What on earth is this

[AmyJane725]

Thanks, I’m a little mad too. Especially since we caught it early I’m going to be upset that we didn’t take her cos she could of survived ( if she passes away here) . Thanks for the advice. Appreciate it. I havnt massages her today cos I thought she would be sore. But I’ll do that tomorrow

I'd be livid. How dare he tell you what to do with your poor sick baby? You're not a child, you're his wife. You have equal power to him. If it were me I'd take her right down to the vet and get her checked out. He can huff and puff all he wants. Her life is on the line. I don't know about you, but my chickens are my babies and I am their momma, and no man is gonna keep me from getting one medical attention if it needs it.

 

[Aunt Angus]

I have been following this thread, and I have to say that you are doing a feed fantastic job caring for your hen.

 

[Eggcessive]

In case you decide to try draining her belly or just to see if there is yellow ascites fluid inside, here are some links that might help:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/ascites-in-desperate-need-of-some-help-and-guidance.853726/

 

[Elfer]

Yep! I will never get hyline brown hens again. I had no idea that this sort of stuff happens to the chooks bred for egg production. I feel horrible for her. Humans are cruel.
If she doesn’t start laying again normally and declines again I will just take her out of her misery. It’s been so full on treating her and looking after her with a baby and toddler at home. Really overwhelming emotionally aswell

RIRs are good for those planning to eat their chickens after a couple of years, but for those who want pets that lay breakfast, I'd stay away from ads bragging about how many huge eggs per yr. you'll get from any hens. Double yolks and eggs laid daily aren't necessarily a good thing if you want a long lived chicken. And no lights in the coop to make them lay more, if you're not gonna eat the chickens. I'd rather my girls lay every other day. Watching your flock explode is heartbreaking, more so if you've got kids, I imagine. I think when I drew fluids, it caused infection, but at any rate, we both hated it, and it was a temporary ongoing fix until they died.

 

[Countrydreamin]

I'd be livid. How dare he tell you what to do with your poor sick baby? You're not a child, you're his wife. You have equal power to him. If it were me I'd take her right down to the vet and get her checked out. He can huff and puff all he wants. Her life is on the line. I don't know about you, but my chickens are my babies and I am their momma, and no man is gonna keep me from getting one medical attention if it needs it.

I did contemplate that, I guess I hold a lot of emotional guilt over not being at work. I have a baby and a toddler and have been a stay at home mum for three years so I earn very little. I know we are married and it’s not just his money. It would of been easier taking her to the vet instead of me doing hours apon hours of reading trying to educate myself and be the vet. It was exhausting with little kids hanging of me. Ohwell Atleast now I know something. And luckily (for now) she seems better

 

[Countrydreamin]

I have been following this thread, and I have to say that you are doing a feed fantastic job caring for your hen.

Thankyou, I’m so glad all my efforts so far seemed to have paid off for the meantime. Her poops look completely normal today and the infection looks gone. Eating/drinking/acting well. Still no eggs though.. so am in this state of limbo over what is going to happen next.

 

[Countrydreamin]

In case you decide to try draining her belly or just to see if there is yellow ascites fluid inside, here are some links that might help:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/ascites-in-desperate-need-of-some-help-and-guidance.853726/

Well that was an interesting watch. Almost like watching someone get a major zit squeezed on YouTube
Looking at that hens belly, there’s no way my hen has water belly. It was never swollen much just red/purple but now nearing back to complete normal colour. (I don’t know why us aussies spell colour like that but we do)

She just feels, normal

It was only her comb I was concerned about. This is it today. Just a tinge of purple like colour at the front

 

[Countrydreamin]

RIRs are good for those planning to eat their chickens after a couple of years, but for those who want pets that lay breakfast, I'd stay away from ads bragging about how many huge eggs per yr. you'll get from any hens. Double yolks and eggs laid daily aren't necessarily a good thing if you want a long lived chicken. And no lights in the coop to make them lay more, if you're not gonna eat the chickens. I'd rather my girls lay every other day. Watching your flock explode is heartbreaking, more so if you've got kids, I imagine. I think when I drew fluids, it caused infection, but at any rate, we both hated it, and it was a temporary ongoing fix until they died.

Yep, never again. I guess you live and learn. And having four hens I don’t necessarily need all the eggs it was more the appeal of it being a garaunteed hen. The first two day old chicks we got were roosters and had to give them away. The next two I got were welsummers ( now 7 months old and still not laying) but they were and still are quite scared of us. So I wanted more day old chicks to have them used to us handling them from the get go and yeh my two hyline brown girls are so friendly and confident. Then again perhaps it’s in the breed. Need to educate myself more on that one.

 

[Countrydreamin]

All the girls are happy together again this morning. Too soon?

 

[Eggcessive]

I am glad that she seems back to normal, except for laying an egg, and that her lower belly does not seem to be full as it would be with ascites. I was hoping that was the case, and that it was just a case of being egg bound with a soft egg. Hopefully, she will not have further problems, but we never know.