Sick hens, is it egg peritonitis? Please help.

[vjensen]

A few months ago, a three year old hen from my flock became ill. These were her symptoms: first diarrhea, then a swelling in her abdomen causing a wide-legged gait, some lethargy, and her comb turned progressively darker and more purple. She was eating and drinking more or less normally, breathing fine, had no eye or nasal discharge. I checked her vent and found no obstructions and I couldn't find any evidence of a stuck egg in her abdomen, but it did feel very tight, like a water balloon. Eventually she became so weak we put her down.

Since then, two other hens with the exact symptoms have succumbed and I see two more this morning starting to walk in that same strange way. Is this egg peritonitis? From what I've read, it seems similar but not exactly like what I'm seeing. I've also read that there's nothing you can do to prevent it and my hens are pretty old (all three and four years) but it seems so strange that one after another after another would get this condition because it's not contagious. I'm heart broken.

They are otherwise beautiful, healthy, free range hens.

 

[cafarmgirl]

The swelling can be caused by internal laying or it can be caused by other diseases of the major organs or cancers, all cause fluid (ascites) to build up in the body cavities. This results in poor circulation and sometimes difficulty breathing, hence the purple or blue combs. With internal laying sometimes it will progress to peritonitis, sometimes not. All of this is, unfortunately, very common in older hens. My current older group just turned 5 years old, I lost three of them to it last year and another now is showing all the same signs. I had necropsies done at my state lab, one had developed a heart problem, the other two had developed complications from internal laying. It does get discouraging that's for sure.

 

[vjensen]

Thanks for replying so quickly. It is sad, but I'm relieved to hear that it's probably old age. The hens who died were all the same breed. It's almost like they hit their expiration point.

Thanks again for easing my mind.