Severe Bulge Under Chicken's Vent (Pictures) PLEASE HELP!

[ReiMiraa]

i have a light sussex chick that is about 3 weeks old whos left side of leg, and under wing and butt are squishy like an inflatable balloon.... i have never seen a bird with this before and i cannot tell if it is air or liquid. the skin is transparent but i see nothing and feel no mass.... its just like someone inflated one side of this chick.....
should i try sticking a needle in and let the pressure drain out the air/ fluid?

 

[HenNewbie]

This has been a very informative thread for me to read and follow. I also have a good layer with a condition which looks exactly like the photos you posted. Thank you for the photos. How is your hen doing? Did you end up taking her to the vet, or continue with trying to draw out the fluid yourself?

I soaked my girl last evening and explored the vent and felt nothing. She seems content, but as she explores her surroundings I can see her vent contracting. Does that sound familiar?

I will subscribe to your thread and stay tuned for updates on your hen.

 

[n8ivetxn]

I'm mystified

.... have any of you considered a visit to an avian vet?

 

[SarahKate]

I'm sorry I haven't been able to reply sooner. The second time we tried to drain the mass under Reba's vent, the same thing happened - just a few droplets of blood in the syringe. Not even any air was released. I'm stumped. We waited for the worst of the summer heat to pass and then moved her back outside with her friends. She is back to free-ranging and certainly acts like she feels fine, but the mass is still there. It appears to be the same size - no bigger yet. I found a vet willing to take a chicken, but the costs were just astronomical. I'm not ready to do that just yet, especially since she seems like she feels fine.

After doing a little research outside of backyard chickens, I was able to find a couple other people talking about a condition like this. Some said that their chickens have lived for years with the mass on their backside. I find this so bizarre! I guess if the mass where to stay the same size though, it could happen. I'm hoping that Reba will be like that and continue to live a happy life. If anyone does find out anything specific about what this is, I'd definitely appreciate an update on this thread if you can.

 

[SarahKate]

This has been a very informative thread for me to read and follow. I also have a good layer with a condition which looks exactly like the photos you posted. Thank you for the photos. How is your hen doing? Did you end up taking her to the vet, or continue with trying to draw out the fluid yourself?
I soaked my girl last evening and explored the vent and felt nothing. She seems content, but as she explores her surroundings I can see her vent contracting. Does that sound familiar?
I will subscribe to your thread and stay tuned for updates on your hen.

When I get close and move Reba's feathers out of the way, she contracts her vent, but she is so fluffy that when she is roaming around, I can't see her vent to know if it's contracting. I'm so sorry one of yours has this, too. I know how upsetting it is to not know what you're dealing with, or what direction to take to fix the problem.

 

[kmatt87]

I'm sorry I haven't been able to reply sooner. The second time we tried to drain the mass under Reba's vent, the same thing happened - just a few droplets of blood in the syringe. Not even any air was released. I'm stumped. We waited for the worst of the summer heat to pass and then moved her back outside with her friends. She is back to free-ranging and certainly acts like she feels fine, but the mass is still there. It appears to be the same size - no bigger yet. I found a vet willing to take a chicken, but the costs were just astronomical. I'm not ready to do that just yet, especially since she seems like she feels fine.

After doing a little research outside of backyard chickens, I was able to find a couple other people talking about a condition like this. Some said that their chickens have lived for years with the mass on their backside. I find this so bizarre! I guess if the mass where to stay the same size though, it could happen. I'm hoping that Reba will be like that and continue to live a happy life. If anyone does find out anything specific about what this is, I'd definitely appreciate an update on this thread if you can.

try looking at prices at a vet school or an aviary rescue place. It might be alot cheaper

 

[FlyHigher]

Sounds like Salmonella or Escherichia coli.
How does the poop like like? Runny? Watery? White? Bloody?
Just try some Neomycin Sulfate or other antibiotics.

 

[FlyHigher]

When I get close and move Reba's feathers out of the way, she contracts her vent, but she is so fluffy that when she is roaming around, I can't see her vent to know if it's contracting. I'm so sorry one of yours has this, too. I know how upsetting it is to not know what you're dealing with, or what direction to take to fix the problem.

Does she get better? Why not try some antibiotics as a start? It may be helpful.

 

[maresmares]

We noticed we had this Big Bulge Butt all of a sudden on one of our chickens. Two experienced breeders did not know what it was, either. I took her to the Vet, and they diagnosed right away, this is a HERNIA. That bulge means a tear in her abdomen and entrails are in that bulge. It is related to the chicken's reproductive cycle (egg laying) and so it does not 'go away;' whatever caused the malfunction will likely happen again. It cannot be taped up or put in a sling. A hernia needs a mesh or sewing repair, just like a human's hernia. In the case of chickens, since it would happen again, the chicken would need a hysterectomy, her girly parts removed. This operation runs into Thousands of dollars. The hernia condition is indeed terminal, as a few people have said in these posts. There will come a time when our girl's bulge will finally burst, causing sudden death. Her everyday-condition is totally normal, no changes in behavior or eating or laying. She used to lay Humonous eggs, ergo the straining and hernia. My job is to keep an eye on her and if she is in pain, send her to chicken heaven.

 

[SarahKate]

The above commenter is correct. Our sweet Reba passed away last week from this condition. We first noticed her bulge in July, so the fact that she made it until November is pretty incredible. She continued laying until her molt. It was after her molt that while passing a large egg (all of hers were huge) that she laid her entrails as well. We immediately took her to the vet to have her put down. It was terrible to loose our family pet, but I'm so grateful for the year and a half we had with her.