back. A few weeks passed and now, some of these symptoms have come back. I've done some research, and a few possibilities of what is wrong could be Enteric Disease, Cloacitis, or possibly internal laying. The symptoms are all over the place and I do not exactly know what's going on. If anyone could possibly help me make a diagnosis or suggest possibilities or treatments on what this might be that would be great. ( I will try to send in pictures soon )

Thank you!

 

[hispoptart]

I'm so sorry about your hen but the sooner you can get pics the better.

 

[Clemmy]

Here are some pictures.

 

[hispoptart]

Thanks for the pics, I have a chicken with a floppy comb, and have had others also. They were all healthy and hers looks to be of good color. So not sure that should be much of a concern, but her bottom is quite messy. How have her poops been? Can you clean her up and maybe get a better pic of her bottom and vent area? How old is she? Has she been laying? Where are you located at? I'm just trying to think of questions the more experts will ask you so maybe you can answer them before they get here. I'm going to tag a few that might be able to help you better then I can.

@Eggcessive @coach723 @Wyorp Rock @azygous @21hens-incharge
Thanks in advance all

 

[21hens-incharge]

First thing I would do is a bath and trim off the feathers.

Epson salt, warm water not hot and not cold. A good 20 minute soak and work the poop off those feathers.

I keep nitrile gloves on hand for just such a need. They fit snug and allow the hands to work without filling with water....unless punctured.

Any other symptoms?

 

[coach723]

You mention that her butt/abdomen is swollen and that she recently stopped laying. Those along with the dirty tail feathers often means a reproductive problem. Those can vary but symptoms are often very similar. Internal laying, salpingitis, reproductive cancers are all possibilities. If that's the case then the prognosis is poor, I'm so sorry to say. Without a vet to do some testing then usually the definite answer is unfortunately had at necropsy. She may lose weight to the point of emaciation, but still have a swollen abdomen as things progress.

 

[azygous]

You're right that she seems to have no shortage of symptoms. In the one photo, from her wide legged stance, unless she had just shifted her weight to another leg, it appears she has ascites. My hunch is that your hen is suffering from a complete set of reproductive issues, perhaps including cancer.

By the time the symptoms reach such a level of seriousness, sadly there is usually not much that can be done to treat her.

 

[Eggcessive]

All good advice. Just looking at your picture, does this hen have a bowed out left leg? If so, she has a leg bone deformity called varus deformity. It doesn’t have anything to do with what she has going on now, but just wanted to ask. The picture below is varus deformity of the right leg, and it can occur in one or both legs. Valgus deformity is the opposite, where the legs are knock kneed.

 

[Clemmy]

First thing I would do is a bath and trim off the feathers. Just as 21hens-incharge said, I soaked her in a bath of
Epsom salts, and warm water to soak the poop off her feathers. She stopped laying a few months ago and is still drinking and eating a little but not normally. The feet were crooked in the picture because of the chair, she doesn't normally stand like that. Her butt is still a bit swollen. Anyway here are a few pictures of her after we gave her the bath ( and a picture of her poop for extra reference) If there are any more diagnosis's or tips you can give that would be great!

 

[21hens-incharge]

How much does she weigh?

If you have a scale for human use you can get pretty close by weighing yourself then again while holding the hen.

That poop is concerning.

@casportpony can you have a look please.