Swollen Abdomen, not laying, 2+ weeks

[fmacken13]

Hi everyone,

Susie is my problem chick. RIR about 2 years old. She seems to get "sick" with something on a regular basis. First it was crop issues which has been resolved. Now, her abdomen is very enlarged and she waddles like a duck. She's still eating and drinking and her combs are laying over to one side. Her poop is whitish/greenish/yellowish and cakes up on her back feathers. She's not egg bound...I've checked that.

I've read a few things about internal egg laying, but not sure what to do if that's indeed what the problem is. Can anyone offer advice?

Thanks in advance

Fiona

 

[bobbi-j]

I just had a hen with similar issues. Do a search on the site with her symptoms. I ended up putting mine down and doing a necropsy to see what I could find. If I can figure out how to link my post here, I will do so.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/788134/hen-with-squishy-distended-abdomen

 

[fmacken13]

Hi Bobbi-J,

Thank you very much for attaching your thread. The symptoms sound identical. Susie is still eating and drinking...not getting picked on by the others...so I'm just going to wait and see. She's been like this for over 2 weeks. I read somewhere that Baytril might be able to help so I'll call it into the vet tomorrow and see what happens.

Like you, I would do a necropsy to see what's been going on...if she does die. I don't believe in letting them suffer either but if she's plugging away just like the others, then I'll hang onto to her for a while.

Have you treated with Baytril before?

Thanks!
Fiona

 

[bobbi-j]

No, I've never used it. Honestly, I don't spend money on medicating my chickens. To be honest, my chickens have had very few problems. I've never had lice or mites in my flock, or any diseases. I'm also not convinced that blindly treating with antibiotics is the answer. (I'm guessing that's what Baytril is?) They are not pets, and I can replace one alot less expensively than calling a vet and medicating them. With this one, I just didn't want to get into the cycle of draining fluid every few weeks. It didn't sound like a quality of life I'd want for my chicken. You need to do what you feel is right for your bird, though. I'm certainly not being critical of your decision. I don't know how long mine was like this - it most likely wasn't more than a day or two - but I couldn't imagine trying to get around with that much (proportionally, of course) fluid in my body. Let me know how yours turns out. I'm interested in your outcome. Hoping for the best for you!

 

[Chicky2013]

Sounds like what i'm going through with my chook Chicky. Same symptoms & all. She's my favourite out of the flock so i wanted to save her if i could. I took her to the vet at the start of march and was told she has EYP. We treated her with baytril which did wonders and she did recover. She went from penguin stance to normal chook, poop went from white greeny diarrhoea to normal poop, but almost 2 months after that, it came back again. I took her back to the vet who explained that this is a re-occuring issue with chooks that have EYP. The vet drained her belly and removed just over a cup of clear liquids from her belly and gave me baytril to treat her. I took her back not long ago to drain more liquids from her belly (got more baytril and some oral drops to give her, can't remember the name of them) and the vet explained that there is a hormone implant they can put in the bird to stop them from ovulating. I'm thinking of going through wigh the procedure to see what the outcome may be. The vet trips have set me out of pocket roughly $250 (aus) and the implant will cost around $120. But she is again on the road to recovery

 

[gallusdomesticus]

I had a chicken that had Egg Yolk Peritonitis but her symptoms were a hard firm abdomen, not a soft one. I guess EYP can take different forms but your bird's symptoms sound a lot like ascites, or "water belly'. The clear fluid that is periodically drawn off is a primary symptom. There are a number of causes of ascites. It affects meat birds that are bred for rapid grown that add body mass faster than their heart and lungs can keep up resulting in their hearts beating more rapidly and their lungs not keeping up with their oxygen demands. The higher blood pressure forces fluid out of the vessels and builds up in the abdomen. With a adult bird, the cause is usually congestive heart failure or fatty liver disease. I've had two birds over the years with ascites and have sucessfully treated them with milk thistle extract (you can find in health food stores as it's sold as a liver cleanser). It did not cure the underlying cause but expanded the length of time between drainings from a few weeks to a year. Good luck with your bird.

 

[bobbi-j]

Sounds like what i'm going through with my chook Chicky. Same symptoms & all. She's my favourite out of the flock so i wanted to save her if i could. I took her to the vet at the start of march and was told she has EYP. We treated her with baytril which did wonders and she did recover. She went from penguin stance to normal chook, poop went from white greeny diarrhoea to normal poop, but almost 2 months after that, it came back again. I took her back to the vet who explained that this is a re-occuring issue with chooks that have EYP. The vet drained her belly and removed just over a cup of clear liquids from her belly and gave me baytril to treat her. I took her back not long ago to drain more liquids from her belly (got more baytril and some oral drops to give her, can't remember the name of them) and the vet explained that there is a hormone implant they can put in the bird to stop them from ovulating. I'm thinking of going through wigh the procedure to see what the outcome may be. The vet trips have set me out of pocket roughly $250 (aus) and the implant will cost around $120. But she is again on the road to recovery

.... and this is the difference between a pet chicken and a farm animal. I'm pretty sure my husband would have me locked in a rubber room for spending that much money on what around here is a $5 bird. Our chickens are just your garden-variety bird, and unless they're grill or frying pan ready, you can hardly give them away. (We live in a rural area and anyone who wants them has them) I'm glad your chicken is again on the road to recovery. Hopefully the implant will keep her from the misery of filling up with fluid and having to be drained again and again.

I had a chicken that had Egg Yolk Peritonitis but her symptoms were a hard firm abdomen, not a soft one. I guess EYP can take different forms but your bird's symptoms sound a lot like ascites, or "water belly'. The clear fluid that is periodically drawn off is a primary symptom. There are a number of causes of ascites. It affects meat birds that are bred for rapid grown that add body mass faster than their heart and lungs can keep up resulting in their hearts beating more rapidly and their lungs not keeping up with their oxygen demands. The higher blood pressure forces fluid out of the vessels and builds up in the abdomen. With a adult bird, the cause is usually congestive heart failure or fatty liver disease. I've had two birds over the years with ascites and have sucessfully treated them with milk thistle extract (you can find in health food stores as it's sold as a liver cleanser). It did not cure the underlying cause but expanded the length of time between drainings from a few weeks to a year. Good luck with your bird.

Again, this is why I put my bird down. I just don't feel that it's in her best interest to have that happen again and again. Even if it is a year in between. But we all have different feelings and purposes for our chickens.

Since one can't "read tone" please understand that I'm not being snarky or critical toward either of you.

 

[Chicky2013]

I understand where you're coming from Bobbie-j If this happenend to one of my other chooks (i got 7 others and a rooster) i would find someone to put it to sleep as i don't have the guts to do the deed. They're more the farm bird type. When i separated Chicky from the group the first time, then tried to re introduce her after she got better, she kept running back to me as the other birds were attacking her (pecking order) so i did end up taking her up as a pet (i'm a softie) and now she is as tame as my dog and cat. I honestly never thought i'd be taking a chook to the vet but coz she's a pet and she's grown on me, i really want to try help her out if there's a chance to. I won't recommend this to everyone. It just depends how valuable the bird is to you. (where i live there's more fruit growers than chook sellers) Thank you, she is more active and happy everyday and i hope the implant will also do the job