Discolored vent- lethargic sick hen. Graphic image.

[Eggcessive]

I don’t see any injury, but just an enlarged lower belly and the bluish color. Her face looks the same color. Is that the way she looks normally? I have had quite a few hens develop ascites or water belly from reproductive issues. Fluid can be drained from the abdomen with an 18 gauge needle to confirm ascites, but it can happen with cancer, reproductive diseases, liver disease, and heart failure.

 

[madfisch]

I would love to know what ended up happening with this hen. I have a chicken with sour crop at the moment with the same dark circle and dryness around her vent. She does not seem to have water belly (she is very bony and firm underside) or worms, and she hasn’t laid in years and doesn’t have any other signs of egg binding.