This has me stumped

[unbaked pegga]

Hello, here is my post from a previous conversation. It is my opinion that this happens to hens due to an irregularity in hormones. It can be mild to severe, which is what happened to my hen. This was a 9 week ordeal. You must take great care once the hen is swollen, these are toxins called acites. The added weight is what causes them to herniate. So, no jumping up or down perches! They can rupture and die horribly! It may even cause pressure on the lungs and heart, so you may notice panting as she struggles to breath. It's important to detox your hen during this time.
The ascite fluid is the body's way of trying to get rid of toxin build up. I believe it's similar to women that bloat with fluid each month. Unfortunately for hens their anatomy does not handle this stress.

P.S.
This hen has made a full recovery. She is even laying and egg every 4-5 days. She is 2.5 years old. I told my vet about it and he is awe struck. There is still so much to learn about chickens. Hope this helps.

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A previous post:

I have a Blackstar with the same symptoms. Took her to my vet after 7 weeks, he diagnosed her with a large hernia and congestive heart.
He said it was nothing I did or she did, just happens to some breeds.

He said she could live with the hernia - but the congestive heart would be terminal. However, because she is still eating, drinking and getting around...I should take her home and let her live out her chicken days that God had set for her.
So I did. I have also opted to continue her supportive care:

* Soak in Epsom salt bath for 10 minutes 2-3 times a week.
* Rub Preparation H or The Rub Herbal cream or Desitin Ointment on her swollen area.
* Detox in drinking water 2-3 days a week with "Lily of the Valley Aloe Vera 80 Detoxifying Formula"
* Sprinkled "Vionate Vitamin Supplement" on layer mash for 8 weeks.
* Black grapes everyday, cause she loves them!
* 1 tablespoon Meat protein 3 times a week.
* Fresh greens 5-6 days a week.

After all this she is now walking normally and scampering around the yard with her pen mates! I haven't seen her panting the way she was either.

I know it seems like a lot of stuff to do, but I love this chicken. She is my pet.

What ever you do, don't let anyone try to insert a needle to drain her abdomen. They will kill her. Just let her be.

Good luck!

I love my chickens too, as much as I have ever loved a pet. My problem with giving her/them a good soaking is that she is extremely skittish. Trying to corral a chicken in an acre lot is dang near impossible, especially when you are trying to do it by yourself. I am sure that she senses my anxiousness as well. Anything I do for her is usually after they go to bed. While the light rouses them up I can get hold of her because she sleeps in a nest box. It is getting cooler here, would it hurt her getting wet that way? Oh and 3 times a week. I don’t know if she would allow it, I would have to take a “nerve pill” but I so DESPERATELY want to clean that nasty behind of hers. She doesn’t like greens, I hear other people saying their chickens “love” greens. Mine ignore them I have offered them everything from cauliflower to lettuce and bean sprouts. They do like watermelon and corn on the cob. The season is up for watermelons. I can offer some other veggies but I have to be somewhat careful with my funds. I just had to pay $250 less than a month ago for my sweet hen Blossum to be seen and euthanized. It makes me cry just saying her name. I give them gamebird food which is 23% protein. I shouldn’t add more should I? Everyone has different opinions and I don’t know exactly what course to take.

 

[AllenK RGV]

I love my chickens too, as much as I have ever loved a pet. My problem with giving her/them a good soaking is that she is extremely skittish. Trying to corral a chicken in an acre lot is dang near impossible, especially when you are trying to do it by yourself. I am sure that she senses my anxiousness as well. Anything I do for her is usually after they go to bed. While the light rouses them up I can get hold of her because she sleeps in a nest box. It is getting cooler here, would it hurt her getting wet that way? Oh and 3 times a week. I don’t know if she would allow it, I would have to take a “nerve pill” but I so DESPERATELY want to clean that nasty behind of hers. She doesn’t like greens, I hear other people saying their chickens “love” greens. Mine ignore them I have offered them everything from cauliflower to lettuce and bean sprouts. They do like watermelon and corn on the cob. The season is up for watermelons. I can offer some other veggies but I have to be somewhat careful with my funds. I just had to pay $250 less than a month ago for my sweet hen Blossum to be seen and euthanized. It makes me cry just saying her name. I give them gamebird food which is 23% protein. I shouldn’t add more should I? Everyone has different opinions and I don’t know exactly what course to take.

