Suspect Salpingitis

[Nellzmom]

I have an 11-month old Barred Rock who started separating herself from her other two flock mates today. Laid down in a corner of the run. She got up and ate a little & drank a lot of water, and moved around the run very slowly before returning to the order by herself. Never pooped in the hour or so we were watching her. Last week someone laid a ginormous egg, so thinking it might have been her and she might be egg-bound or just not well, I did the following:

- Popped a calcium citrate in her mouth;
- Put Hydro-hen in a nipple feeder for all; she drank a lot more than the others
- Left her for an hour to see if she’d perk up.

After an hour she was still in the corner and didn’t look any better, so I put Vaseline on my index finger to check her vent for a stuck egg. Didn’t feel anything, but a light yellowish fluid ran out of her vent around my finger, which is why I’m suspecting salpingitis rather than egg bound.

I’m going to see if the nearest chicken vet can see her tomorrow, but until then I’ve got her on the screened in porch on towels in a blanket-covered dog crate with a low roost, food & regular water. It’s dark now and she’s lying on the floor sleeping. (It’s going to be 45 degrees overnight here.)

Questions:

Am I correct in thinking it’s salpingitis?

I don’t have any antibiotics — is there anything else I should give her or do for her until I can get her to the vet?

Based on all the threads I’ve read on this, I’m hoping we caught it early. Regardless, it seems the outcome is rarely good . Any input appreciated.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

She got up and ate a little & drank a lot of water

she drank a lot more than the others

Could be Salpingitis or some other reproductive disorder like Peritonitis, cancer, etc.
It's hard to really know which one unless you perform a necropsy if they die. With Salpingitis a lot of times the hen will pass lash material which makes it a little more obvious.

Drinking a lot of water is usually indicative of a crop problem, which can be common with hens that have reproductive disorders. I would check her crop first thing in the morning before she's had anything to eat/drink. Check her for lice/mites and feel her abdomen for bloat or fluid.
She may be having issues with a soft shelled egg.

An antibiotic may help with infection. IF it's Salpingitis, then medication may also help as well. In reality, ime, hens that start having reproductive issues can have ups and downs. Supportive care can be offered to make them more comfortable - this for me sometimes includes and antibiotic, if I feel it may make a difference. Some live longer than others - it really all depends on what's going on in there. Taking a look after they die helps you connect symptoms with what you are seeing, this way you can make a better judgment call on whether to treat or to put the hen out of their misery.

Here's good info on treating crop issues.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

 

[Nellzmom]

Good morning and thanks for responding.

Crop is empty and I can feel keel bone. Overnight she pooped this (photo) among a few others. After getting up, she drank water but didn’t eat any food (Purina Flock Raiser crumbles).

Would it be better to move her back to the flock while I figure this out or leave her in her crate on the porch? Right now she’s on the low roost bar I put in for her. She’s definitely not as lethargic as yesterday evening, but not eating. Preening and looking around. Comb is paler than usual.

Edited to add: Just gave her a warm epsom salt bath and washed booty. Was able to feel between legs & there’s definitely a soft swelling — maybe a soft egg? When her stomach hit the warm water, she just melted and relaxed. Vet in Durham opens at 10 am

 

[HeatherKellyB]

Hi! I'm so sorry your pullet is not feeling well. Sounds like you caught this early and are eager to help her and that is wonderful! I always consider myself incredibly lucky to have @Wyorp Rock on my post. You're in good hands with her here.

You could offer her some boiled egg slightly moistened with water and some of her crumbles mixed in, to hopefully get some nutrients in her.

I'm wishing you the best

 

[Nellzmom]

Hi! I'm so sorry your pullet is not feeling well. Sounds like you caught this early and are eager to help her and that is wonderful! I always consider myself incredibly lucky to have @Wyorp Rock on my post. You're in good hands with her here.

You could offer her some boiled egg slightly moistened with water and some of her crumbles mixed in, to hopefully get some nutrients in her.

I'm wishing you the best

Thanks so much! I’ve got a scrambled egg cooling as I type, and will add the items you suggested. Yes, @Wyorp Rock’s article on egg binding was the first place I went. So much great experience and advice on this site. I’m hoping it’s early enough to get her some help for whatever is causing it.

Edit to add: Just gave her HeatherKellyB’s suggested mix of water, scrambled egg & feed. She gobbled it up! While I was working on the food, she pooped again & it contained some urates. Also, we have a vet appointment at 3:30 today. Will update after our vet visit. Thanks again!

 

[Nellzmom]

Saw the vet this afternoon. Did an X-ray and found the stuck egg, which he said was just ready to come out. He said she would lay it soon. (If she hasn’t laid it by tomorrow morning, though, I’m going to give her a calcium pill even though he said it wasn’t necessary.). In fact, I’m wondering if I should just plan on giving 1 calcium per day until she passes egg anyway??

