[Julias hens]

Hi guys, any advice for a difficult to age hen, I bought her as an adult a couple of years ago.  She hasn't layed for months and has developed a soft floppy rear.  Quite distended.  She seems happy but is this old age  or something I can treat.  Haven't had an old hen yet so she is maybe the first. Any ideas?

[Casey76]

Droopy back end as in the abdomen underneath?

Soft and squshy abdomens can be a sign of EYP (egg yolk peritonitis) or internal laying.  This is where the egg yolk misses the oviduct and ends up in the abdominal cavity.  As yolks are essentially sterile most of the time it doesn't  pose a problem, and over time the yolk does get reabsorbed.  However sometimes it can become infected, and this makes the hen very sick.

Other causes include heart failure causing oedema or fluid build up - with this you would also see a pale or dusky comb too (sometimes difficult to differentiate from a small plae comb when the hen isn't laying).

As long as she is pootling around, in no apparent distress I would probably leave her, though be prepared for either a vet visit if she declines (for antibiotics etc or to pts) or to cull  yourself, or you may find she dies in her sleep.

I had a hen with a squidgy abdomen for some months before I had to cull her as she was getting too uncomfortable and couldn't walk easily, but other than that she was bright and happy in herself.