Bulbous hen's underside

[desertchick3]

Hello, I am a chicken keeper and I live in the Mojave desert. I am unsure if this is a common problem or not, but one of my buff Orpingtons has a bulbous underside. One of my Plymouth rock hens from years before had a more severe problem like this and she died from it. I am not sure if my buff Orpington is in trouble or not. Is this something to worry about? She is around 2 years old. Please help!

 

[Tookie]

Is she bloated behind her legs under her vent?

 

[desertchick3]

Yes, it is between her legs and under her vent. Is bloating a problem? Did I do something wrong, and is there a way to fix this? Thank you.

 

[dawg53]

I'm sorry to say that your hen has Ascites, also known as Waterbelly. There is no treatment nor cure.
You have done nothing wrong. She will eventually pass away. All you can do is provide her comfort care. I wish you the best.

 

[Tookie]

Yes, it is between her legs and under her vent. Is bloating a problem? Did I do something wrong, and is there a way to fix this? Thank you.

I'm sorry to say that your hen has Ascites, also known as Waterbelly. There is no treatment nor cure.
You have done nothing wrong. She will eventually pass away. All you can do is provide her comfort care. I wish you the best.

That's what I was going to say. You can drain her abdomen to make her more comfortable though.

 

[desertchick3]

I googled some images of Waterbelly but it does not look like how my hen does. She is not losing any feathers and it is underneath her, between her legs, not very close to her vent. Are there stages to this disease/sickness? I am sorry, I do not know how to describe how she looks but I can upload pictures soon if that will be helpful. I do think my Plymouth rock hen from years before had waterbelly or she was egg-bound.

 

[Tookie]

@azygous, @Wyorp Rock, and @Eggcessive are more of a help than me.

 

[azygous]

If you aren't sure if this is ascites (water belly) or a reproductive infection causing swelling, take a needle syringe and withdraw enough fluid from just under the skin to judge if the fluid is clear pale yellow or opaque brown, the former being ascites and the latter being infection.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Can you please post your photos?

Thank you!