He checked her crop which was fine & did a fecal which was negative for parasites. He prescribed SMZ/TMP for salpingitis and meloxicam as anti-inflammatory. Meds are for 7 days. He also recommended I switch her to a layer feed which I will do. By the appointment time, her poops were starting to look more normal, but I’m glad he checked her crop and did the fecal. So now we just focus on getting the egg out and getting rid of the infection I’m hoping her first dose of meloxicam will make her a little more comfortable tonight.

Never been to an avian vet before. It was neat that they let her walk around the exam room and had several roosting spots on the walls and on top of cabinets. She basically just walked back into her crate, but it was nice to see that they let the birds do what comes naturally and find their comfort zone.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Good morning and thanks for responding.

Crop is empty and I can feel keel bone. Overnight she pooped this (photo) among a few others. After getting up, she drank water but didn’t eat any food (Purina Flock Raiser crumbles).

Would it be better to move her back to the flock while I figure this out or leave her in her crate on the porch? Right now she’s on the low roost bar I put in for her. She’s definitely not as lethargic as yesterday evening, but not eating. Preening and looking around. Comb is paler than usual.

Edited to add: Just gave her a warm epsom salt bath and washed booty. Was able to feel between legs & there’s definitely a soft swelling — maybe a soft egg? When her stomach hit the warm water, she just melted and relaxed. Vet in Durham opens at 10 am

Saw the vet this afternoon. Did an X-ray and found the stuck egg, which he said was just ready to come out. He said she would lay it soon. (If she hasn’t laid it by tomorrow morning, though, I’m going to give her a calcium pill even though he said it wasn’t necessary.). In fact, I’m wondering if I should just plan on giving 1 calcium per day until she passes egg anyway??

He checked her crop which was fine & did a fecal which was negative for parasites. He prescribed SMZ/TMP for salpingitis and meloxicam as anti-inflammatory. Meds are for 7 days. He also recommended I switch her to a layer feed which I will do. By the appointment time, her poops were starting to look more normal, but I’m glad he checked her crop and did the fecal. So now we just focus on getting the egg out and getting rid of the infection I’m hoping her first dose of meloxicam will make her a little more comfortable tonight.

Never been to an avian vet before. It was neat that they let her walk around the exam room and had several roosting spots on the walls and on top of cabinets. She basically just walked back into her crate, but it was nice to see that they let the birds do what comes naturally and find their comfort zone.

Glad you were able to see the vet.
Did he happen to give you photos/images of the xrays?

Was the egg in the oviduct ready to come out or had it dropped in the abdomen?

So he did suspect Salpingitis? Tested for infection?

 

[Nellzmom]

Glad you were able to see the vet.
Did he happen to give you photos/images of the xrays?

Was the egg in the oviduct ready to come out or had it dropped in the abdomen?

So he did suspect Salpingitis? Tested for infection?

He didn’t say exactly where it was and I didn’t ask to see the X-ray—my bad because he’d probably have been happy to show me. He just said it was “right on the edge.” I’ll call and see if they can email me a photo.

He didn’t test for infection. (How do they do that/what is test called—for future reference?) I’d asked him what the yellow material that came from her vent was, and he said he suspected yolk material /“a little salpingitis.” Because of that he prescribed the antibiotics.

As of this morning, just one egg, not sure whose. Kicking myself for not taking @aart’s advice on a different thread to keep her in the dog crate in the run so I could monitor. As soon as my son can help me, I’m going to give her a calcium tablet. Getting the antibiotic and meloxicam in her by myself this morning was a comedy of errors. I’ve tried giving it to her in a little ball of baby food and crumbles and in a piece of scrambled egg, but no dice. Had to put the pills in her mouth. Going to check out posts on pilling to up my game. Pill cats and dogs all the time but am new to chickens.

Thank you for your input — it really helps me learn!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hens seem to do better with the flock. If you want to leave her but know if the eggs you find might be hers, dab a little BluKote or food coloring (use blue or green) on the bottom "lip" of her vent. Look for an egg that has a colored streak, that would be hers. Yes. It works, I've done it

To get meds into her, I would place her on a table where she can stand and you can too. Drape one arm over her and pull her to your body, sort of lightly wedge her with that elbow this "frees up" that hand to help control the head and pull the wattles down. With the other hand, pop the pill inside her beak when she opens her mouth when you pull down the wattles. Hope that makes sense LOL I find that I have much more control over a bird if I'm working with them on a raised surface when I can stand up - more comfortable for my back too.

Let me know how it goes!

 

[Nellzmom]

Hens seem to do better with the flock. If you want to leave her but know if the eggs you find might be hers, dab a little BluKote or food coloring (use blue or green) on the bottom "lip" of her vent. Look for an egg that has a colored streak, that would be hers. Yes. It works, I've done it

To get meds into her, I would place her on a table where she can stand and you can too. Drape one arm over her and pull her to your body, sort of lightly wedge her with that elbow this "frees up" that hand to help control the head and pull the wattles down. With the other hand, pop the pill inside her beak when she opens her mouth when you pull down the wattles. Hope that makes sense LOL I find that I have much more control over a bird if I'm working with them on a raised surface when I can stand up - more comfortable for my back too.

Let me know how it goes!

Below are Violet’s X-rays. Does that egg look huge to anyone besides me????