Lethargic hen with swollen abdomen

[SilkieBrush]

Hello!

Around 2 days ago I noticed my hen was not being herself. I cannot pinpoint when she could have started showing symptoms as life has been pretty busy and I sadly haven't been able to take my time with my chickens.

Upon doing a basic checkup due to her being lethargic, her abdomen seemed swollen and tender to the touch. She seems to weight a bit more than usual. I suspected her being egg bound so I gave her some baths with Epsom Salt and massaged her abdomen in case this was the issue.

I quickly quarantined her to monitor her. She is not eating a lot and seems to be drinking lots of water. Her poop is mostly liquid. Although not oily by any means, the best way I could describe her stool is as lightly greasy.
It is clear, white, and sometimes green in coloration.

My hen is a silkie mix, she's around 3 years old.

Any advice as to what the diagnosis could be and how I could treat her would be greatly appreciated.

God bless

 

[Wyorp Rock]

A swollen abdomen may be fluid (Ascites). Does the swelling feel tight like a drum?

When was her last egg?

I'd start her on extra Calcium for a few days to see if she's able to expel an egg or lash material. Give 300mg Calcium Citrate+D3 once daily for 3-5days.

Sometimes draining fluid can give them some measure of relief for a period of time, but it will not cure the underlying condition that is the cause of the fluid. Alternatively, you can try Aloe Detox to see if that makes a difference.

Her drinking a lot of water may point to the crop not emptying very well. This is not unusual if she's having some fluid in the abdomen and/or reproductive issues.

See that she's staying hydrated and encourage her eat. Check her crop and let us know what that's like. Look her over for lice/mites too.

Photos of her and her poop are always welcome.

 

[SilkieBrush]

No, her abdomen is not extremely tight, just lightly tender.

I genuinely don't know the last time she might have laid an egg.

Where can I find these supplements? Are these the same as human supplements?

Her crop seems to not be emptying well, I took out her water and left her food for the night, and upon waking up it felt sloshy.

I'll check out the aloe detox and fluid drainage options.

I will be posting pictures of her soon

Thanks for your reply!

 

[Themellowyellows]

No, her abdomen is not extremely tight, just lightly tender.

I genuinely don't know the last time she might have laid an egg.

Where can I find these supplements? Are these the same as human supplements?

Her crop seems to not be emptying well, I took out her water and left her food for the night, and upon waking up it felt sloshy.

I'll check out the aloe detox and fluid drainage options.

I will be posting pictures of her soon

Thanks for your reply!

I found calicum + D3 at Costco, you can probably find it at your local pharmacy company. You said her crop isn't emptying well, try feeding her some coconut oil, and massage her crop in circles for 15 minutes.

 

[SilkieBrush]

So this is Tiny

Some things id like to mention:

Let me know if the picture of her stool is helpful. Not sure if the background color is an issue.

She once got what I assumed to be fowl pox, but it hasn't gone away for a long time, and Im not entirely sure if there's more or not.

My roosters decided she was her favorite for a while, and I took measures to stop her from getting her feathers from getting worse, and she made a lot of progress. I actually started noticing her issues because her feathers got worse all of a sudden and I realized it was because she was not being as energetic as usual, so she ended up being the target.

Let me know if you need more information.

 

[SilkieBrush]

I found calicum + D3 at Costco, you can probably find it at your local pharmacy company. You said her crop isn't emptying well, try feeding her some coconut oil, and massage her crop in circles for 15 minutes.

Ok perfect, I'll go get it ASAP. I'll give her the coconut oil massages too.

Thanks!

 

[SilkieBrush]

Update: currently she's not standing up as usual. Seems like she's lost a lot of energy and is laying down.
Felt like something worth watching out for

 

[Themellowyellows]

Update: currently she's not standing up as usual. Seems like she's lost a lot of energy and is laying down.
Felt like something worth watching out for

Does she show signs of pain? Don't give her regular water, if you have include electrolytes, probiotics and nutri-drench. Is her comb pale?

 

[SilkieBrush]

Does she show signs of pain? Don't give her regular water, if you have include electrolytes, probiotics and nutri-drench. Is her comb pale?

Not that I can notice, although im not entirely sure what the body language of a chicken in pain is. She recently started breathing weird when laying down, problem is not present when she's standing.

I followed advice and gave her electrolytes. I do not have any probiotics or "Nutri-dench" (first time I hear of this, I'll go check that out).

No, her comb appears to have it usual red coloration.

Thanks for your reply!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

No, her abdomen is not extremely tight, just lightly tender.

I genuinely don't know the last time she might have laid an egg.

Where can I find these supplements? Are these the same as human supplements?

Her crop seems to not be emptying well, I took out her water and left her food for the night, and upon waking up it felt sloshy.

I'll check out the aloe detox and fluid drainage options.

I will be posting pictures of her soon

Thanks for your reply!

So this is Tiny

Some things id like to mention:

Let me know if the picture of her stool is helpful. Not sure if the background color is an issue.

She once got what I assumed to be fowl pox, but it hasn't gone away for a long time, and Im not entirely sure if there's more or not.

My roosters decided she was her favorite for a while, and I took measures to stop her from getting her feathers from getting worse, and she made a lot of progress. I actually started noticing her issues because her feathers got worse all of a sudden and I realized it was because she was not being as energetic as usual, so she ended up being the target.

Let me know if you need more information.

It's not Fowl Pox on the comb, it looks like fungal infection in the nooks/crannies of the comb. You may be able to pop those out like a zit, then apply some anti-fungal cream or just put the cream on the comb and see if the comb heals.

I Highly recommend that you thoroughly read the article on crop treatments linked below and follow it.

She needs to have access to water during waking hours as well as her normal food. Electrolytes are fine, but make Fresh Plain Water available too.

Does she have any lice or mites?

I'd work on hydration, get the Calcium into her and address the Crop Symptoms. Often a crop that is slow is due to an underlying condition. Since she has some bloat in the abdomen, likely it's reproductive, but it's hard to know.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/