Year old Hen diagnosed with Egg yolk peritonitis

[mlmanjoney]

So my hen Speckle decided to start a hard molt this week (feathers EVERYWHERE) and then I noticed she had a lump under her vent. After catching her - I noticed it was about the size of a baseball. She hadn't laid any eggs in 7 days but we were figuring since she was starting a molt as well as the lack of daylight it wasn't anything to be overly concerned over. We went to the emergency vet (they do have an exotics department) and she was diagnosed with egg yolk coelomitis through an ultrasound. Due to Covid I wasn't able to be there for the exam but I was under the impression they were going to drain the fluid.

We left with a nice dent in our wallet - and Meloxicam and SMZ-TMP tablets. They didn't drain any fluid - and she is otherwise acting normal for a heavy molting bird. She is in the ICU cage with a big bowl of mealworms and feather fixer pellets and her water.

I have been watching videos on draining ascites in chickens and was wondering if maybe I should try to do it myself or just wait and hope the antibiotics kick in quick - I have the supplies since my Chicken First Aid kit is really well stocked thanks to these forums. We have had REALLY bad luck with chicken issues since we started keeping them last year - and this is just another kick in the gut =(

I guess I am just looking for any advice/words of wisdom/support you experienced Chicken Tenders might have

 

[Aunt Angus]

I am so sorry.... That is a tough diagnosis, for sure....

You might call the vet and find out why they didn't drain any fluid, esp since they said they would. Maybe what's making the lump is egg/lash material and can't really be drained. It'd be better to know in case there's a good reason for it before trying it.

What breed is poor Speckle?

 

[mlmanjoney]

She is an Easter Egger we got from TSC last year

 

[Aunt Angus]

She is an Easter Egger we got from TSC last year

I asked because I've read about this happening more frequently in high production hybrids. But any hen is susceptible.

Hopefully, she isn't too uncomfortable and the meds are helping.

 

[mlmanjoney]

She doesn't seem to be uncomfortable at all (well considering she does not like being in the ICU cage but we thought we'd keep her there at least for the night and tomorrow so I can get 24 hours of antibiotics in. Chasing her through the run to get her to take her meds when she is sloughing off all her feathers isn't exactly fun

 

[Aunt Angus]

She doesn't seem to be uncomfortable at all (well considering she does not like being in the ICU cage but we thought we'd keep her there at least for the night and tomorrow so I can get 24 hours of antibiotics in. Chasing her through the run to get her to take her meds when she is sloughing off all her feathers isn't exactly fun

She wouldn't have timed it much worse, could she?

Good to hear she's not in pain. I lost a hen to salpingitis. Watching her deteriorate was terrible. If I has known what was wrong, I would have known when she was in pain and beyond help. I didn't find out until her necropsy. Looking back, I could have saved her a lot of suffering. I know it's not the most pleasant news, but I would have liked to know what was wrong ahead of time. I hope that makes sense.

 

[Nikkiautry]

So my hen Speckle decided to start a hard molt this week (feathers EVERYWHERE) and then I noticed she had a lump under her vent. After catching her - I noticed it was about the size of a baseball. She hadn't laid any eggs in 7 days but we were figuring since she was starting a molt as well as the lack of daylight it wasn't anything to be overly concerned over. We went to the emergency vet (they do have an exotics department) and she was diagnosed with egg yolk coelomitis through an ultrasound. Due to Covid I wasn't able to be there for the exam but I was under the impression they were going to drain the fluid.

We left with a nice dent in our wallet - and Meloxicam and SMZ-TMP tablets. They didn't drain any fluid - and she is otherwise acting normal for a heavy molting bird. She is in the ICU cage with a big bowl of mealworms and feather fixer pellets and her water.

I have been watching videos on draining ascites in chickens and was wondering if maybe I should try to do it myself or just wait and hope the antibiotics kick in quick - I have the supplies since my Chicken First Aid kit is really well stocked thanks to these forums. We have had REALLY bad luck with chicken issues since we started keeping them last year - and this is just another kick in the gut =(

I guess I am just looking for any advice/words of wisdom/support you experienced Chicken Tenders might have

Hello! Just read this and was wondering if the SMZ-TMP pills helped with your hen? I am experiencing the same issues with my bird.

 

[mlmanjoney]

Luckily it did help our bird. She hasn't laid since however. Between the really hard molt, winter months, and her being ill I am not surprised. Just hoping it doesn't happen again when she goes back into lay

 

[mlmanjoney]

And she is back to laying. We are going to keep a close eye on her. Hopefully it.was a one time thing but from what I have read, it usually isn't. Seriously the only reason I even noticed the swollen abdomen (she has a Seriously fluffy butt) was because of the hard molt. So I have learned to not only check crops regularly, but also the back end!

 

[mlmanjoney]

So another update ... she is doing great! I didn't mention in the first post that she was prone to either extra calcium on her eggs or a thin shelled egg from the beginning.

Knock on wood we haven't had a softie since. So I am hoping that means her system responded well to antibiotics and healed whatever was causing her issues last year.

She is probably annoyed at the Daily undercarriage check