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

[eggalp]

Firstly im sorry about the graphic photos! i hope they dont make you I could do with any info/advice anyone has!

Grey has been hunched, shrivelled comb and slow on her feet for a few months. We have been to the vets twice for Baytril. She hasn't laid since approx end of april and she has moulted. Baytril hasn't helped and i'm now waiting on some results from Retfords.

Ive noticed that recently when she poos she is really straining and this bulge appears from her bum. Most of the time her poos are really watery or almost like jelly, they are only occasionally solid. This bulge appears, and she strains, whether its watery or solid.

I mentioned this bulge to the vet who had a look at her bum and said it looked normal - which it does until she poos! The bulge does go back in again slowly after she has finished pooing and starts to walk off.

I have tried to see how my other hens poo - but its not easy! I think that when they poo it comes from the small round bit in the middle of the bulge, but without the bulge actually bulging??? if you see what i mean - but i notice on grey it comes from the side.

 

Does anone know what could be going on, or where the poo should be coming from?

im so worried, i can tell she is distressed when she is straining.

 

any ideas greatly appreciated!

[Plum]

I think the poo is coming from the right place But I think your little chicken has a prolapse of the egg laying part. It's not a very big one and goes back which is good. Is she laying at the moment?

 

I would think if you press gently with the flat of your hand on the prolapse it will help it go right back inside.

 

You say she has been poorly for some time. It may be that she has an egg stuck or something else increasing the pressure in her abdomen, did the vet palpate it for you?

 

I'm sorry she's been unwell so long. It must be hard for you to see it.

[Egluntyne]

Their bums do turn inside out a bit sometimes when they poo, but ordinarily it flips back in quite quickly. It might be worth showing the pics to your vet.

[Cluckingham Palace]

Hi i think your vet will find this photo an excellent aid to diagnosing the problem, maybe its worth dropping it in to the surgery tomorrow?

[Cluckingham Palace]

Sorry should have said very very new to this forum but my husband is a vet and i hasten to add not a chicken expert! but has just looked at the photo and feels it is very suggestive of a prolapse as mentioned earlier

[eggalp]

thanks so much everyone and thanks very much to your husband Cluckingham Palace, that is a great help! I will take the pics to the vet tomorrow.

Is there much that can be done for this problem? If it is pushed back in is it likely to pop out again? I dont mind if she never lays again, i just don't want her to be uncomfortable.

[Cluckingham Palace]

Thats probably the six million dollar question i am afraid it will depend on whats causing the problem whether it is a bacterial problem although that definately doesn't look like diarrhoea, or an ovulation one hopefully she is just having a problem coming back in to lay and is slightly bound or threatening some soft shells, hopefully your vet will be able to shine some light on the problem when they have palpated the abdomen. Good luck she looks just like my Lucy Luscious!

[eggalp]

Well i took the photos to the vets this morning and asked if they would take a look and give me a call. They didn't phone me back today......... i will call them if i dont hear anything by tomorrow afternoon. I hardly slept last night with worry, im not looking forward to tonight!

[Raina]

Hi, Sorry to hear about Grey,

 

 

I was just looking at your pics and when i wached my hen lay once it looked just like that (she even pooped a bit, That came from the side too)

 

I was also just wondering, Could that yellow thing in the bulge could be an egg? (hope you know what i mean)

 

 

Raina.

[Cluckingham Palace]

Any news from the vets yet ? & how is she?

[eggalp]

thanks for asking about Grey Cluckingham Palace.

My original vet didnt know from the photos so sent them away to someone else. This new vet has phoned me today to say he thinks there is an egg stuck in the bulge - so Raina was right!

He has referred me to a different vets in the next town away where he has a vet friend who 'knows alot about birds and should be able to release the egg' This new vets is apparently going to phone me tomorrow to let me know when i can take her in, he says they will want to keep her for the whole day but i should be able to bring her home in the evening, all being well. I will be awake early tomorrow waiting for the phone to ring.........

[laurmurf]

I do hope that there is an egg that can be released. One of my girls had a somewhat similar straining problem and we were advised to give her liquid calcium as it aids contractions (I got it from the chemist).

 

In the end it wasn't an egg that my girl was straining to get out but a lump of some kind, so I will keep my fingers crossed that she's got an easy to sort issue!

[Cluckingham Palace]

Good luck keep us posted x

[eggalp]

Hi folks,

 

Heres just a quick update on Grey.

We were at the vets yesterday and she had a good feel and investigated up and around Grey's bum and tummy. She said there was definately no prolapse - she saw the photos. She said there was no egg stuck in there either - so she thinks its egg peritonitis . My results came from Retfords yesterday too which said she has campylobacter and also mild thrush but when i told the vet she said these are common in stressed birds. She has given us a prescription for the medicines Retfords have suggested. She suggests we give these a go for a week and if she is no better then we should have her PTS. I've got all my fingers and toes crossed for her

 

We are managing to syringe the medicines down her throat quite easily - i did think this would be really difficult but wrapping her in a towel is working a treat

[Plum]

Don't know what to say I'm really hoping for you she picks up well.

[Romany]

Eek - poor Grey. Really hoping she is ok.

I am watching this post with great fear and trepidation... I haven't looked at the forum for ages then came on here tonight for the very reason of researching what might be wrong with my Bluebelle and found your post. Grey's photos look EXACTLY (or eggsactly...) like Bluebelle's vent, with what I assumed may be a small prolapse... but perhaps not, having now seen the response on yours...

 

Funny that they are the same type of hen - makes me wonder if they were from the same batch and breeder... my Bluebelle was bought at POL on 3rd June this year (I think)

 

Bluebelle hasn't been down in the dumps. She is very noisy when she has laid, and also before she lays especially if the nest box is occupied... but she has always been like that - it was only tonight I noticed the fleshy bit protruding while I was checking for lice.

 

She still lays almost every day, eggs are perfectly formed and smallish at around 45-50g each.

 

I'll have another look tomorrow - apparently if it starts getting pecked it could be fatal due to risk of haemorrage

 

Fingers crossed for both poorly girls eh?

[eggalp]

Hi Romany, sorry to hear about your Bluebelle too - they are such a worry aren't they. I hope i will be able to give you a positive outcome in a few days!

 

Grey is 2 years old this month, i got her from Garden Poultry in Frodsham in March 08, where i was told that she came from france when she was one day old.

From what i understand (but this is ony a guess!!) if the bulge is out all the time then its a prolaspe, and yes they can become victims of pecking. Greys bulge only pops out when she is straining to poo, when she has pooed is goes back in again.

The vet told me that one of the classic signs of egg peritonitis is that they dont lay - so hopefully if your Bluebelle is laying they she won't have this. Grey hasn't laid since April.

 

I really hope they are both ok, its a shame because i think Bluebelles are such beautiful birds - i will keep my fingers crossed for you too!!

 

alison

[Romany]

Hi Alison,

This morning it seems like good news for me... it has gone back in again and all is looking completely normal. I think I must have just been checking her over right after she had pooed - or perhaps she needed to go and I turned her upside down at just the wrong time?! Maybe that's why she seemed so agitated

 

Anyway, it doesn't look like anything is wrong today so I will just be keeping a close eye on her to check it is not a problem in the early stages of development just in case.

 

Really hoping for a good outcome for you. Sounds like you have a more permanent and serious problem though (or rather Grey does!)

 

Best of luck x