I do not know if I'm overthinking

[Hrobinson98]

My chicken, a rhoad Island red almost 2 years old, I am concerned because when I picked her up her belly felt slightly hard and she was panting only slightly, and the tips of her comb were purplish blue. I pointed it out to my dad but when I set her down her breathing returns to normal and her belly feels normal. I would worry about her separating herself but she always does that because she is at the bottom of the pecking order and most of them tend to chase her away due to that.

Am I overthinking that something might be wrong? I do not want to jump to conclusions. Also her poop is normal from what I can see and she is still laying eggs.

 

[Anon112]

From what you can tell is she eating and drinking normally?

When you say that her belly feels hard, do you mean lower like between her legs, or up in her chest?

If a hen has fluid build-up in their abdomen, picking them up increases the pressure in their body and can cause panting. That said, sometimes the stress of being picked up can cause a little panting.

When I get nervous about things like this (for example, wondering if a breastbone is too pronounced), sometimes I'll pick up a few hens and feel the same area. If they all feel the same, great! But this can help you narrow down what is feeling different about your hen if her body doesn't feel like the others.

 

[Hrobinson98]

From what you can tell is she eating and drinking normally?

When you say that her belly feels hard, do you mean lower like between her legs, or up in her chest?

If a hen has fluid build-up in their abdomen, picking them up increases the pressure in their body and can cause panting. That said, sometimes the stress of being picked up can cause a little panting.

When I get nervous about things like this (for example, wondering if a breastbone is too pronounced), sometimes I'll pick up a few hens and feel the same area. If they all feel the same, great! But this can help you narrow down what is feeling different about your hen if her body doesn't feel like the others.

She is eating great and feed normally, drinking water normally. And it is between her leg for sure