May I suggest you follow the one that works best for you and seems the most grounded in science if that is your training. IMO that would be diet an exercise. Since your birds are still laying eggs you know you can rule out the internal laying and other GYN based issues. As far as treats go stick with natures own I agree with those suggestions and sure watermelon season is over for you guys up north but I hear that pumpkin and its seeds make a good treat too and should be available for the next few weeks, mine love cucumber as well. Plus Mango and papaya are their favorites followed by a bit of corn on the cob, also I can't wait to try out thawed frozen peas on them. Chicken reportedly don't have taste buds, or very few of those, if they aren't taking the healthier treats they might not be hungry in the first place.

 

[Hen Pen Jem]

Hello unbaked pegga,
First of all you need to set her up in a hospital crate, some place convenient for you. I use a large dog crate. Paper on the cage floor and a mat or towel (something easy to clean) she can rest on. All chickens are different and like or don't like certain things. You are her keeper and know her best. Give her the treats she likes. These should follow treatments so that the hen will associate the treatment with the treat. They will get more cooperative with time. Always be confidant, use soft voice, start with only 2-3 minutes of bath time.

Here is how it works:
1. Before dawn, using a small towel, take the hen from the coop.
2. Place the hen in the dog crate.
3. Let the hen eat and rest in the crate till you are ready to bathe her, in the P.M is best.
4. Use a long scarf or fabric and tie it around the hen to keep her wings from flapping.
5. Have a towel, some cream for swelling and her treats ready.
6. After the bath, gently towel dry, apply cream for swelling:

• Let her air dry if it is warm enough.
• If not, while she is still restrained, you can use a blow dryer on low heat.
• Or, you can set up a heat lamp on top of the crate and she'll stand under it to dry herself.

7. Now you can set her down and give her the treats. Tell her in soft voice, "Good girl".
8. She may return to the flock or you can keep her in the crate for a few days.

The important thing is protecting the swollen area from injury, also no jumping.
If she is still laying, she may stop eventually as the condition progresses. She'll need all her energy to overcome this. Also, if you have a rooster...no mating till she is back to normal.

I hope this helps, let me know if there is anything else you want to know. Be at peace, sometimes no matter how much we try to do, it sometimes doesn't work out. It is a lesson all keepers learn eventually. But there is always hope! It took my hen 9 weeks to recover, but I have read posts where the hen recovered in 2 weeks.

Mr. Frito visiting Ginger on Monday. She has been recovering from a crop impaction for 10 days. This morning she was able to rejoin the flock, full time.

 

[Hartsforyou]

I have had a time with my chickens this last year. I lost one in April Andy another one in September. Recently in the last couple of months 2 of my orpington hens, a year and a half old, both bought from the same Hatchery, started losing feathers below their vent. I thought they were probably getting ready to molt. But as time went on I realized they weren’t losing any feathers anywhere else. One day I happened to notice one of the girls as she was bent over eating. As I looked closer there was this area below her vent that was swollen (about the size of 1/2 grapefruit) and completely bald and slick. It is soft and doesn’t seem to bother her. Her sister has the exact same thing!! They have a good appetite, free range and are active and bright eyed. This area is not anything that is protruding from her vent. Poop sticks to that area. Yuk. No bleeding. So I started googling the symptoms and could not believe the number of people whose chickens have had this malady. So many posts on here, but there is never a definitive answer as to what this was and some posters had even had their hens to a vet. Just today as I I was again going through articles about these symptoms I found a video on YouTube from a guy whose chicken had this very same thing. He asked that people post what they thought it was and he didn’t get one single comment. I am going to post the link to the video and this is exactly what my hens bottom looks like. Does anyone know what this is.. and if you do, is it fatal? I believe I will die if I lose these 2 after losing 2 this summer. That will only leave me one and to try to find her a companion as winter is close by would be difficult but I don’t think she could survive the winter alone. But I won’t borrow trouble before it gets here. The link is below

 

[Hartsforyou]

I had this happen to mine yesterday and just took her to the vet. She is a 1.5 yr old Buff. I thought it was one of 2 things, eggbound or Ascites. Just got back from the vet and it's a hernia. I never expected that but there was the small intestine on the X-ray towards the outside of her body. Surgery is risky just due to anesthesia alone and chance of relapse is high. They said she can live months to years and if she stops eating and drinking to bring her to be put down. I looked on forums and the internet for what was going on with my girl and NONE of them gave me Hernia. She is acting totally normal. The only thing to watch for is since that are will go bald, seperation from flock is going to happen. If they peck that skin open the chicken is done. I'll enclose a photo.