UPDATE. Not eggbound. EYP.

[bakerjw]

I've only had chickens for a couple of years and I did lose one mysteriously earlier this year. Yesterday I had a hen start acting odd. She ruffled herself up and just seemed off. When I checked her today I found her abdomen to be very distended. Upon researching being egg bound I found that she has the classic symptoms. Ruffled feathers, not walking much, generally drowsy. The only thing that she isn't doing is pumping her tail. I'm going to do the warm water soak on her and see what happens.

Any other thoughts regarding the distended abdomen?
Something that I've overlooked?

 

[scratch'n'peck]

Poor hen. When you kind of massage her belly does it feel like there is an egg in there? The warm soak is definitely something to try. If her belly feels kind of mushy another possible cause could be ascites. Here is one thread that might be helpful: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=506157&p=1. But you also may want to do a search on the topic here.

 

[bakerjw]

Well she didn't mind the water soak and was thirsty as ever so she drank and ate but is still uncomfortable.
She's in a box in a quiet place with a heat lamp,
Time will tell I suppose.

 

[bakerjw]

I forgot to add that she is a red sex link.

This morning she is still bloated but not hot with a fever.
Her poop is normal consistency but she's not eaten too much although she'll gobble down treats if I give them to her.
She drinks water when she's thirsty too.
Going with another hot water bath and then will check to see if I can feel an egg bound in her.
I'm almost suspecting that she might have EYP which has its own issues.
Any advice?

I hate the thought of culling her yet as she's not in distress and is quite happy when I show up with food or treats.

 

[dawg53]

Quote:
Dont use hot water... warm water only, up to her sides. While she's in the water, try massaging her underside for about 20 minutes. Then put on a plastic glove and put some olive oil on a finger and insert it into her vent checking for obstructions. Then remove your finger and put some olive oil around her vent. The warm water expands her innards, massaging helps move the egg along. Finger in the vent stretches it and the olive oil lubes it to make it easier for her to lay the egg. Hopefully she'll lay the egg if this is what you're dealing with and I suspect it is. Repeat soaking/massage in a couple of hours if she hasnt laid the egg.

 

[scratch'n'peck]

I have a hen who is an internal layer who has a very distended belly and has lived with the condition for a couple of years now. If your hen is suffering from egg yolk peritonitis (EYP) then it seems like the fluffed feathers and drowsiness may indicate an internal infection. From what I have read, that is the biggest risk of acute EYP. I am not sure how my cochin with EYP has managed not to succumb to an internal infection. She can waddle around pretty fast with her big belly and still has an appetite and enjoys her sand bathing.

I don't know if others have used antibiotics to treat internal infection associated with EYP. I think I have read read where people have drained the fluid in the belly in the early stages of EYP. We tried that with our cochin hen (not in the early stages), but no fluid came out. I think her distended belly was due to solidified reabsorbed egg material.

How old is your red sex link hen?

 

[bakerjw]

The warm water wasn't getting her anywhere so I checked internally to see if there was an egg bound up in her.
I've never butchered a hen before so I wan totally unfamiliar with their anatomy.
I couldn't get very far into the upper oviduct and I didn't feel any hard objects in there.

Her temperature was normal which is not indicative of an infection.

After checking internally she really started to struggle breathing. It became very labored because of all of the pressure inside of her. I hate to have to cull a bird with a chance but not as much as I hate to see one suffer so I ended up putting her down. It was not an easy decision at all. I figure that I might possibly run into this problem again so I am going to do a post mortem on her.

I'll post back findings if anyone is interested.
It's a sad day here now.
John

 

[scratch'n'peck]

I'm sorry that she was suffering - I'm sure it wasn't an easy decision, but quality of life seems like the most important thing. I have learned when others have posted about post mortems.

I still haven't had to put a chicken down or cull, but I know it is just a matter of time. I hope this isn't too morbid a question, but how did you chose to cull her and would you do it the same way again faced with the need to cull?

 

[bakerjw]

This was one of my 8 original chickens that we call "the girls" so they are without a doubt my favorites and it was real hard to make the decision. Even though they are my favorites in the end they are livestock. Some might take a chicken to a vet but I can't justify a $50+ vet bill for an egg layer with one year of good production left. On the positive as hard as it was this will be a learning experience. I plan on raising chickens for a long time and I will undoubtedly run into this problem again. When that happens I will be armed with a bit of knowledge that will make me more prepared to make an informed decision.

 

[scratch'n'peck]

I hope you don't think I was questioning your decision to cull her from my last post. I was trying to say that if a chicken is suffering and does not have a good quality of life then that is a valid reason to cull. I hope to be armed with more knowledge about how to cull without causing too much undue stress on my chicken when I am faced with the decision.