Sick chicken with hard lump

[JDD4]

Hi everyone,
I have three ex battey hens. One of them has had a watery vent for a few days now. I first noticed she was ill when i let her out in the morning and her comb was purple. That Is, thankfully, back to the right colour now.
I have had her indoors for about a week and she is acting normally eating and drinking (loving her cuddles) although sometimes a little lathargic but still has a constantly leaky vent (clear liquid no smell). I have her a bath last night and noticed a hard lump by her leg next to her hip bones. I can manipulate this with my fingers but not very much. It is round ish. It is not her crop.
I thought she was egg bound but that doesn't seem to be the issue. I have given her calcium and olive oil. I don' think the lump is in the right place for it to be an egg although does feel a little like two pushed together.
Just wondering if anyone knew what it may be. As it is hard I don't think that it is a hernia.
Thanks all for reading!!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

sometimes a little lathargic but still has a constantly leaky vent (clear liquid no smell)....noticed a hard lump by her leg next to her hip bones. I can manipulate this with my fingers but not very much. It is round ish...I don' think the lump is in the right place for it to be an egg although does feel a little like two pushed together.

Hi @JDD4

Can you post some photos of her?
Is her crop emptying overnight?
What does her poop look like?
When was her last egg?

With her being an ex-batt, having a leaky vent and you finding a lump, I can only guess that she may have an internal laying/reproductive disorder like Salpingitis, Egg Yolk Peritonitis, cancer or tumors. Does the clear watery liquid remind you of egg whites possibly?

Giving her a soak in epsom salts, extra vitamins and seeing that she stays hydrated and eats, sometimes may be the only thing that can be done. If she does have a repro/laying problem, then antibiotics may help if it's not advanced, but I fear that since you feel a lump or 2, that it is. A vet can perform an x-ray to possibly see what that is. https://poultrykeeper.com/reproductive-system-problems/

I'm very sorry, I wish I had better answers for you. Please keep us posted.

 

[rebrascora]

My guess would be salpingitis, which is an infection of the oviduct. What you are feeling may well be lash eggs, which are a mixture of solidified puss and egg material which form lumpy, rubbery masses, sometimes the size of eggs but can be smaller or significantly larger. Unfortunately the oviduct gets packed solid with these lash eggs until the sheer bulk of it starts to constrict the bowel and only liquid poop can be passed.
Sadly if I am correct, there is little you can do for her other than make her as comfortable as possible and be prepared to end her suffering when her quality of life becomes untenable.

High production hens are prone to such reproductive issues as they get older and is one of the reasons why the egg industry culls them at 2 years old.

Bathing her in a warm Epsom salts bath and lubricating and massaging her vent may well help her to relax and possibly help her to pass a bit more poop and if you are really lucky, some of those lash eggs, but that would probably be the best you could hope for.
She sounds like a really wonderful girl and I'm so very sorry I cannot offer more hope.

 

[JDD4]

Hi @JDD4

Can you post some photos of her?
Is her crop emptying overnight?
What does her poop look like?
When was her last egg?

With her being an ex-batt, having a leaky vent and you finding a lump, I can only guess that she may have an internal laying/reproductive disorder like Salpingitis, Egg Yolk Peritonitis, cancer or tumors. Does the clear watery liquid remind you of egg whites possibly?

Giving her a soak in epsom salts, extra vitamins and seeing that she stays hydrated and eats, sometimes may be the only thing that can be done. If she does have a repro/laying problem, then antibiotics may help if it's not advanced, but I fear that since you feel a lump or 2, that it is. A vet can perform an x-ray to possibly see what that is. https://poultrykeeper.com/reproductive-system-problems/

I'm very sorry, I wish I had better answers for you. Please keep us posted.

 

[JDD4]

Hi both, thank you for replying.
She has good times and then goes lathargic. She took herself outside today with the other girls and was fine but now gone sleeping so have brought her inside again. She is eating and drinking fine.
She hasn't laid an egg for a while but neither have my other two. As they are ex batts it is my understanding that they won't always continue to lay. They do so intermittently now. I have attached a pic of her poo but she also has 'normal' poo. The watery poo is clear with no smell. Very much like water.
Her crop does empty overnight.
At least if she doesn't make it she has had a happy six months with us.