goodwiab
Chirping
- Apr 4, 2020
- 43
- 25
- 99
Hello,
I have a four year old leghorn named Skittles (she's the sweetest). About a 2 months ago, she stopped laying out if the blue, but was perfectly healthy so I paid no mind...tbh her eggs were always a bit oddly shapen. A month ago she looked like the picture attached - her comb was always that floppy. During extreme temperature changes her comb would sometimes turn purple at the tips but would always go back to normal.
Sadly, about three weeks ago I noticed that she was getting heavier. She developed a very squishy abdomen. Proceeded with Epsom salt baths and I could not find an egg. She was still eating and drinking and moving about fine; but about 2 weeks later she stopped roosting and would prefer the nest box at night. Again since she was still perfectly healthy and I just thought maybe old age I left her alone. I brought her in from the heat (Virgina) and found lice on her on Sunday 6/16 so have treated the whole flock (only 4 birds total), and cleaned out the coop etc with the elector PSP as of last night.
Skittles comb is now very pale and she has trouble walking. She gets out of the coop every morning and walks to a space in the shade and lays down for the majority of the day. She does NOT have her tail down as in the penguin/egg bound walk, but just more of a waddle due to her abdomen. However, although the abdomen is very squishy it is not red or missing feathers. She rises a few times if she sees me, and still eating although barely. She will inhale hard boiled eggs and watermelon, and tonight I saw her actively eat two worms from the grass. However tonight was the first night she didn't make it back into the coop and was peacefully laying in the grass a few yards away from it. She wasn't bothered as I picked her up and put her in the nest box for the night.
Notes: have treated for the lice, abdomen squishy and weighted but not red or missing feathers, her butt (and my other leghorn) has always been dirty but I bathe them and give them plenty of access to DE and peet moss baths, but have recently put DE on her butt regularly bc I'm terrified of fly strike (saved her from it last year). Still eating but really only eggs and watermelon- she is starting to refuse water altogether.
I suppose my question is is it possible for a hen of her age to have water belly? Should I be taking her to the vet if she's still eating and drinking? I'm fairly confident she has this but perhaps I'm completely wrong and need to be taking her in. She just is so sweet and so peaceful that I'm trying not to cause any more stress as I am 8 months pregnant, but I love these birds so much. I've treated her with everything I can think of and read up on.
Thank you and sorry for the long post.
I have a four year old leghorn named Skittles (she's the sweetest). About a 2 months ago, she stopped laying out if the blue, but was perfectly healthy so I paid no mind...tbh her eggs were always a bit oddly shapen. A month ago she looked like the picture attached - her comb was always that floppy. During extreme temperature changes her comb would sometimes turn purple at the tips but would always go back to normal.
Sadly, about three weeks ago I noticed that she was getting heavier. She developed a very squishy abdomen. Proceeded with Epsom salt baths and I could not find an egg. She was still eating and drinking and moving about fine; but about 2 weeks later she stopped roosting and would prefer the nest box at night. Again since she was still perfectly healthy and I just thought maybe old age I left her alone. I brought her in from the heat (Virgina) and found lice on her on Sunday 6/16 so have treated the whole flock (only 4 birds total), and cleaned out the coop etc with the elector PSP as of last night.
Skittles comb is now very pale and she has trouble walking. She gets out of the coop every morning and walks to a space in the shade and lays down for the majority of the day. She does NOT have her tail down as in the penguin/egg bound walk, but just more of a waddle due to her abdomen. However, although the abdomen is very squishy it is not red or missing feathers. She rises a few times if she sees me, and still eating although barely. She will inhale hard boiled eggs and watermelon, and tonight I saw her actively eat two worms from the grass. However tonight was the first night she didn't make it back into the coop and was peacefully laying in the grass a few yards away from it. She wasn't bothered as I picked her up and put her in the nest box for the night.
Notes: have treated for the lice, abdomen squishy and weighted but not red or missing feathers, her butt (and my other leghorn) has always been dirty but I bathe them and give them plenty of access to DE and peet moss baths, but have recently put DE on her butt regularly bc I'm terrified of fly strike (saved her from it last year). Still eating but really only eggs and watermelon- she is starting to refuse water altogether.
I suppose my question is is it possible for a hen of her age to have water belly? Should I be taking her to the vet if she's still eating and drinking? I'm fairly confident she has this but perhaps I'm completely wrong and need to be taking her in. She just is so sweet and so peaceful that I'm trying not to cause any more stress as I am 8 months pregnant, but I love these birds so much. I've treated her with everything I can think of and read up on.
Thank you and sorry for the long post.
