Have a problem!

[LisaDianne]

Hello,
Im new here. I have 4 hens. Today I noticed 1 of my hens had alot of poop all over her bum, so i took her inside for a warm epsom salt bum bath- i cleaned off the poop but noticed her bum below her vent was swollen and soft squishy! She has been eating and behaving like normal, although no one has laid an egg in a week?? She is about 5 yrs old now, my husband does not not want a vet bill for a chicken! Not sure what to do??

 

[muddy75]

Welcome to BYC! It may be helpful to post your issue in the
Emergency forum

 

[LisaDianne]

Thank you.

 

[sourland]

Welcome to BYC, and good luck in resolving the issue with your hen.

 

[DobieLover]

Hello and welcome to BYC! Glad you joined.

Does the area appear to be fluid filled?

 

[janiedoe]

Welcome to BYC.
Did you notice any white or yellow discharge? Do you see any maggots, or did you see any in the bath water? Did you notice an unpleasant smell?
How does her crop feel?
Do you feel her keel bone?
The squishy feeling may be because she is overweight or it may be waterbelly.
It may be that she is just molting and sometimes that can cause a bit of diarrhea. Keep a close eye on her to see if she is eating and drinking. She won't lay if she is molting. If your flock is loosing feathers you will need to up their protein for a couple of weeks to help them get through the unpleasant molt. Cooked eggs, tuna, sardines, and a good quality feed with between 18 & 20% protein will help.

 

[007Sean]

Howdy, and Welcome to Backyard Chickens.

Happy to have you here with us. Enjoy your time here at BYC!

Thanks for joining our community!

 

[Jener8or]

There are definitely experts in the E.R. Forum that Muddy75 posted that might be able to help find solutions for your hen. I hope you can diagnose the problem and improve her issue.

It sounds like you have given her 5 years of good care! Keep us posted on how she is doing.

Welcome to BackYard Chickens!

 

[triciayoung]

Welcome. The emergency forum can help, but, we are not veterinarians. You can try treating for gleet by applying some monistat to the area. If this lessens the redness and swollenness, you will want to give her a pea size amount orally for about 5-days. Equally as important is getting into an agreement about veterinary services for our pets with our spouses. My flock is just like my dogs with respect to importance. They are very loved and part of my family.

 

[LisaDianne]

Welcome. The emergency forum can help, but, we are not veterinarians. You can try treating for gleet by applying some monistat to the area. If this lessens the redness and swollenness, you will want to give her a pea size amount orally for about 5-days. Equally as important is getting into an agreement about veterinary services for our pets with our spouses. My flock is just like my dogs with respect to importance. They are very loved and part of my family.

Thank you so much. My Hen has a healthy bright comb, crop feels normal, her underbelly feels normal, the vent looks normal…but below her vent her bum is mostly bald with signs of new growth…it’s the size of a tangerine, soft squishy.. no pain reaction when i gently massaged it. Is it an egg possibly?? She hasn't laid for several days now.