Chicken is walking like a pequin and has a swollen adomen full of fluid

[dennisinohio]

What would cause this? How could we go about draining the fluid? What would be the procedure details of how to use the syringe, where to insert, depth, angle, details of how to?

 

[azygous]

This condition is called ascites. It's caused by liver disease, causing fluid to accumulate in the abdominal cavity. It's just below the skin, so a syringe inserted need go only a sixteenth to an eighth of an inch in. Before you do that, be sure the skin around the stick area is cleansed thoroughly of bacteria so you aren't introducing it into the stick site.

You don't want to withdraw all the fluid as that can cause shock. The fluid should be a clear pale yellow. If it's dark and opaque, there's infection. This is only a temporary measure since there's no cure for liver disease, and the fluid will slowly accumulate again.

 

[Eggcessive]

Most people that attempt to drain a chicken with ascites or water belly use a 16 gauge needle. Here are a few videos that show how some do this: