Sick Chicken!

[farmgirl02]

Howdy!
I just joined BYC yesterday, and my pet chicken is sick. Can anyone help? She is a Barred Rock,(named Dolly) LOL and for the last two months, all the feathers have fallen out below her vent. As you can see in the picture below,
new feathers are JUST starting to grow back, but there is still a big egg-shaped lump below the vent.

I don't really think that she is egg bound, because this has been going on for at least 2 months. She is separated in her own chicken tractor, because the other hens are pecking at it, mostly just one other Red Star. It is pink, but it used to be red. I put Vaseline on her bottom and Poultry Aid spray on her sores where the other hens were pecking at it, and occasionally dytremestious earth. (don't know if I spelled that right.) The egg-shaped thing is not squishy or anything- it's more hard. She is the first sick chicken I have ever had. She is only about three years old, and has laid nothing but a thin, poopy egg and a shelles egg in the last 8 months. Please someone tell me whats wrong with her!

Thanks everyone!

 

[Wyandottes7]

Howdy!
I just joined BYC yesterday, and my pet chicken is sick. Can anyone help? She is a Barred Rock,(named Dolly) LOL and for the last two months, all the feathers have fallen out below her vent. As you can see in the picture below,
new feathers are JUST starting to grow back, but there is still a big egg-shaped lump below the vent.

I don't really think that she is egg bound, because this has been going on for at least 2 months. She is separated in her own chicken tractor, because the other hens are pecking at it, mostly just one other Red Star. It is pink, but it used to be red. I put Vaseline on her bottom and Poultry Aid spray on her sores where the other hens were pecking at it, and occasionally dytremestious earth. (don't know if I spelled that right.) The egg-shaped thing is not squishy or anything- it's more hard. She is the first sick chicken I have ever had. She is only about three years old, and has laid nothing but a thin, poopy egg and a shelles egg in the last 8 months. Please someone tell me whats wrong with her!

Thanks everyone!

No picture is showing up. Maybe try posting it again? My first guess, without seeeing pictures would be that she has Ascites, internal egg laying, or Egg Yolk Peronitis (EYP). All of these problems are common in older hens. Unfortunately, none of them are very treatable. Because the lump is hard, she is likely an internal egg layer (the other two diseases cause more squishy lumps). I'd do some research on all three of these things, and see if any of them fit your bird's symptoms.

 

[Eggcessive]

Your chicken might be suffering from egg yolk peritonitis. It is caused by an egg breaking inside or laying too large of an egg that may have damaged the reproductive tract. Sometimes the peritonitis is bacterial, and antibiotics can be useful, other times it is sterile peritonitis. This can lead to cancer, ascites (water belly), and other problems. You might want to do a search on this subject at the top of the page. Here is a link about it: http://www.avianweb.com/eggyolkperitonitis.html

If you will post a few more times, your pictures will come through after about 10 posts.

 

[farmgirl02]

 

[farmgirl02]

I forgot to mention,
the lump does feels more hard than it does soft ,
and her crop feels different from the other hens.
It kinda squishy like and big. It never feels full, but she is eating pretty well.
Thank you SO much for your help!

 

[Eggcessive]

Check her first thing in the morning for a full and squishy crop--it should be empty. If not, treat her with soft foods and no whole grains, just eggs, applesauce, a tiny bit of plain yogurt or probiotics, and a little chick feed wet with water. A link for crop issues: http://www.tillysnest.com/2012/01/crop-issues.html
The firmness in her abdomen could be a tumor or fluid buildup, but be sure to check her for an egg. Some people will drain the abdomen if there is fluid building up, to relieve pain and pressure. Here is a thread with people dealing with egg yolk peritonitis: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/565084/egg-yolk-peritonitis-prevention-or-management

 

[farmgirl02]

Okay, thanks. Wish me good luck!