Chicken has a hard butt and not moving?

[ChickenKiera]

I have a hen who has not been moving about a lot and she just stays in one place. She has been like that for about a week. Today I felt her butt or the part under the tail and it is really hard. She is a battery hen that we recused so she has no feathers there. She is drinking but not eating. I felt some other chickens “butts” and there were not hard. I thought she migt he egg bound but she doesn’t ever lay eggs (even when we was ok) and egg bound chicken only lives for 48 hours and it has been a week? Does anyone know what it wrong with her and what I can do to help her?

 

[coach723]

I'm very sorry about your hen.
It sounds like it's probably a reproductive problem. Not uncommon with hens over the age of two or breeds that were bred for prolific egg laying. Can you post a picture of the abdomen where it's hard? It could be infection like salpingitis, a cancer, or internal laying. With most of the reproductive problems treatment is limited and often not successful. The actual cause is often not known until they pass and a necropsy is done. If it were internal laying then it possibly could be treated with surgery and a suprelorin implant to stop laying. Any surgery is risky for birds, and the implant has to be replaced periodically. Not inexpensive.
http://www.poultrydvm.com/drugs/deslorelin
If you want to pursue treatment then an avian vet is your best option, to try to narrow down if it's treatable or not.
I personally, leave them with the flock until they are obviously not feeling well, then I euthanize.

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry about your hen, but I would agree that she may have cancer or salpingitis (lash egg material inside her abdomen from an inflammation of the oviduct.)

 

[azygous]

The hardness you feel could be cancer tumors in her reproductive system.

You also can't rule out being egg bound just because you've never gotten eggs from her. A non-layer can all of a sudden produce eggs for a short period. If the hen has an aging shell gland, calcium won't be produced in sufficient amounts to build a hard shell. This can result in a stuck shell-less egg or a thin shell egg that collapses before she lays it.

It's also possible for an egg bound hen to linger on for a few weeks before she dies of this cause. There is always a chance you can help her pass the egg by giving a calcium supplement tablet to stimulate contractions. It's always worth a try to save her life. If you don't wish to prolong this suffering, you can euthanize her now.

 

[ChickenKiera]

I'm very sorry about your hen.
It sounds like it's probably a reproductive problem. Not uncommon with hens over the age of two or breeds that were bred for prolific egg laying. Can you post a picture of the abdomen where it's hard? It could be infection like salpingitis, a cancer, or internal laying. With most of the reproductive problems treatment is limited and often not successful. The actual cause is often not known until they pass and a necropsy is done. If it were internal laying then it possibly could be treated with surgery and a suprelorin implant to stop laying. Any surgery is risky for birds, and the implant has to be replaced periodically. Not inexpensive.
http://www.poultrydvm.com/drugs/deslorelin
If you want to pursue treatment then an avian vet is your best option, to try to narrow down if it's treatable or not.
I personally, leave them with the flock until they are obviously not feeling well, then I euthanize.

Sorry I didn’t reply, I didn’t get any pictures yesterday, her wings are starting to droop now and she doesn’t stand up for a long time

 

[Ihavesomechickens]

I would think a reproductive issue. Cancer and salpingitis are very likely, especially for an ex-battery hen.

 

[coach723]

Yes, it also looks like she has a wide legged stance which also happens with reproductive problems. The matter in the abdomen pushes the legs apart and causes them to waddle.

 

[ChickenKiera]

Yes, it also looks like she has a wide legged stance which also happens with reproductive problems. The matter in the abdomen pushes the legs apart and causes them to waddle.

Is there any way to treat this without surgery?

 

[Ihavesomechickens]

There might not be a way to treat it at all. If it is cancer, she probably has a few more weeks of life. If it is salpingitis, she will be gone in less than a week. If it is some other reproductive disease, it might be treatable, but not likely. I’m so sorry your hen had to experience this

 

[azygous]

The reality is that her symptoms and the new symptoms of wing droop all indicate beginning of end of life organ failure.

I've had hens with similar symptoms and when they died, I opened them up and found cancer everywhere. I've even posted a thread https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...-a-chicken-gross-and-disgusting-pics.1296324/ with my findings. It was ugly, to risk an understatement. There's no cure for almost all reproductive infections, especially cancer.