Is my chicken fat?

[Mrcox]

My 1.5 year old hen has a very soft under belly. I got her from a bad situation and she’s slowly warming up to me, but when I hold her I can feel it. She lays every other day and acts fine. Wondering if chickens can just be chubby? Or if it’s something serious
She’s free range now so she gets plenty of exercise.

 

[picklestheduck]

My 1.5 year old hen has a very soft under belly. I got her from a bad situation and she’s slowly warming up to me, but when I hold her I can feel it. She lays every other day and acts fine. Wondering if chickens can just be chubby? Or if it’s something serious
She’s free range now so she gets plenty of exercise.

It’s possible she could have ascites. Does it feel liquidy? What breed is she? What type of bad conditions was she experiencing? Can you post a picture? Here’s an article-

https://thecapecoop.com/water-belly-ascetis-in-chickens/

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

The most common way to determine if a chicken is overweight (or underweight) is to feel their keel/breast bone. When you say your hen has a soft underbelly, do you mean under and near her vent?

 

[Isadora]

Check for the amount of flesh around her breastbone. This chart will give you an idea of how her body composition is

 

[Mrcox]

Check for the amount of flesh around her breastbone. This chart will give you an idea of how her body composition is
View attachment 3452352

Ooh this is helpful! Thank you. Mainly feels like her chunkiness is where it shouldn’t be

 

[Mrcox]

The most common way to determine if a chicken is overweight (or underweight) is to feel their keel/breast bone. When you say your hen has a soft underbelly, do you mean under and near her vent?

Yes pretty low and closer to vent. Right between her legs.

 

[Mrcox]

It’s possible she could have ascites. Does it feel liquidy? What breed is she? What type of bad conditions was she experiencing? Can you post a picture? Here’s an article-

https://thecapecoop.com/water-belly-ascetis-in-chickens/

It’s possible she could have ascites. Does it feel liquidy? What breed is she? What type of bad conditions was she experiencing? Can you post a picture? Here’s an article-

https://thecapecoop.com/water-belly-ascetis-in-chickens/

I was worried about ascites before, but someone told me she’d be acting sicker and not laying. It was originally feeling more watery, now it’s feeling a bit more firm. I almost feel like its changed several times.
I don’t have a picture of her belly as she’s such a floof, but here she is, a funny looking girl with feathered feet too. The conditions were very very dirty, she smelled like ammonia for days and had clearly never been handled in her life.