4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[Shelley Cockell]

Doris has been an unreliable layer since we got her in Jan 08. She laid softees and had many many days off. Last summer I came to the conclusion that she has sterile perotinitis, as she often has a swollen backside and always has a pooey bum. She stopped laying about 3 months ago and then moulted (losing a bit of weight in the process - she did need it!) Anyway, now she is a vision of lovelyness - new feathers and no pooey bum! That is until this week......... and today I found a lash in the hen house. A big lump of rubber!

 

After reading several of the topics on lash I think that this could be from her because of the sterile perotinitis. All the rest are laying perfectly.

 

I would like to know who else's hens have laid lash and did they lay again after and do any of them who have laid it suffer from sterile perotinitis?

[Egluntyne]

There seem to be several factors which cause lashes.

 

My Dixie Chick had sterile peritonitis for around 6 months, and she stopped laying altogether, after laying humungous eggs last summer.

 

TBH I can't remember if she laid a lash or not prior to the peritonitis.

 

Thread **here** with a bit of info re lashes.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

We've only had one very small lash - not sure whose it was . No problems with peritonitis but one was laying erratically at the time (now laying normally).

[The Dogmother]

I don't think they are linked - sterile peritonitis can be caused by a number of things, the most common being a liver leucosis. This causes the abdomen to fill up with sterile fluid, eventually it will put so much pressure on the internal organs that the chook will die of heart failure, but you can have the fluid drained. This is only buying time though and it will gradually fill up again as you're not able to treat the underlying problem. Sterile peritonitis can also be linked to egg duct problems, but this is less common.

 

Unfortunately, the end result is always the same, the hen will need to be PTS

[chelsea]

I also dont think lash and sterile peritonitis are linked.

 

Our old gal Ella has had sterile peritonitis for over a year now and she has never laid anything like "lash".

 

Claret is right about the symptoms above (swollen abdomen), if you think your hen has sterile peritonitis the signs would be - a hen waddling like John Wayne, a red swollen bum under the vent area, when the hen lies down its comb will go purple (due to the pressure of the swelling).

 

We have been told by our vet that her peritonitis isnt as bad as some of the cases she has seen. We have also been advised not to have her drained (as this can cause infection which unfortunately leads to death )

 

Some weeks are better than others, she has gone for weeks and weeks over the winter with no swelling whatsoever (the hen absorbs the fluid) but once spring comes she will get more swollen.

 

We assess Ella all the time, she has Baytril every now and again to prevent infection and she has a "bum wash" every other week, but on the whole leads a regular chicken life. She can still run like the clappers after a grape!

Edited January 19, 2009 by Guest

[sandyhas3chucks]

hi Chelsea, interesting..

why will she get more swollen in the summer?

Might there be something holeopathic/natural to help reduce it?

Must do some reading up on it.

glad your girl is still enjoying life

[chelsea]

I think its because she isnt "in lay" during the winter, so therefore isnt producing eggs.

 

OH says the fluid is in his words " the egg missing the yolk"......

 

the strange thing is that she occasionally lays eggs during the summer, which would knock out the above theory!

[chelsea]

here you go....a better explanation (than my hubby's) of peritonitis found on another site.

 

Your hen has peritonitis - fluid pooling in her abdomen. It can be caused by a number of things, most often by yolks missing the "funnel" and falling directly from her ovary into her abdomen. Other types of infections and sometimes cancer can also cause peritonitis. There are also two types of peritonitis - sterile and septic. If your girl has sterile peritonitis, it means that the fluid in her abdomen is not filled with bacteria and is not caused by an internal infection. With this type of peritonitis, the best thing to do is leave the hen alone. If she is extremely uncomfortable and having a hard time breathing, you can try draining off some of the fluid to relieve pressure AS LONG AS you do the procedure under sterile conditions- if you introduce bacteria into her abdomen, she will get a nasty infection and the peritonitis will turn septic - then she will likely die. With sterile peritonitis, the hen will have trouble getting around and will have some loss of appetite, but she will continue to eat and will improve gradually over time- potentially she will recover totally or she will always have fluid build-up. I have a hen with sterile peritonitis and she has been this way for almost 2 years now. She is going slowly downhill, but still seems to enjoy life. She has a harder time breathing as the fluid has put pressure on her airsacs and lungs (this is especially evident when she lays down at night) but she is still hangning in there. WHen she stops ovulating for the year, usually in winter, the fluid is reabsorbed into her body and she is totally normal. She's running around and acting quite silly at the moment.

[sandyhas3chucks]

ok. ta need to look into this. sounds a bit like my girl MAY have it...

does she hunch then pooh the egg white?

Got a day trip booked for the vets tom pm anyway, had a sneezer for too long, may as well all go get the once over

got a long weekend away in 3 weeks, better he sees her now.

[chelsea]

no she doesnt poo the egg white, she does normal poos.

 

Hope your hen is better soon. Let us know how you get on.

[sandyhas3chucks]

thanks, our posts crossed