Part 0800.0005

[Chicken deficient]

I've been suspicious for a while about my 2 1/2 year old Bluebelle, Violet, not laying and having a regularly dirty bottom. I gave her a bath yesterday and checked her over again and my suspicions were confirmed - her abdomen is starting to swell and I think this is why she is having trouble passing droppings cleanly. I am certain she is laying internally / has sterile yolk peritonitis.

She is still eating, drinking and enjoying free ranging, but I can see she is not herself. She has plenty of muscle coverage on her breast, so is not underweight, but she did get a little breathless when being handled.

I understand that hens can sometimes manage with this condition, reabsorbing the yolks etc, but being a hybrid egg laying machine, I can't believe that she could possibly keep up with that.

I've come to the conclusion that we should end things before she gets too bad, but it would be nice to have some reassurrance that this is the right decision, from others that have had hens with the same condition.

[Egghead68]

There are treatments but they can be expensive and there is much debate as to whether they are in the hens' best interests.

 

Some involve just draining and antibiotics, others hormone treatments to prevent further laying.

 

I have two who have been treated for peritonitis and they are living healthy and happy lives 20 months on. However many people either regard it as somehow artificial and cruel to have hens on hormones or can't afford the cost of the treatment.

 

As with all illnesses it comes down to your personal choice whether to treat or cull/pts. The important thing either way is that the hen doesn't suffer.

[Chicken deficient]

Thanks - we're going to discuss which route to go down, though my gut feeling is to not interfere too much, but ensure she does not suffer. She is out dust bathing in the sun in a big pile with all the others at the moment.

[sandyhas3chucks]

I can only echo egghead..

I have a young ish light sussex hybrid that I had suspisions about laying internally

half day on the nest and nothing , then tum started swelling,

I ticking time bomb

My problem was not liking what I had read about the implants affecting them, but a friends girls just sailed through her implant £80 but it easily paid for itself as she was laying thin shells that got stuck and was having to pay to have them removed almost weekly...

So I went for it and all my worst fears occured. She always ate but I have a disabled girl that lives indoors and for her to move in while she went bald and scared and ouching was not a problem.

But after 5 months I was happy to see it weraing off, she fully recovered but was never really herself.

But soon as she started going back to the nest, I gave it a week incase she produced an egg , but her tum started swelling.

This time I opted for my very much used on aged ex bats, delvosteron injection.

FIXED and happy.

I know she will need them every 4 -8 weeks if I am lucky, week 5 and 1/2 and still good but it is that or let her die really..

Just incase ANYONE is worried of the many many many that have had these injections and in multiples, no vet has as yet on PM found a fatty liver !!! one of the internet rumoured definate side effects. Initially I decide it was a toss up, die or risk a fatty liver.. As the injections are short acting my Vet felt that there would be some signs and we could decide down the line..

I personally have never needed to decide..

However one Vet said that chickens are prone to fatty liver anyway and most live just fine with it for their relatively short lives , but until there are more pet post Mortems done I guess we wont really know...

It is all down to a choice and as egghead says , as long as not suffering, so long as you can decide when to call it a day before they are really suffering !!!

Somethings to consider

[Egghead68]

That is interesting about fatty liver syndrome. One of my implanted hens has certainly put on weight (from around 2.5kg to 2.8kg) and does look fat. Her abdomen feels a bit "thick" but I think this predates the implant. The other looks thin and wiry and weighs her normal 2.7kg. I am not sure what to do - maybe cut out all treats but I will not be popular.

[sandyhas3chucks]

The fatty liver is ONLY said about the delvosteron. Injection not the implant. But interesting you should say that as my girl also is a buxom blonde! Pre implant! She looks like the meat birds some have rescued! However they are also more likely to be heavier when not laying as all they eat goes to their bodies not to creating an egg

[laurmurf]

If its sterile internal egg laying and she's not showing signs of being poorly then I'd leave her to it until and unless she gets poorly. I had a hybrid with this who lived very happily for over 2 years with it and she died of old age. Her abdomen would shrink a bit over the winter, but she was never fully cured.

[sandyhas3chucks]

What is sterile internal laying and how do you tell or get it diagnosed? And if. She is spending half her day or more on a nest then it's not really living is it? Or is that how you tell?

[Chicken deficient]

I decided I don't want to go down the route of injections and certainly not surgery. I had it all planned - my father is visiting for the bank holiday weekend and is my go to man for doing the deed with large hybrids ...

...but - she is looking much perkier, her abdominal swelling has significantly reduced, to the point that she is not messing her knickers anymore and she is heartily defending her corn ration of an evening, so, I think she has bought herself a bit more time

[The Dogmother]

If its sterile internal egg laying and she's not showing signs of being poorly then I'd leave her to it until and unless she gets poorly. I had a hybrid with this who lived very happily for over 2 years with it and she died of old age. Her abdomen would shrink a bit over the winter, but she was never fully cured.

 

Ditto; I've had a couple go this way; I just leave them until they seem to be affected by it, then despatch them.

[Chicken deficient]

Thanks for all your help and advice. She has been jumping up onto the adventure bench, which she had stopped doing when I started this thread, and her abdomen looks even less swollen. I'll keep monitoring her day by day, but at the moment I think she is doing ok.

[Chicken deficient]

Violet has had a nice time free ranging over the last few days, dust bathing in the sun and chasing me for corn, but I decided that it was time to let her go - whenever she lay down, she was so breathless, poor thing.

Never again hybrid egg laying machines for me - it has not been a good experience.

 

Thank you all for your help, advice and support. You are all great.

 

I put her to sleep using the broom stick method. I had been really worried about being strong enough to dispatch such a big bird, but it did not require any strength at all and I have to say that it could not have been more instant or less stressful for Violet.

[The Dogmother]

I'm sorry to hear that, but glad that you felt able to despatch her quickly and peacefully; you did the right thing.

 

Rest easy Sweet Violet.