Our poor hen, Dale, has a distended lower belly that feels soft and squishy. We gave her a couple warm baths hoping she might pass an egg or something, but no luck (and I don't feel any egg). She's too weak to walk around - she just sits there, all puffed up. She pants a tiny bit when she exerts herself. She's got a pretty good appetite (when I bring the food to her) and she's alert, but she won't drink water. Her poop looks pretty normal. She's four years old.
This is my third chicken in the past two years with similar symptoms.. don't know if the cause is the same or not. The first one recovered, the second one didn't make it. I really hope this one recovers - she's a good hen, and I hate to give up on an animal that is still eating and pooping.
I've been giving her old Baytril that I had leftover from the first sick chicken, but the pills are two years old and might not be effective anymore. I also have some leftover Metacam that I was thinking of giving her, too, but I'm not sure of the dosage.
This is my third chicken in the past two years with similar symptoms.. don't know if the cause is the same or not. The first one recovered, the second one didn't make it. I really hope this one recovers - she's a good hen, and I hate to give up on an animal that is still eating and pooping.
I've been giving her old Baytril that I had leftover from the first sick chicken, but the pills are two years old and might not be effective anymore. I also have some leftover Metacam that I was thinking of giving her, too, but I'm not sure of the dosage.
