Wet and raw underside

[Orit]

Last night I was sure my Buff Orpington was egg bound. She displayed many of the symptoms I read about online (feathers bristling, tail up, hunkered down on the ground for hours). When I picked her up she was clearly uncomfortable and sort of went limp (hard to describe it exactly). I brought her inside and put her in an Epsom salt bath for 20 minutes and then blow dried her. She was a little lackluster and didn't resist but was alert the whole time. I didn't see any signs of an egg in the vent. When I was blowdrying her underside I saw that her skin was exposed and looked quite raw. Not sure if this was from the bath, however her underside feathers were matted and she was wet underneath when I picked her up to bring her in the house. I kept her inside in a cage for the night with food and water. She seems alert this morning. She ate and drank a little. She's been preening herself a lot and seemingly "scratching". She looks a little puffed up and swollen. I'm not sure what to make of this. I have to leave for work soon. I'm going to keep her inside while at work. Any thoughts about what could be going on? I considered broody, but the wet and raw underside is what is concerning me. Thanks for any advice you can send my way!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Can you post some photos of the raw area?

I wonder if she has a wound, breast blister or abscess that burst. You need to investigate that further to see where the wetness is coming from and for signs of infection.

 

[Orit]

Can you post some photos of the raw area?

I wonder if she has a wound, breast blister or abscess that burst. You need to investigate that further to see where the wetness is coming from and for signs of infection.

Thanks for your reply! When I get home from work I will take a picture and post it. I will also have a better sense of how she's doing (it's been nerve-wracking being away from her today). Stay tuned!

 

[Orit]

Thanks for your reply! When I get home from work I will take a picture and post it. I will also have a better sense of how she's doing (it's been nerve-wracking being away from her today). Stay tuned!

Update: I had written an update and thought I had posted it but it doesn't seem to be here. So the update is, my girl is broody! She stayed indoors for the day and when I returned from work, she was alert and cackled when I came near her. She was still hunkering down, but she wasn't wet underneath anymore. I figured I'd try putting her outside to see what would happen, and sure enough, she made a beeline for the nesting boxes and has been there ever since. After some investigation, it appears that broody hens can pull out their own feathers underneath so as to have more direct contact with the eggs and to keep them warmer. Go figure! So the raw skin and wetness was likely from her doing that. She is pretty feather-bare underneath now so that does make sense. These birds truly are intriguing!

 

[redranger209]

Update: I had written an update and thought I had posted it but it doesn't seem to be here. So the update is, my girl is broody! She stayed indoors for the day and when I returned from work, she was alert and cackled when I came near her. She was still hunkering down, but she wasn't wet underneath anymore. I figured I'd try putting her outside to see what would happen, and sure enough, she made a beeline for the nesting boxes and has been there ever since. After some investigation, it appears that broody hens can pull out their own feathers underneath so as to have more direct contact with the eggs and to keep them warmer. Go figure! So the raw skin and wetness was likely from her doing that. She is pretty feather-bare underneath now so that does make sense. These birds truly are intriguing!

I’ve heard mixed responses about that. A lot of people think they pluck themselves, but some think it’s because of the constant pressure. Evidence for the constant pressure it that they don’t line their nests with the feathers.

 

[WhiteWyan]

I read your post and my first thoughts are that she is going broody. Keep her in the cage with open air beneath her for a couple days and see if she perks up. With ample food and water of course.

Unless you want her to go broody!!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Update: I had written an update and thought I had posted it but it doesn't seem to be here. So the update is, my girl is broody! She stayed indoors for the day and when I returned from work, she was alert and cackled when I came near her. She was still hunkering down, but she wasn't wet underneath anymore. I figured I'd try putting her outside to see what would happen, and sure enough, she made a beeline for the nesting boxes and has been there ever since. After some investigation, it appears that broody hens can pull out their own feathers underneath so as to have more direct contact with the eggs and to keep them warmer. Go figure! So the raw skin and wetness was likely from her doing that. She is pretty feather-bare underneath now so that does make sense. These birds truly are intriguing!

I'm glad she is doing o.k. Do you plan on letting her hatch out any eggs? If she is not sitting on fertile eggs, then it's best to break her broodiness.

Placing her in an open air cage as suggested above is a good way to do this. See that she is eating/drinking well. I would still look at the bare skin for any lesions/sores and check for external parasites.

I hope all continues to go well for you.