Fancy Gyno Exam

                                                     See the behind? That's not normal!

She has not moved this fast in several days. I think she remembers Sunday's exam. I can tell from this angle, chasing her, that there is something wrong and there are missing feathers.

bath, gloves, rags, medicine dropper, jar of olive oil, newspaper

I carried out very hot water in the granite ware pot behind the tub. By the time I caught Fancy, the water was just right. My camera is under the lid on the plate. Exam gloves are on top of lid. Rags have an eyedropper on them and the little jar is olive oil for her to ingest and to go up her bottom by means of my gloved hand. The paper was on the table to catch any water that might run over so it would not get on me. That was a good idea and worked yesterday, but today there was too much overflow, so my best sandals and pants were soaked.

feathers gone; swelling

            bottoms up; poop all over

There is lots of runny, nasty-smelling poo all over. It smells much worse than usual. Poop is not formed. It is all over her feathers.

chicken bath

I am putting lots of pressure to hold her back end down. See the water pouring over. Now, I know why some sites suggest putting a chicken in a five-gallon bucket. But, she might be afraid of that. At least she could stand. However, there was lots of wing-flapping, straining to get free, and escape.

Is this camera on?

She got a full 20 minute bath/soak in very warm water with a tad of Dawn, original formula. She gave a few pitiful objections, clawed around on the bottom, trying to stand. She just closed her eyes several times. I was not sure if it was in resignation of her fate or because she was relaxed. I suppose I am anthropomorphizing when I think she can feel resignation. She did look relaxed and peaceful even though I had a firm hand on her back.

 soggy bottom

The green on the cloth is paint residue. Don't get excited or sick. Her vent is closed, if you can see it--just below the rag, sort of a smile. She is fresh from the bath, soggy, wrapped in a towel and not really happy.

After this picture, I held open her mouth while Mark put olive oil down her throat. Her head kept just disappearing into the towel even though I had hold of her beak and had forced it open. I was gentle. Nevertheless, she squabbled with me about whether she was going to allow this indignity. She sort of choked when he squirted the first dropper of oil. The second did not have quite the same effect. She was smacking. If she had lips, she would have been smacking her lips...nom...nom...nom.  Then, she shook her head and seemed over it all.

notice one foot all curled and the other caught in the towel.

 See how huge she is on her backside?

withdrawn head....she looks so pathetic

I have her wrapped in the towel to control her wings flapping. However, she can really withdraw her head to try and escape me and avoid the medicine dropper.

 notice the distended bottom that causes her wide based stance

Actually everything not covered by the towel is huge and firm. When I put a gloved, oiled finger in her, I could feel swelling. It cannot be organs. I felt nothing vaguely like an egg. I could put my finger in two places/orifices, one above and one below. Well, I don't thing I was feeling in the same orifice and just feeling around the lump that honestly must be the size of a grapefruit.

Okay, let me explain. There is a vent, one orifice in the outside of the body. Just inside is the oviduct. The egg moves down the oviduct and gets the shell just before leaving the oviduct. As the egg leaves the oviduct, it enters the intestine and the egg closes off the intestine and poop, and the egg comes out of the hen. Got that?

I carefully felt her and could identify her bones, feeling them simultaneously from inside and outside by using both hands. Everything was smooth otherwise with no indication there was an egg or broken shell. The distension was large. She is depressed,lethargic, has no appetite, and just stands all the time, even during the night most of the time.

She was very still and quiet while I had my finger in her. I wondered if she liked it, if it relieved pain, if she was just so traumatized she could do nothing. I also wondered if I hurt her. Hope not.Mark was supposed to have taken a picture of the procedure.

From my extensive reading on the Internet in the last 24 hours, I think she has egg yolk peritonitis. That means antibiotics that I cannot afford. Either the pet store in town or a poultry supply will have it, hopefully. If she does not get it, she dies. And, I don't have to go to the vet to have him prescribe it!

I kept her in the cage last night. This morning, I lifted her out so she would not have to fly up and then jump down. She is so awkward and swollen that it the least I can do for her.

I am emotionally exhausted!

For about five minutes I used the hair dryer on her bottom. She tried to avoid it, but then seemed okay with the warm air.

Just to make sure I was administering the olive oil correctly, I searched and found these instructions.

Your turn

What do you think? Can you tell her behind is swollen? That is why she cannot walk well.