What is this?

[Pampered chicken girl]

Hi all, I have a sapphire gem I'm worried about. She's 9 months old.

1) What type of bird , age and weight (does the chicken seem or feel lighter or thinner than the others.)

Sapphire gem, heavier actually

2) What is the behavior, exactly.

Still laying eggs, eating, pooping, seems just a tiny bit less active. Her abdomen is like, a balloon filled with water. Her bum was very poopy but I cleaned it and it's been fine since.


3) How long has the bird been exhibiting symptoms?

A few days

4) Are other birds exhibiting the same symptoms?

no

5) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma.

no

6) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation.

nothing

7) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all.

nutrena all flock, and they all get a handful of scratch in the morning. Regular water

8) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc.

Normal

9) What has been the treatment you have administered so far?

cleaned poop off her bum, but nothing ither then that

10 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? For example, do you want to treat completely yourself, or do you need help in stabilizing the bird til you can get to a vet?

I'm just wondering what could be wrong with her, and if i can help her
11) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help.

i can get one if needed

12) Describe the housing/bedding in use

Coop/run, straw in the run, pine bedding in the coop. They don't free range.

 

[DotToDot]

Oh. Could be water belly. Or she could just be constipated.

 

[picklestheduck]

Hi all, I have a sapphire gem I'm worried about. She's 9 months old.

1) What type of bird , age and weight (does the chicken seem or feel lighter or thinner than the others.)

Sapphire gem, heavier actually

2) What is the behavior, exactly.

Still laying eggs, eating, pooping, seems just a tiny bit less active. Her abdomen is like, a balloon filled with water. Her bum was very poopy but I cleaned it and it's been fine since.


3) How long has the bird been exhibiting symptoms?

A few days

4) Are other birds exhibiting the same symptoms?

no

5) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma.

no

6) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation.

nothing

7) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all.

nutrena all flock, and they all get a handful of scratch in the morning. Regular water

8) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc.

Normal

9) What has been the treatment you have administered so far?

cleaned poop off her bum, but nothing ither then that

10 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? For example, do you want to treat completely yourself, or do you need help in stabilizing the bird til you can get to a vet?

I'm just wondering what could be wrong with her, and if i can help her
11) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help.

i can get one if needed

12) Describe the housing/bedding in use

Coop/run, straw in the run, pine bedding in the coop. They don't free range.

It could be ascites also known as water belly. Can you post some pictures?

 

[Pampered chicken girl]

Oh. Could be water belly. Or she could just be constipated.

It could be ascites also known as water belly. Can you post some pictures?

Darn, that's what u was worried about. I'll get pictures

 

[azygous]

Is her balloon swelling in front of her legs and pushing her legs apart? Or is it a pocket of swelling under the vent and behind the legs? Location is important.

Swelling pushing the legs apart, giving her a wide stance, is ascites, liver disease. The swelling in the rear is likely a reproductive infection.

 

[Pampered chicken girl]

Is her balloon swelling in front of her legs and pushing her legs apart? Or is it a pocket of swelling under the vent a behind the legs? Location is important.

Swelling pushing the legs apart, giving her a wide stance, is ascites, liver disease. The swelling in the rear is likely a reproductive infection.

It's not pushing her legs apart, it's like between the vent and the legs.

 

[DotToDot]

Is she making a sort of squeaky gasping sound if you hold her long enough? And is her comb purple?

 

[Pampered chicken girl]

Is she making a sort of squeaky gasping sound if you hold her long enough? And is her comb purple?

No and no. Her comb has always had a blackness to it but that's been her whole life, it's just her skin

 

[Mother-Hen-Michele]

Hi, I have a few old birds with ascitite and I've gotten used to draining them. Honestly, I am not the kid who dreamed of growing up to be a vet, I am completely squeamish and not great at such things (I have never been a mom, I have been stepmom, but to no one younger than 12, so I have never learned to treat scrapes and such)

All that to say... I'm the worst case scenario and I have successfully kept some girls alive, happy and scratching up a storm for over 18 months (and counting) with that condition so YOU will be brilliant at it.

There is one thing I learned recently though, the ascitite can have many origins including gastrointestinal infection, reproductive issues or liver problems. If you can figure out which one is at play it makes long-term care easier because you might be able to decrease the rate of re-occurrence.

Feel free to ask for any help I can provide. (Even if it is just a shoulder to cry on the first time you need to do this... First time is the worst! )

 

[DotToDot]

Hi, I have a few old birds with ascitite and I've gotten used to draining them. Honestly, I am not the kid who dreamed of growing up to be a vet, I am completely squeamish and not great at such things (I have never been a mom, I have been stepmom, but to no one younger than 12, so I have never learned to treat scrapes and such)

All that to say... I'm the worst case scenario and I have successfully kept some girls alive, happy and scratching up a storm for over 18 months (and counting) with that condition so YOU will be brilliant at it.

There is one thing I learned recently though, the ascitite can have many origins including gastrointestinal infection, reproductive issues or liver problems. If you can figure out which one is at play it makes long-term care easier because you might be able to decrease the rate of re-occurrence.

Feel free to ask for any help I can provide. (Even if it is just a shoulder to cry on the first time you need to do this... First time is the worst! )

I have a bird with it as well. How do you drain?