Chicken with swollen tummy

[Nashelle]

Hi all, one of my hens has been hunched up on and off for a week or so. I thought she might be cold but now she looks swollen and her legs seem further apart.
I've given her a bath. Her stomach doesn't feel hard or anything. She's not lethargic just not as active as she was. Not sure really what to do so I'm keeping her at home in a crate at the moment. Any advice, as always, is welcome.

 

[Eggcessive]

How old is she? Does she lay eggs? Does her swollen belly show up in a picture under her vent area? It is possible that she might be suffering from a reproductive disorder or water belly (ascites.) Is her crop filling with food and water during the day, and then emptying by the next morning? Is she eating and drinking normally?

 

[Nashelle]

I'm not sure about any of this but will monitor her. I've read that you should give them calcium but am trying to find more info.

 

[Nashelle]

I've noticed that her stomach now feels hard. Poor girl. The net says probably egg peritonitis is likely or water belly.

 

[GirlsHuntToo]

I would say water belly, so sorry about your hen.

 

[Nashelle]

Thanks. I've been reading about water belly bit an still looking for a treatment if there is one.

 

[Eggcessive]

I usually do not drain hens with water belly, unless they are having labored breathing. You can disinfect the skin and use an 18 gauge needle inserted into the abdominal wall to drain some of the yellow fluid. Post 42 of this thread has some good pictures:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/laying-hens-with-water-belly-or-ascites.68731/page-5

 

[Nashelle]

My hen - Tiffany she's called - stayed at home overnight. I bathed her but later on she seemed even more swollen and her breathing was labeled. At 4 am I heard a squeak and she was alert. I took her out of the cage for a bit then settled her back in. I didn't expect her to last the night.

This morning she was more alert and breathing normally. Her bedding was soaking. I've taken her back to the flock and she was happy to be there. She's walking better but her stomach is still rounded with. Am I delusional to hope this illness goes away on its own?

 

[Eggcessive]

Does she lay eggs? You still have not answered that. If you would like to confirm that she has water belly/ascites, you can try to drain some fluid. Ascites fluid is always yellow to amber or darker. The pictures in post 7 show where the needle is inserted.

 

[Nashelle]

The chickens in a nearby plot are fed irregularly and ignored. On another plot there's a large flock that are well fed but generally left to they own devices. Then there's my girls who I visit every day and let out to wander the main area. I hang greens up for them to peck at, give them oats and boost their diet in the cold weather (when they're molting) with growers pellets or mash. Am I looking after them too well? Seems that the chickens that are left alone don't have any health problems. The question is, am I too involved and should I distance myself from them? (They are not pets after all)