How high can a chicken jump?

[chuckmum6]

My CLB, who hasn't laid for a year, suddenly has a large, soft swelling in her undercarriage. She is 'waddling' about the garden scratching and eating, but something is wrong with her, I will be taking her to the vets first thing in the morning, but any ideas. As I said, the swollen area, is soft, it doesn't feel hot, so doesn't appear to be infected yet, I suspect she may have a large softy which she can't pass. Is there anything I could do to help her, before she goes to the vets?

[Egluntyne]

Sounds like peritonitis.

[chuckmum6]

That was my other thought , however she has taken herself off to the nest box for the first time in over a year, so I am hoping it is just a softy. She has always been a difficult layer, laying some massive double yolkers in her time. She has had an episode like this two years ago, I was due to take her to the vets in the evening on that occasion, but when I got home she had laid a large softy and was back to normal! I am hoping this will be the case now, if not she is of to the vets for 9am. Quite frankly I was relieved when she had stopped laying last March, it was a lot less stressful!

I keep popping out every now and then to see what she is doing in the nest box, she is causing the others a lot of annoyance as they hate sharing the nest box, so it is very noisy out there!

[chuckmum6]

Back from the vets, who has diagnosed a liver problem, Tikka had an antibiotic injection in the hope it might help unblock her bile duct. She seems quite happy with herself and is now back with the flock. Prognosis isn't great, I have been shown how to give her an injection if she needs it again, assuming it works now.