Poultry Talk Ontario (pto.ca)

Hi. Can someone tell by looking if this hen is laying internally?
Thx

I soaked her in warm water thinking she was egg bound. But noticed when I took her out of the water she was all swollen below vent and between legs

It’s possible but so is ascites due to liver failure. I’m no expert on diagnosis. I will say that when I had an internal layer before she was swollen and her tail was down. The last one I put down was swollen and had very green smelly but her tail was up and based on the colour of liquid the vet drew from her abdomen she believed she was in liver failure. Both had issues breathing.

Thanks @Happy
So far no breathing issues. But she is definitely puffed up

@Happy Did you cut them open to see what it was ?
Thx

No I'm too much of a wimp for that. My vet diagnosed based on colour of liquid drawn from abdomen and an x-ray in the case of the internal layer. The liver case was a deep yellowish Amber colour if I remember correctly.

It's hard to tell just from pictures of the outside, but she's definitely very swollen. Can you separate her to see if she's eating, drinking, pooping?

windwalkingwolf wrote: ↑

Tue May 15, 2018 3:48 am

It's hard to tell just from pictures of the outside, but she's definitely very swollen. Can you separate her to see if she's eating, drinking, pooping?

Unfortunately all my pens are being used. But I can put her in a dog carrier?
Just wondering though would that help to tell what is wrong with her
I don’t really want to stress her if I don’t have to
No one is picking on her at the moment
Thanks for your reply!

From my experience as she shows more sickness / stress they will pick on her . Chickens are cannabilisetic . Separate before to late . Put in your dog crate but leave in pen so they don't forget who she is when / if she gets better . Luck

Well, whether she's laying internally, has peritonitis or has ascities, or even if it's just a big pad of fat, her time left is likely short. Ross is right, and the other chickens will likely start making her very miserable at some point. Separating her can give some clues as to what's going on, as liver issues (even overweight or infection will cause liver stress) will see bilirubin excreted, turning and urates yellow. Not eating enough, or an inability to process what she's eaten, and will be green with bile. Impaction from a heavy worm load or other intestinal blockage. will cause her to not at all, or a sticky diarrhea, and she will get messy with urates. If there is a lot of internal pressure, will be thin and narrow, and breathing difficulties won't be far behind.
If she is laying internally, separating her into a quiet dark spot can stop the laying and give her some more time. I've found that when I separate a sick bird, they are relieved of the pressure to appear well so they don't get picked on. Sometimes that little extra is all they need to bounce back, but sometimes they let you see just how sick they really are and can better inform your decision.