Mucky bottom

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ChristyRose

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Mucky bottom
« on: October 03, 2011, 13:03 »
One of my ex batts is very quiet today and preferring to just sit in the nest box.  Not eating or drinking.  Just been out to check on her and her bottom seems to be wet.  When I put her down there seems to be egg white dripping from her bottom and the other chickens are eating it as it drops on the ground!!!!  Has as egg broken inside her?  What do I do?

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Casey76

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Re: Mucky bottom
« Reply #1 on: October 03, 2011, 14:28 »
Hi there, it does sound as if an egg has broken inside her.  At the moment she is in danger of being pecked by the other chickens as they try to eat the egg remains.

If you can bring her inside and give her a bath.  When she is relaxed you can gently intert a finger into her vent and have a feel around to make sure there is no remains of the shell or membrane.

If you can get all of the membrane out, then you can dry her off, first with a towel and then with a hair dryer on "warm" (not hot), or if it is warm, you can put her back outside after the towelling off.

Keep an eye on her over the next few days to make sure that she is OK, and not being pecked by the other chickens.

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ChristyRose

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Re: Mucky bottom
« Reply #2 on: October 03, 2011, 16:15 »
Just got your message!!  I've just got back from the vets.  He couldnt find a broken egg inside her but she has got diarrhorea and water came out of her mouth when I tipped her upside down.  He gave her ivermectin (?) to cover her for worms and to treat the scaly leg and antibiotics.  He said she might have peritonitus?
Shes out there now pecking around.  Seems quite happy now.  Vet told me to keep her seperate from the others but dont know how I can as I've only got one chicken house....
Shes an ex batt and must be about 3 1/2 so she is getting on abit.

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helens-hens

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Re: Mucky bottom
« Reply #3 on: October 03, 2011, 17:38 »
Hi there. Good that she seems more herself, pecking around etc. When the vet mentioned peritonitus, he may well have been referring to egg yolk peritonitus. This happens when for some reason the yolk becomes separated from the rest of the egg and ends up in the abdominal area rather than being layed.

Did you see any sign of yolk when you first realised there was a problem? If you didn't then it is a possibility that the other hens ate it before you were on the scene or it could mean it is still inside her. Apparently one of the main signs of this is if the hen appears to waddle when she walks around (bit like a duck - I think it is because of a build up of fluid in the abdomen because of the peritonitis). Unfortunately this would be a very serious problem so my advice would be to keep a very close eye on her.

Will keep my fingers crossed for you that she makes a full recovery
Helen

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ChristyRose

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Re: Mucky bottom
« Reply #4 on: October 03, 2011, 18:40 »
The vet did examine her internally and said there were no eggs in there and he was positive she had stopped laying as her pelvic (?) bones were so close together.  He gave her ivermectin which has an egg withdrawal period and I siad I only wanted her to have it if she had efinately stopped laying.
I've had her for nearly 2 years now and as ex batts they do lay alot while at the battery farms so I think he must be right.
I am abit worried now as I have noticed that it seems very watery on the floor of their house.
Why would their poos be so watery?

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Lindeggs

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Re: Mucky bottom
« Reply #5 on: October 03, 2011, 22:35 »
By the time the chicken has a swollen, fluid-filled abdomen, it means the peritonitis has become very serious and a major infection has set in.  I see your vet prescribed antibiotics so hopefully it won't get to this stage.

Unfortunately older commercial hybrid hens, and especially ex-batts, are prone to all kinds of reproductive system failures and it could be any one of a number of things.  For example she could have some kind of tumour on her ovary, or internal scarring from an older infection, or one of many other problems.

The wet droppings can also be caused by a variety of things, including kidney failure causing her to drink excessively.

Now that you have taken her to the vet you've really done all you can for her, apart from keeping her comfortable and waiting to see what happens next.  Keeping her comfortable may have to include keeping her apart from the other chickens.  They have a bad habit of turning on a sick bird, so make sure you have a place ready to isolate her. 

Can you borrow a dog crate, or set up some kind of temporary enclosure where you can keep her warm and dry if you need to act quickly?

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ChristyRose

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Re: Mucky bottom
« Reply #6 on: October 04, 2011, 09:29 »
I lost another ex batt a few weeks ago and the vet said he thought it might have been a tumour.  She seems okay today - pecking around.  Havnt seen her eat or drink yet - or poo.  I will keep a close eye on her.
The vet said I should seperate her but as shes always been with the others I thought if shes got a bug then they'll all have it.  They dont seem to be pecking on her.  I can put her in the summer house if she starts to deteriorate too much.
Her abdomen dosnt seem to be swollen.



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