chickens abdomen very swollen filled with liquid!

[Egg_cited]

my 3 year old hens has a very swollen abdomen. you can feel it's full of liquid. she is acting completely fine other than mabey a little uncomfortable

 

[Egg_cited]

sorry to bother just would like some advice!!
@azygous @Eggcessive

 

[Egg_cited]

also what causes this?
I had a similar issue with another hen though she was much older.

 

[nuthatched]

Diet?
Breed?
Is she laying?

If it's water belly, it can be controlled for a short time but it caused by reproductive issues or organ failure, unfortunately

 

[Eggcessive]

A swollen enlarged belly may be ascites (water belly) where yellow fluid is leaking into the abdomen, usually from liver failure related to a reproductive problem, cancer, or fatty liver disease. In meat birds it can be caused by heart failure. It is hard to know the exact cause until after death when your state vet can do a necropsy. Is she having any trouble breathing? Does it feel spongy or tight like fluid or more solid like internal laying or a mass? Some people drain ascites fluid with an 18 gauge needle and large syringe from the feed store. If you get yellow fluid that confirms
it. I usually don’t drain one unless they are having labored breathing. Here in post 66 there are pictures of a hen being drained of yellow fluid:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/laying-hens-with-water-belly-or-ascites.68731/page-7

 

[Egg_cited]

A swollen enlarged belly may be ascites (water belly) where yellow fluid is leaking into the abdomen, usually from liver failure related to a reproductive problem, cancer, or fatty liver disease. In meat birds it can be caused by heart failure. It is hard to know the exact cause until after death when your state vet can do a necropsy. Is she having any trouble breathing? Does it feel spongy or tight like fluid or more solid like internal laying or a mass? Some people drain ascites fluid with an 18 gauge needle and large syringe from the feed store. If you get yellow fluid that confirms
it. I usually don’t drain one unless they are having labored breathing.

It just feels like a very firm water balloon. No troubling breathing, she's actually acting fine eating, drinking, and digging. But it just looks heavy on her if that makes sense.

 

[Eggcessive]

It is very common in some hens. There is no cure, since it can be seen in different possible illnesses. Draining can confirm water belly by the yellow to dark amber fluid, but there is no cure. Another condition called cystic right oviduct can cause a collection of clear colorless fluid inside a sac inside the lower abdomen. I have suspected water belly in some of my hens, and a few had lived for a couple of years. What color are her droppings? Does she have any yellow urates in her droppings? They are normally white.