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+20 votes
My chicken has a swollen under side and no feathers, what could be the issue?
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3 Answers

+47 votes
 
Best answer
she may be egg bound. meaning she has an egg stuck inside of her. this can be very dangerous - call a vet in your area for help. To prevent this from happening, make sure you are supplementing her with calcium - oyster shells are a common source.
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I am not a Veternarian and would recommend consulting one, but I did find this:. . "Caring for Sick Birds. By Alan Stanford, Ph.D.. Brown Egg Blue Egg. . . There are some basic things you can do until you figure out what is wrong with your bird.. . Inspect her for parasites. You might be surprised but mites and lice can easily kill a bird! If not they can weaken a bird to the point that it gets sick.. . Are there small bugs around her vent, on her head, or under her wings? These could be very tiny red dots (mites) they could be larger translucent/white/yellow (lice). Lice also show us as clumps (of eggs) stuck to the base of feathers. . Are her leg scales raised and the legs large and rough looking? This is scaly leg mites. . . . Inspect her for other injuries. Look for. . Weight loss. Is she thin? Feel near her breastbone; does her breastbone protrude? . Problems around the vent. Is it dirty? Is her vent pasted or pasted shut? Clean around the vent and carefully inspect it. . Broken bones . Missing feathers . Swollen crop . Beak so long she can't eat . Toe nails so long she has trouble walking . Hot spots indicating injury . Swollen abdomen (bound egg or worse) . Abscesses around eyes and throat . Unusual manure . Bad odor near ears or beak . Discharge around eyes/beak/ears . Noisy breathing . Patches on the mucous membranes inside the beak . Crop full or spongy . Plugged nares (nostrils) or ears . Anything else. . . . Keep an eye on the manure. The consistency changes throughout the day and day by day. You should not see blood, excessive mucous, or anything else unusual.. . Feed her beneficial bacteria (lactobacillus), they keep digestion going correctly and fight disease by crowding out disease bacteria. You can just mix 1-2 teaspoons of ACTIVE culture yogurt with a small amount of food and give this as the only food until she eats it. You can also buy lactobacillus at health food stores, pharmacies, Wal-Mart, and Lake's Unlimited 800-634-2473.. . Isolate her from the flock to protect them and her. If she can have one non aggressive friend, that helps. . . Keep her warm. One good suggestion is a pet carrier with a heating pad on low beneath and OUTSIDE the carrier. Another is a light bulb in a reflector. If she is too weak to move, be sure she doesn't get too hot.. . Give her a good diet. Supply high energy supplements like chopped hard boiled or microwaved egg. Another good food is a hand rearing formula for caged birds. Kaytee Exact and Nekton Tonic K are good. We have saved many weak chicks and adults with Nekton Tonic K. You can get these at a local pet supply house or at Doctors Foster & Smith 800-381-7179.. . Give her vitamins and electrolytes. These are available at poultry supply and farm stores. Some prefer not to mix it in the water but sprinkle them on the food.. . Make sure she drinks and eats several times a day. Keep the food and water close.. . If necessary, use an eyedropper to feed her. Be careful to place the eyedropper far back in the mouth. There is a hole at the base of the tongue that leads to her lungs. Get water in there and you will make things worse."
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0 votes
get a vet before she dies
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