Tail down, swollen abdomen (not egg bound), loose stools

[Margaret137]

I have a 1 year old Easter Egger with her tail down, poopy butt, loose stools, being a bit slow, and swollen belly. Other than that she seems perky.

I just had another chicken pass away due to unknown causes (tail down, diarrhea, slow and listless, belly full of fluid). The emergency vet said it could be a myriad of causes and would cost $900 to diagnose, and that she was too far gone anyway even with diagnosis. So we opted to let her go. Now I'm thinking they could have at least tested her for coccidiosis.

I had to go 2 hours out of town to go to the emergency vet, and no local vets can see my Easter Egger chicken today. The other chickens seem fine and aren't showing these symptoms.

I palpated her belly and did not feel any egg, so I do not think she is egg-bound.

Now that I'm looking into coccidiosis I can definitely see that their water situation can be improved; they are sharing water with 2 ducks that make the water dirty and create wet conditions around the waterer. I will definitely separate the ducks into their own area from now on.

She has pooped several times since this morning, some loose stools and one small well formed poop. Hasn't laid her egg yet. She is in my bathtub right now with towel, food and water, and I have cut away her poopy butt hairs and cleaned her bottom. Has knocked over her food so I assume she's eating. Will she lay an egg there, or do I need to put her back in the coop to lay her egg?

No treatment administered so far, my question is, can I treat her with CORID if I'm not sure she has coccidiosis?

If not, is there anything I can do until I can get her into the vet on Monday?

I am going to buy a microscope so I can do the fecal float test myself

 

[Shezadandy]

I have a 1 year old Easter Egger with her tail down, poopy butt, loose stools, being a bit slow, and swollen belly. Other than that she seems perky.

I just had another chicken pass away due to unknown causes (tail down, diarrhea, slow and listless, belly full of fluid). The emergency vet said it could be a myriad of causes and would cost $900 to diagnose, and that she was too far gone anyway even with diagnosis. So we opted to let her go. Now I'm thinking they could have at least tested her for coccidiosis.

I had to go 2 hours out of town to go to the emergency vet, and no local vets can see my Easter Egger chicken today. The other chickens seem fine and aren't showing these symptoms.

I palpated her belly and did not feel any egg, so I do not think she is egg-bound.

Now that I'm looking into coccidiosis I can definitely see that their water situation can be improved; they are sharing water with 2 ducks that make the water dirty and create wet conditions around the waterer. I will definitely separate the ducks into their own area from now on.

She has pooped several times since this morning, some loose stools and one small well formed poop. Hasn't laid her egg yet. She is in my bathtub right now with towel, food and water, and I have cut away her poopy butt hairs and cleaned her bottom. Has knocked over her food so I assume she's eating. Will she lay an egg there, or do I need to put her back in the coop to lay her egg?

No treatment administered so far, my question is, can I treat her with CORID if I'm not sure she has coccidiosis?

If not, is there anything I can do until I can get her into the vet on Monday?

I am going to buy a microscope so I can do the fecal float test myself

Waterbelly or ascities can be treated at home and will not cost $900 to treat.

Go to your local farm store for a 3/4" to 1" long 14 or 16 gauge pack of needles. Ask at the front or usually they're by the cattle vaccines.

Here is an excellent video on the subject. It should only take 1-2 "pokes". Personally I do what she does towards the end of the video when she removes the syringe and just lets the fluid drip out slowly - I don't use a syringe to pull fluid out. I just hold onto the needle - then it is a 1 person task. If you want to measure how much comes out, have a bucket or wide tupperware container handy.

 

[Shezadandy]

More information about waterbelly/ascities. The main causes are organ failure- liver or heart - or is secondary to reproductive issues. There is no cure for any of these conditions, it's about managing the symptoms. You can always pay for a bunch of tests if it will make you feel better, but in terms of treatment, in my experience - once they've got ascities (waterbelly) it's about managing the symptoms to keep them comfortable.

Waterbelly makes it hard to breathe, especially when they are laying down. It's like drowning on the inside. The fluid makes it hard for every system- including the digestive system- because it takes up ALL THE ROOM.

Some hens will perk up almost immediately and will go on to months of quality time. Repeat drainings may be required - you'll want to keep an eye on more fluid build up.

Others may be on their way down no matter what you do- but - I always drain them either way, because you never know. Another reason I let the fluid slowly run through just the needle is to avoid the worry that I've taken too much at once- it just trickles on out as you'll see at the end of the video. Every once in a while the fluid won't come out the needle- but once the needle is removed it will drain out the hole made by the needle- either way, the hen gets relief.

If you drain a hen and she doesn't improve, the benefit to the hen is she isn't forced to live her last hours/days with a bunch of fluid pushing on every part of her internal organs. Sometimes by the time they're at this stage there is no saving them- it's about helping them be comfortable.

 

[Margaret137]

Thank you

More information about waterbelly/ascities. The main causes are organ failure- liver or heart - or is secondary to reproductive issues. There is no cure for any of these conditions, it's about managing the symptoms. You can always pay for a bunch of tests if it will make you feel better, but in terms of treatment, in my experience - once they've got ascities (waterbelly) it's about managing the symptoms to keep them comfortable.

Waterbelly makes it hard to breathe, especially when they are laying down. It's like drowning on the inside. The fluid makes it hard for every system- including the digestive system- because it takes up ALL THE ROOM.

Some hens will perk up almost immediately and will go on to months of quality time. Repeat drainings may be required - you'll want to keep an eye on more fluid build up.

Others may be on their way down no matter what you do- but - I always drain them either way, because you never know. Another reason I let the fluid slowly run through just the needle is to avoid the worry that I've taken too much at once- it just trickles on out as you'll see at the end of the video. Every once in a while the fluid won't come out the needle- but once the needle is removed it will drain out the hole made by the needle- either way, the hen gets relief.

If you drain a hen and she doesn't improve, the benefit to the hen is she isn't forced to live her last hours/days with a bunch of fluid pushing on every part of her internal organs. Sometimes by the time they're at this stage there is no saving them- it's about helping them be comfortable.

Thank you, that's so incredibly helpful. I really appreciate it.

 

[Shezadandy]

Thank you

Thank you, that's so incredibly helpful. I really appreciate it.

You are welcome, I hope your hen feels better soon!