Hetty is a middle age, 3-year-old, prolific egg laying chicken, known as hybrids and selected to lay eggs almost every day of their life.

In early March we saw Hetty because she had been quiet, hiding in the coop, not coming out with the other chickens. The owner also noticed that her tummy felt squidgy and that she hadn’t been laying any eggs recently.

When we examined Hetty, she wasn’t feeling her best, she seemed uncomfortable, her tummy was quite distended and felt fluid filled.

Based on clinical presentation and exam we were suspicious that fluid was accumulating inside her tummy and causing her significant discomfort.

With the owner’s permission, using a thin butterfly needle, syringe and a 3-way tap system, we drained and collected just over a pint of fluid. This provided a much-needed immediate relief to Hetty.

Based on these finding, history and supporting clinical signs, we were confident that Hetty had Yolk Coelomites or more commonly known has “Egg Peritonitis”.

“Egg peritonitis” is a common condition that affects egg laying chickens. It occurs when ectopic ovulations occur, in practical terms, when the ovulating egg fails to go into the uterus and instead settles in the tummy outside the abdominal organs. When this occurs, the egg breaks down, and because the yolk is a very irritant to the internal serosal surfaces, this causes significant inflammation and fluid accumulation, known as yolk celomitis (“egg peritonitis”).

In most cases with the help of supportive treatment this is a self-resolving condition. However, without treatment or if several ectopic ovulations keep reoccurring, severe clinical signs can develop, and this condition can potentially be fatal.

Initial supportive treatment consists of fluid drainage followed by a course of anti-inflammatory drug, commonly meloxicam (Metacam being the most common brand name of this drug).

The next step of treatment is to prevent further ovulation. For this we use Deslorin, a contraceptive implant that is injected under the skin of these lovely chickens, supresses ovulation for around 6 to 12 months.

Hetty responded well to the initial treatment. When we saw her back one week later, she was back to her normal self, with no further free fluid present in her tummy. We then implanted the Deslorin contraceptive implant under the skin, which should give her some much-deserved reproductive rest and recovery time.

Mario Amaral DVM PGCertSAM MRCVS and RCVS Advanced Practitioner in Small Animal Medicine