Sick lethargic bloated chicken

[sidewalkfarms]

We have a Rhode Island Red who seems to be pretty sick. We have moved her into her own coop away from the 10 other. The area around her bottom where the fluffy feathers are, not her vent, seems very swollen. She also has a little bit poop on her feathers. Her seems to be slightly green. She waddles around a lot. She doesn't sit down too much. But when she walks it seems like she is uncomfortable. When I held her she seemed heavy. She also seemed like she was having trouble breathing. I could also feel her breast bone much more than I could with the others. Any help would be great. Also she is two years old. Thanks

 

[Firekin1]

It sounds like your hen could have egg peritonitis, which means she's laying internally, if so she's going to need a vet and antibiotics asap.

 

[TwoCrows]

Welcome to BYC!

So sorry about your hen. Yes, she could be suffering from peritonitis, reproductive cancer or even be egg bound. The first thing I would do is give her an internal exam. It is easy to to. Put on a latex glove with some KY jelly or vaseline on the index finger. Gently insert your finger into her vent. If she is egg bound, you will feel the egg within the first inch. If you have to go 2 inches, then you have reached the uterus and is not egg bound. If she does have a stuck egg, you can soak her lower half in warm water for about 10 or 15 mins. Try to get her to eat a couple of broken up tums tablets. The calcium will help to move the egg.

Feel her abdomen. Does it feel like a water balloon? If this is the case, she probably does have either peritonitis or cancer. Antibiotics will help for a short while, enough to possibly heal her this time. But you can only heal these secondary infections for so long until the bird eventually dies.

You can also post this in our emergency section for more help with this...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/10/emergencies-diseases-injuries-and-cures

Good luck with your hen and I really hope you can get her back to health soon.

 

[sidewalkfarms]

Thanks for the help! She hasn't been laying for a while, possibly a couple months. And she has been lethargic for about a week or so. I will soak her in water and give her some tums. Thanks again

 

[gander007]

 

[BantamFan4Life]

Welcome to BYC!

 

[Kelsie2290]

Hello and Welcome To BYC! Sorry about your hen, you've gotten some good advice above.