Stands like a penguin, not eggbound....what can it be? Help?

[Mama Kay W]

I tried the link and it didn't work, but I did type in "health and common diseases/ egg laying issues and read quite a bit.
I have always fed them Purina food, they've been on Layena ever since they were old enough, but I do give them a little bit of scratch feed as a treat and occasionally lettuce, potatoes, yogurt also when we don't have snow everywhere we give them grass and bugs my husband finds for them and milworms.
I can't free range them, too many wild animals up here, I've already chased off a bobcat quite a few times, so they are in an enclosed run.
I think it's been the lack of sunlight why they haven't laid, I did get one egg from my other 3 hens yesterday, first one in over 6 months, but it was cracked

and they are making a lot of noise like one of them is getting ready to lay again today

haven't heard them make that much noise in well over 6 months.

From all I have read I believe what is wrong with Molly is something genetic (she is a large New Hampshire) and unfortunately there is nothing I can do to help her but make ehr comfortable.

 

[ten chicks]

You mentioned that she has been wormed,which worm medication did you use? Can you post a poop photo? How does her vent look,any discharge any swelling,have you checked her internally,not so much for egg binding as you have ruled this out,but more for any indication of something going on internally?

 

[ten chicks]

Any indication of leg issues,when she does walk other than tail down are her legs straight or are they more bent towards ground and has she ever used wings for balance

 

[Granny Hatchet]

i dont know how to transfer links so i wrote it down and then came here to type it in. they describe everything you said to a tea. even used the word penguin . it is egg periodontist. thats why you got the yellow fluid. its an egg. they collect in the abdomen. antibiotics will work for a while but not long. maybe if you google just the chicken vet it will show up. it was in the uk

 

[Ewan154]

Hi,
What disease did you chicken have?

I had one with the very same.

 

[casportpony]

I have a hen like this and I suspect that mine is suffering from fatty liver *and* ascites. Like your hen, it's hard ro drain her and I think that's because of a layer of fat.

-Kathy

 

[Mama Kay W]

Ten chicks: I wormed her with valbazen. Her vent looks normal, no swelling or discharge, I haven't felt anything "unusual' inside her.
Lovely poop pictures:


Second one didn't come out too clear, but it looks solid unlike the other mushy one.

As for the leg issue, she seems to walk normal, but when she stops and stands her feet/toes seem to be turned inward a bit. When she eats she seems to almost sit down on her tail feathers. When she goes into the corner and stands she sometimes has a wing out a little, not much or she pulls them back more. I did see her stretch a leg out, but it was more like a stretch than anything else. When she is in the corner she looks like she is sitting down almost and sitting on her tail feathers.


Granny hatchet: from what I've read and with the little bit of fluid I got from her does sound like egg peritonitis except for she still eats a lot.

One more thing I thought might be helpful, when I found her on the floor of the coop, I put her in one of the nesting boxes so she could sleep in there instead of the floor, well she didn't want to and tried to jump up on the roosting bar which is about a foot away and up about a foot, she almost made it but didn't quite make it up on it and landed on the ground. Which at the time I didn't think much of it other than she was weak (that was when her comb was a blueish/purple color) I brought her in the next day and started her on Duramycin-10 and in 2 days her comb was back to normal color. But she is still walking and standing with her tail feathers down.

 

[Granny Hatchet]

i wish you could read that post because everything you say, it says. the antibiotics worked for a while. i hope she gets better.

 

[Mama Kay W]

Thank you Granny hatchet, I sure hope she gets better too.

I just weighed Molly, been reading about fatty liver disease............well Molly which is a New Hampshire Red weighs........10 pounds!!

Could she possibly have fatty liver disease since she seems to be well.............Fat?

Off to do more research.

 

[casportpony]

Thank you Granny hatchet, I sure hope she gets better too.

I just weighed Molly, been reading about fatty liver disease............well Molly which is a New Hampshire Red weighs........10 pounds!!

Could she possibly have fatty liver disease since she seems to be well.............Fat?

Off to do more research.

10 pounds is *huge*... I thought they were supposed to weigh less than 7 pounds, but don't quote me on that.

I can usually tell by inserting a finger in their vent... If their abdominal wall feels thick it's usually because of the fat deposits. That fat will be everywhere, which can make draining them difficult. The hen I have right now I drained about a year ago, then again last May, but this last time I could only get about 30ml out. May try again, but I know she's not long for this world.

If it is fatty liver, you might be able to put her on a strict diet and buy her more time, but that's just a guess. It's also possible for them to have fatty liver, ascites *and* EYP from internal laying. Seems they often go hand-in-hand.

-Kathy