Bloated unhappy Barred Rock

[newstart44]

One of our 2 1/2 year old Barred Rock hens is fluffed up, has a bloated belly (not hard though) and is walking like a rodeo bull-rider. We are on the north CA coast so it in generally never below 40 degrees. She is eatting but clearly having a hard time getting around. Rump feathers as dirty but not caked. Wings are droopy. Any ideas?

 

[justplainbatty]

One of our 2 1/2 year old Barred Rock hens is fluffed up, has a bloated belly (not hard though) and is walking like a rodeo bull-rider. We are on the north CA coast so it in generally never below 40 degrees. She is eatting but clearly having a hard time getting around. Rump feathers as dirty but not caked. Wings are droopy. Any ideas?

Look up water belly?

 

[cafarmgirl]

She probably has ascites. This can occur for several reasons. Fluid can accumulate in the body cavities due to things like cancer/tumors, reproductive tracts problems like internal laying, heart/circulatory problems, or disease of other major organs such as liver/kidneys. Draining off some of the fluid makes them much more comfortable, eases their breathing and can extend their life depending on the underlying cause. It is not a cure, the fluid always comes back at some point. Some people drain these birds themselves, others have a vet do it. Either way it's a good idea to know for sure what's going on in there before sticking a needle in. An x-ray can give you that answer but not everyone is up for taking a chicken to the vet. And truthfully the prognosis isn't good anyway, but they can usually be made more comfortable and perhaps extend their life, again, depends on the cause.

 

[justplainbatty]

She probably has ascites. This can occur for several reasons. Fluid can accumulate in the body cavities due to things like cancer/tumors, reproductive tracts problems like internal laying, heart/circulatory problems, or disease of other major organs such as liver/kidneys. Draining off some of the fluid makes them much more comfortable, eases their breathing and can extend their life depending on the underlying cause. It is not a cure, the fluid always comes back at some point. Some people drain these birds themselves, others have a vet do it. Either way it's a good idea to know for sure what's going on in there before sticking a needle in. An x-ray can give you that answer but not everyone is up for taking a chicken to the vet. And truthfully the prognosis isn't good anyway, but they can usually be made more comfortable and perhaps extend their life, again, depends on the cause.

x2 basically what I was eluding to. Newstart,you can drain her yourself, it's not that hard. There are videos to show you how. Type" water belly' or "how to tap a hen" into the search bar. You will need betadine to clean the chicken's skin, a 1 inch 18 gauge needle and a 20, 40 or 60 ml syringe that screws onto the needle. All of that can be found at TSC, your local farm store or on line. Watch the videos, read instructions you can find on this site or others. Or, type a thread about "how to tap a hen" in this same forum. You can do it!!!

Another member named CASPORTPONY can help with this and I'm sure there are others. As CAFARMGIRL said, ascites are the reason for the symptom you are seeing. Best wishes for you and your girl.