We noticed today that one of our hens was waddling funny. We picked her up and her belly is tense and swollen and there is irritation and redness on the skin that was brushing the ground while she walked due to the swelling. She had been acting normally the past few days and we only noticed this, this afternoon. She is still eating but is very docile and somewhat listless. She is about 10 months old and has been laying for the past 2-3 months, not every day but we are in winter in a very cold snowy area. The other 5 hens are fine. No signs of mites (we use DE) or any other weird behaviors. After alot of research it looked like she might have yolk peritonitis or an internal lay. We gave her a warm 30 min bath and explored her vent- I didn't feel anything up there. We then used a big needle and syringe and drained about 400cc of clear yellowish and then cloudier yellow fluid from her abdomen. This didn't seem to bother her although her breathing was a little labored. Now she is inside the warm laundry room in a comfy box with some yogurt/olive oil/oatmeal and water. She has been continuing to drain from the hole we poked in her belly. Does anyone else have any experience with hens recovering from this? We don't have any avian vets in the area and I really just don't want her to be in any discomfort. I also read about heart or liver failure but these are pretty hardy birds living at high altitude and they were all doing just fine until today. Just looking for any other suggestions- it would be so sad to lose Peepers or watch her suffer...
