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What is wrong with my Chook?
http://www.australianpoultryforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=16292
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Author:  Chicka-Dee [ Thu Jan 19, 2012 11:47 am ]
Post subject:  What is wrong with my Chook?

Hi

On Saturday I bought a 2 yr old Plymouth Rock from a breeder and unfortunately she is sick. She is lethargic and her rear end is very bald and bulbous. While at the breeders property I asked what the reason was for her lack of feathers at the back and asked if she was okay. The breeder advised she was okay and the cause of her rear end being bald and the way it is, was because she is such a good layer. After getting her home and really taking a good look at her and assessing her health, she just did not appear to be very well at all.
I took her to the vet as soon as I could (2 days after I got her) and they advised me that the area missing feathers was not normal and that unfortunately I would need to take her to a bird specialist as they did not know a lot about birds/poultry. They gave me some green powdered antibiotics that I put in her water and suggested that if she does not look like she is recovering in about 5 days to take her to a bird specialist or to possibly bring her back to euthanise.

I contacted a bird specialist and it is going to cost me $92.50 for the initial consultation, then they advised they will want to take a blood and faecal sample which will cost a further $77 to run an analysis. Then, if she needs to have antibiotics there is the extra cost for those as well.

I thought before I go down that road that maybe someone out there may have had a similar problem with one of their girls and be able to advise me what they did when it occurred.

Any suggestions would be wonderful.

Cheers
Chicka-Dee

Author:  Fiona450 [ Sat Jan 21, 2012 4:26 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: What is wrong with my Chook?

I'm only fairly new to chickens myself so I may not be best placed to advise you, but my first thought upon reading your post was that the 'breeder' you bought your girl from sounds a bit dodgy. I have never come across any reference to chooks having a bald rear end because they are good layers.

I wonder if she could simply be eggbound? When you say it looks a bit bulbous, is it actually red/bleeding? Reason I ask is that I have had two chooks prolapse recently but that is fairly obvious when you have a look.

Any other symptoms, sneezing, runny nose, etc? Is she eating & drinking?

I'd keep her isolated, get lots of good food into her and keep up with the antibiotics. I also found one called Oxymav-B worked really well for me. You could also get a soluble vitamin solution to put in her water.

I am fortunate to have an avian specialist vet where I live, but they are few and far between, and you are right, boy do they charge accordingly! However I supposed it's a specialised field and I've found most general vets are a little out of their depth when it comes to birds.

Good luck, let us know how you get on.

Author:  Chicka-Dee [ Sun Jan 22, 2012 3:04 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: What is wrong with my Chook?

Thanks Fiona450,

The more & more people I talk to about my poor girl's problem, appears no one else has ever heard of a chook getting all bulbous and bald on the rear end due to being a good layer either.

She is eating well & she has been on antibiotics for 7 days now, but the swelling isn't going down and her tail is down, which apparently is not a good sign of a happy chook, but she seems of good colour standing.

I have heard of oxymav before but the vet I went to only had Psittavet which does not seem to have done anything for her.

I am going to try & take a photo & post it (not sure how to do that) & see if anyone has any ideas once they can actually see the problem.

I was told by the vet that I took her to that the swelling was too low for being egg-bound, but hence the reason they told me to go to a bird specialist.

Thank you for your reply, though. I was starting to get lonely with no responses.

Cheers
Chicka-Dee

Author:  parvo [ Sun Jan 22, 2012 3:39 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: What is wrong with my Chook?

Is the swelling soft or hard?
It is most likely your hen has egg yolk peritonitis, which is were the eggyolk once ovulated misses the uterus and floats in the abdomen. The body responds by trying to produce fluid to dilute this "foreign" substance ( remember the yolk would normally be within the uterus/oviduct & not be in the abdomen free floating). These birds usually stop laying and if the fluid production continues the birds eventually become lethargic and may find it hard to breathe as their air sacs don't have any room to expand.

Sometimes these birds respond to antibiotics and antiinflammatories if the bird is treated very quickly but in many cases they need surgery to drain the fluid and remove the yolk. However, many also have underlying diseases or even cancer of the reproductive tract.

This really is one for the avian vet but I would have to say that the chances of long term success may not be great- it all depends on what has caused it. In the meantime if it is fluid in the abdomen then draining the fluid can provide temporary relief. Sometimes the fluid is too thick to drain with a needle.

Oxymav will not help in this case especially if the Psittavet has made no difference, as psittavet is a more effective version of oxymav.

Good luck with her and I hope that I am wrong!!

Author:  Chicka-Dee [ Mon Jan 23, 2012 2:35 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: What is wrong with my Chook?

Thanks for your insight Parvo,

I have read a lot of your responses to others in the forum and what you have said is something you talked about with someone else in the forum & you always seem to be spot on with what you are saying, so I am worried.

The swelling is soft. The vet I took her to stabbed her with a needle in the swollen area & then smelt the stuff that came out. She said it did not smell like egg yolk, which I presume she may have been thinking along the same lines.

It does not sound promising for my little darling but I have just had a further development, not more than 10minutes ago. She just laid an egg!!! My first one. So proud I could burst as I honestly thought she may have been a lost cause altogether.

But I'm not getting ahead of myself just yet as she is still swollen & still not sure why.

She is a little out of breath and does not appear to be any more lethargic than the other chooks in my other cage, but there is nothing to say this won't increase. I really hope it doesn't though.

I have been doing everything under the sun to try & help her including; worming her, warm sponges on her swollen part, she'll grit, calcium & vitamin supplement, veggies & greens, loves & cuddles & changing her bedding daily to ensure she has the least chance of more germs.

I will get a phot up on line so you can see what I am talking about.

Cheers
Chicka-Dee

Author:  Chicka-Dee [ Mon Jan 23, 2012 4:32 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: What is wrong with my Chook?

I am hoping I have successfully attached a photo of my girl's proble.

I will submit and then check.

Attachment:
chook.jpg
chook.jpg [ 175.46 KiB | Viewed 2028 times ]



Regards
Chicka-Dee

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