Sick Chickens

[swashbu1]

Hello all,

Posting this on behalf of a friend to see if we can figure out what's going on with her flock:

I have a girl, around 4 years old who probably has water belly. She just stands there and doesn't move, lots of fluid in her stomach/butt area. She passed an egg so she is not egg bound. I know water belly is fatal, does anyone know what I can do to make her more comfortable? How long do they live with water belly? Can it possibility be something else I am missing? I had another chicken die around four months ago, could just be a fluke thing but I hope they are not related. I think I'm going to treat with corid today just to be safe.

Update: two more have massive amounts of fluid om their abdomen/butt. Water belly is not contagious. Please anyone have any clue what this is. I don't wanna lose my other 11 girls.... when I took the first hen to the avian vet I had to put her down, she said that it would probably come back if we drained the fluid and her suggestion was the same idea as mine to put her out of pain. i called her when I noticed another one had water belly type symptoms and she said it could be a coincidence, but now three have it, the vet office is closed. This is obviously not a coincidence. I striped the coop, sprayed, d earthed it and put in new bedding. I also removed the two girls that are obviously sick. I felt the other girls and and felt a little bit of fluid but that could just be their butts? I don't know, I don't sit around squeezing their butts all day, I don't know what it should feel like exactly.

 

[n3i6x9]

That sounds like a scary situation to be in. I hope someone with experience replies honestly, as I have never seen water belly.
If it were me, I would,
- Examine the water source,
- Replace the water feeder
- Change to a different food brand/ grazing area of garden
- Find a vet that provides telehealth.

 

[swashbu1]

That sounds like a scary situation to be in. I hope someone with experience replies honestly, as I have never seen water belly.
If it were me, I would,
- Examine the water source,
- Replace the water feeder
- Change to a different food brand/ grazing area of garden
- Find a vet that provides telehealth.

Thanks! Anything helps to give her some ideas. I've never run into this but I'm new chicken owner. She took the last sick bird to an avian vet but they didn't have too much info for her. She's going to call in the morning again but maybe the telehealth idea will help for tonight. Thanks again!

 

[HeatherKellyB]

I'm so sorry.
When you say that you striped the coop, sprayed, d earthed...... What did you use to spray it with? Was this an effort to sanitize or to kill lice or mites? You also used diatomaceous earth? It's been studied and proven that diatomaceous earth doesn't kill any external parasites. It's also really bad for anything that has lungs, humans and chickens a like. You may want to skip this next time for everyone's well being. Are there any other issues going on? Are all of the birds with swollen abdomens 4 years old? Have you had them since they were chicks? Have they been laying up till you discovered their abdomens swollen? What breed are these birds? Have you brought in any new birds recently? What do they eat, including treats? Have they ever been sick with anything before this? Do you have them on a regular deworming schedule?

All of these questions will be helpful to people that offer their thoughts on this. Hopefully we can help you figure out what's going on. I wish you and your flock the very best

 

[swashbu1]

I'm so sorry.
When you say that you striped the coop, sprayed, d earthed...... What did you use to spray it with? Was this an effort to sanitize or to kill lice or mites? You also used diatomaceous earth? It's been studied and proven that diatomaceous earth doesn't kill any external parasites. It's also really bad for anything that has lungs, humans and chickens a like. You may want to skip this next time for everyone's well being. Are there any other issues going on? Are all of the birds with swollen abdomens 4 years old? Have you had them since they were chicks? Have they been laying up till you discovered their abdomens swollen? What breed are these birds? Have you brought in any new birds recently? What do they eat, including treats? Have they ever been sick with anything before this? Do you have them on a regular deworming schedule?

All of these questions will be helpful to people that offer their thoughts on this. Hopefully we can help you figure out what's going on. I wish you and your flock the very best

Here's her response to your questions, hopefully this will help narrow down whats going on. Thanks so much for the reply!

