A swollen venter inchickenscould be a symptom of any phone number of illnesses orhealth number , several of which directly or indirectly affect the hen ’s generative organization . In veterinary medicine , there is rarely one drive of a circumstance , so we usually get down with a list of differential diagnoses and employ lab trial and physical test to differentiate . With this in thinker , your best course of action is to reach out to your county - extension poultry personnel or vet for help in differentiating the various reason of a conceited abdomen in chickens . Veterinarians can perform a forcible exam and lead diagnostic tests , including X - rays , to distinguish between fluent and solid table of contents in the abdominal cavity .
Approach the symptomatic operation with a clear sense of the animal ’s financial value to your operation : Although some service might be usable devoid of charge through a land - grant extension office , the expense of some symptomatic examination and treatments can add up chop-chop . While it ’s always deserving your clock time and money to distinguish a bacterial or viral infection that could potentially affect more than one member of the plenty , this might not be the compositor’s case with a shape that only affects one hen .
Poultry keeperswho keep genetically improved breeds , multiply for highegg production , might see these problem more frequently in their flocks , as production breed — most of which are normally keep for 12 to 18 months in commercial preferences — do not have the genetics to patronise three to four years of egg - egg laying . The risk of reproductive disorders increases with age inlay biddy . These afflictions are n’t exclusive to production breeds , however — they can show up in any modest - ordered series flock . Although it ’s sound to have a veterinary examineyour volaille , here ’s a short list of differential diagnosing .
1. Ascites (aka Water Belly)
Fluid can accumulate in the abdominal cavity , petty to heart disease or tumors in the heart and liver . Fluid in the abdominal bodily cavity is usually accompanied by respiratory distress and cyanosis ( bluish color ) of the coxcomb and wattle . There is no discussion for ascites .
2. Tumors
Several disease , such as Marek ’s disease , lymphoid leukosis and various adenocarcinomas , cause tumors and enlargement of a chicken ’s internal organs , such as the liver , which might , in good turn , dilate the stomach . Tumor diseases tend to be inveterate , and affected chicken easy suffer weight loss and decreased appetite . All day - old chicks should be vaccinated for Marek ’s disease at the hatchery . Lymphoid leukosis can be transmitted from biddy to developing embryo ; therefore , disease - free bird should be purchased from reputable hatcheries . There is no treatment for tumor disease .
3. Fat Deposition
Extremely weighty hen have a thick fat diggings that can distend the low-down abdomen . corpulency , ordinarily get by in high spirits - energy diets , also predisposes chicken to a condition yell fatty liver hemorrhagic syndrome , where the liver is infiltrated with fat and can contribute to abdominal distention . The syndrome causes needlelike death in chicken when blood vessels in the liver rupture and induce internal bleeding . It ’s seen increasingly in backyard and pet chickens that are fed table scraps high in small calorie . It ’s also very common with small - scurf flocks feed free - choice via feeder . volaille should be fed a well - formulated and appropriately portioned diet to fend off FLHS .
4. Cystic Oviduct
Normally , only the remaining ovary and uterine tube of the biddy are functional , but sometimes , the right oviduct is working and becomes cystic . The cysts come out in a range of sizes , and overly large cysts can dilate the hen ’s abdomen and compact internal organs . Your veterinary surgeon might be capable to drain the cyst nonsurgically using a sterile syringe and acerate leaf .
5. Impacted or Egg-Bound Oviducts
These oviductal disorders are seen in obese hen , old biddy or pullet that issue forth into ballad too early . The oviduct becomes blocked by an testis or a wad of upset eggs and eventually testicle are labor back into the organic structure dental caries as the biddy keep on to lie . Affected hens walk like penguin when the eggs in the abdomen are excessive .
There is no proficient difference between impaction and “ egg - bound ; ” however , I do n’t wish using the termegg - bound , as it ’s more appropriate for what happens in pet birds , such as parrots , where one fully form egg is stupefy in the uterine tube .
In chickens , the obstruction can result from several lodged eggs or a mass of disordered scale , shell membrane , or a mass of yolk and egg white , and the outcome is the same . When impaction take place in the front part of the uterine tube ( aka womb ) , which is unremarkably the subject , eggs enclosed by shell membranes might be find in the abdominal bodily cavity . This indicates that eggs continued to form but were refluxed back into the peritoneal cavum . The prognosis for affected hen is miserable . The use of goods and services of antibiotic drug might prolong an stirred chicken ’s life for a few months , but it will eventually go from the condition .
6. Salpingitis
This inflammation of the uterine tube occurs ofttimes and can be premise through the cloaca by various means , including pecking . The most mutual contagion is byE. colibacteria . In posterior stages of the condition , the oviduct and abdomen become dilate due to masses of foul - smelling , cheesy contents in the oviduct . The cheesy multitude are sometimes mixed with ball contents ; as a result , salpingitis can ofttimes be confused with an bear upon oviduct .
A chicken with salpingitis can remain good for you for a long time — until the late leg when oviductal contents start to impinge on vital organs . The chicken then becomes sick , refuses to eat and slowly declines . Antibiotics seem to help only temporarily , and while some veterinarians might try surgery , the chicken ’s uterine tube is so crumbly that the procedure is unlikely to be successful . Affected skirt will die .
This clause was vet by Dr. Lyle G. McNeal .
