Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Poultry and Pets => The Hen House => Topic started by: janetsgirls on May 20, 2007, 08:35
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i have a new hampshire batam about 2 years old she has a very swollen tummy which has slowly got bigger.she is still eating and drinking and walking about .we have felt her tummy and she does not appear to be egg bound. but it is not comfortable when you press it. does anybody have any ideas as to what it might be. please help. :(
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Hi JG & welcome to the forum. I don't really do chooks sorry but I wondered if she might have been eating a lot of green leafy stuff all of a sudden?? This can stick in the crop.
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Has she got bad breath ? could be sour crop, you may need to gently squeeze her belly to be able to smell her breath. Live yoghurt is supposed to be good for sour crop, but never experienced it myself.
Do you worm your hens ? they might be a cause.
Sorry I cant help any more than this but some one will be along soon.
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thanks we do put wormer in food but will try an individual dosing and will try to smell her breath thanks janet
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When you say swollen tummy to you mean vent end or chest end :?:
How old is she :?:
Is she laying properly :?:
If it's swollen at the vent end but she seems reasonably well, she could have sterile egg peritonitis. This happens if she is not laying properly and egg material finds its way into the body cavity rather than into the fallopian tube. causing a build up of fluid (ascites).
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thanks aunt sally we checked her vent could feel no sign of an egg she is normally a good layer, but has not been laying for some time, she is about 2 years old. she appears not to be in pain and is eating and drinking
and walking about. do you think some antibiotics might help? OR is there a cure for what you suggested. thanks for taking an interest
janetsgirls.
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If the swelling is in the abdomen (tail end) and she is 2 years old and has stopped laying, I would suspect egg peritonitis. Some hens can live for quite a long time with this condition but there is always a risk of an infection setting in which would be fatal. Tumours will also cause a swollen abdomen.
If it is a swollen crop (chest end) It could be an impacted crop, from eating rather fibrous food which has become stuck in the crop or sour crop as Richy suggested. I can tell you how to treat both of these if that is the problem. but you do need to clarify what her symptoms are.
Hope that is some help :D
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hello aunt sally, the swelling is in her abdomen (back end) she has not laid for quite some time and her abdomen is soft and she is walking bow legged, so i think it sound like the egg perotinitis that you mention, what do you suggest. i undestand anything you suggest is up to us to try and help (cilla) her name. thanks janet
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whether you take her to the vets or humainly dispatch her is up to you but to my reconing 3 days have now passed with her in dicomfort, would you wait 3 days before going to the docs?.
also what is a new hampshire bantam i have never heard of this breed before?
alan
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i now know what you mean by new hampshire bantam i got that curiouse a googled them lol
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I have a 2 year old hen who suffers with egg peritonitus and swells up a bit occasionally.
As Alan says you have the option to dispatch her or cope with the symptoms. As long as the fluid in the abdomen (ascites) stays sterile her life is in no danger she will jnot be in pain but it can cause some breathing problems. A vet can remove some of the fluid to make her comfortable.
The condition will resolve if she starts laying eggs again. The ascites is caused by egg material remaining in the body cavity rather than being made into an egg and laid. I give my hen antibiotic accasionally if she seems unwell, it improves her greatly, she is still a yob and charges about the garden like a spring chicken, so I know she is not suffering. :D
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aunt sally, thanks for info she seems a lot brighter today and has been sunbathing in the garden, i certainly will not be despatching her, i have some antibiotics so will try a course. thanks for taking the interest and your accurate diagnosis.janet.