-Sprayed the coop with poultry protector, simply because why not
- Did use D earth, have always used it minimally within reason and I know it can be bad for respiratory but this issue seems sudden so I dont think its related and I also haven't used it in a month or so but I will ask the vet tomorrow if it might be related.
-The chickens with the large abdomen at 4 years old, but I can feel a bit of fluid *possibly* building in a 1 year old hen; I will check her again in the AM (this might just being worried).
-The lady who had the 4 year old hens owned this house before me but she got them from a local feed store, they are vaccinated.
-They are all good layers from what I can tell. Nice days this month I get 9 eggs out out of 12 mature hens.
-They are all different breeds
-I have 4 new chicks, let outside a week ago now; but they are sperate from the other girls in a different coop next to each other. They have spent time together during the day but the chicks are from the same feed store and vaccinated/healthy. New element but not sure they are related. (I'm calling the feed store tomorrow to see if anyone is having a similar issue in the area)
- Then hens eat a regular laying pellet, I will check the exact brand in the am.
-They havent been dewormed recently, but I've seen worms in the past and this doesnt look quick like it; at least not what I had seen.
-They get fresh rain water from a gutter collector, which I checked and it looks clear but I will change this out tomorrow. Maybe it was a fungus from the that?
-I've been concerned about avian flu, is there something I should be watching for in particular with this? The symptoms dont seem the same, yet, but I know there has been a recent outbreak in the region.

Thank you so much for your questions and I'm certain wealth of knowledge. Anything can help.

 

[Aunt Angus]

I'm wondering if the lady who owned the 4 yo before you didn't feed them well. I'm not trying to call her out, but that's what I thin happened to my 2 rescue hens. They were fed broiler feed before I got them, and it took months of good food and water to get them looking and acting like proper chickens again. Both died of serious illnesses that weren't contagious. The chickens I raised are not having those issues so far/yet. I've always hypothesized that the deaths of the other two were related to their early, crappy diet. But that's just a guess.

My larger hens feel a little plump on the backside. If they truly have ascites, then really the only thing she can do is drain them. But the water will come back. If it's early, it might be peritonitis or salpingitis. I think some folks have had success with antibiotics if the problem is caught early enough. It would be worth a vet exam to know if it's infection because then the antibiotics might help.

 

[HeatherKellyB]

Other than the abdomen, how are these hens acting? Are they laying? Are the eggs shelled and formed properly? Eating and drinking? I can totally relate to not regularly feeling between a chickens legs I always have to go around and feel a few abdomens if I'm having any questions about a certain hen Is your friend planning on taking the hens to the vet? That is the best idea, but I'm sure she knows that and is just asking around for possible ideas, which is totally understandable. If she happens to lose another hen (I hope and pray she doesn't) having the body necropsied will give her a more definitive cause. For now with these hens, it would be a good idea to have the vet perform a fecal float to check for internal parasites. Another even better idea is to check the hens (especially the ones she's concerned about) crop function. If their crops aren't flat in the morning before they have any food or water, that will be another sign that something is going on. The crop should be full at night before bed.

As far as Avian Influenza, it kills chickens very quickly. She would know if she had that in her flock. Anytime I've read about it, people say they notice some birds are dead and within the next 24 hours, they have even more dead birds. It kills quickly.
Hopefully she'll get this figured out very soon! I wish your friend and her flock the very best I'll check back in the morning for her replies.

 

[Durelle]

Hello all,

Posting this on behalf of a friend to see if we can figure out what's going on with her flock:

I have a girl, around 4 years old who probably has water belly. She just stands there and doesn't move, lots of fluid in her stomach/butt area. She passed an egg so she is not egg bound. I know water belly is fatal, does anyone know what I can do to make her more comfortable? How long do they live with water belly? Can it possibility be something else I am missing? I had another chicken die around four months ago, could just be a fluke thing but I hope they are not related. I think I'm going to treat with corid today just to be safe.

Update: two more have massive amounts of fluid om their abdomen/butt. Water belly is not contagious. Please anyone have any clue what this is. I don't wanna lose my other 11 girls.... when I took the first hen to the avian vet I had to put her down, she said that it would probably come back if we drained the fluid and her suggestion was the same idea as mine to put her out of pain. i called her when I noticed another one had water belly type symptoms and she said it could be a coincidence, but now three have it, the vet office is closed. This is obviously not a coincidence. I striped the coop, sprayed, d earthed it and put in new bedding. I also removed the two girls that are obviously sick. I felt the other girls and and felt a little bit of fluid but that could just be their butts? I don't know, I don't sit around squeezing their butts all day, I don't know what it should feel like exactly.

I just had one put down with alot of fluid, I thought. Turned out she was full of cancer and what I was feeling were tumors. We put another down last fall thinking it was egg peritonitis. Now, I wonder if hers were tumors. I had asked for a necropsy. Not sure he did one. He called me back and told me she was full of cancerous tumors but it wasn't contagious.