Is this Vent Gleet?

[Lrnadoon]

New chicken owner. Is this Vent Gleet. She is very swollen as well. Acts completely normal no smell and is laying eggs. I appreciate the help!

 

[CHlCKEN]

Looks like it could be Ascites. How does it feel? Squishy/full of water? Or is it hard?

 

[Lrnadoon]

Feels squishy. I have never heard of Ascites.

 

[Lrnadoon]

So it's water belly. Looks like there is no cure except to drain her. I need advice. I don't want her to suffer. Should I have her euthanized. This makes me so sad.

 

[CHlCKEN]

So it's water belly. Looks like there is no cure except to drain her. I need advice. I don't want her to suffer. Should I have her euthanized. This makes me so sad.

You’ll want to syringe some of the fluid out to confirm if you haven’t already. Insert the needle on the right side near her vent (I suggest you find a video, there should be some filmed by real vets up on YouTube). If the fluid is yellowish, it is almost certainly ascites.

It is up to you. A lot of people will continue to drain and the bird may live a few weeks to a couple months longer. It is, however, fatal and others will go ahead and put their bird down. Ascites are a symptom of liver failure which can have several different causes itself. You could take her in to a vet and get their opinion if you’d like, they can also teach you how to drain her if you’d like to go that route.

 

[Lrnadoon]

Thank you so much for taking the time to help me with this issue. I did see some video's and may go down that road. I am also going to reach out to my vet to see if they would euthanize my chicken if needed as well, I do not have the stomach to kill any animal! Who knew there could be so many issues with these chickens. I have already dealt with sour crop in another chicken. I feel like I keep a very clean coop and run. They free range a few hours a day and I clean their water bowls daily!

 

[Eggcessive]

If your hen has ascites or water belly, that is a common finding in some hens. It can occur in hens over 2-3 years old with egg yolk peritonitis or other reproductive disorders, cancer, heart failure and fatty liver disease. The cause may be found after death when a necropsy is done at home or by your state vet. I usually don’t try to drain a hen with an enlarged lower belly, since it is only a temporary fix. I did once drain a small bantam hen who had difficulty breathing. She was drained 3 times over 2 weeks and died of a reproductive disorder at 11 years old.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Feels squishy.

So it's water belly. Looks like there is no cure except to drain her. I need advice. I don't want her to suffer. Should I have her euthanized. This makes me so sad.

Thank you so much for taking the time to help me with this issue. I did see some video's and may go down that road. I am also going to reach out to my vet to see if they would euthanize my chicken if needed as well, I do not have the stomach to kill any animal! Who knew there could be so many issues with these chickens. I have already dealt with sour crop in another chicken. I feel like I keep a very clean coop and run. They free range a few hours a day and I clean their water bowls daily!

New chicken owner. Is this Vent Gleet. She is very swollen as well. Acts completely normal no smell and is laying eggs. I appreciate the help!

How old is she?

She's acting COMPLETELY Normal and is laying eggs....

I'm not certain I would do anything at this point. Is she's able to get about, eat/drink, interact with her flock and is not getting picked on, then I don't see where any intervention is necessary at all.

As hens get older, their abdomen can become a bit saggy, it's more pronounced/you can see it better since all of her feathers have been trimmed away.

Ime, Water Belly/Ascites is not squishy. The abdomen below the vent between the legs is very swollen and tight like a water balloon, it almost feels like if you did indeed poke it with a needle, it would pop. Other observations I have made with hens that have Water Belly is they are lethargic, they don't lay eggs, they go off feed/water, usually have crop problems, have difficulty walking or limit their movements, they often have labored breathing accompanied by some gurling, combs turn purplish due to low oxygen and at the end stages smell like urine...
Doesn't sound like you are observing any of these symptoms.

Is there a reason for the trimming? Constant poop butt, lethargy, other symptoms?

Vent Gleet, I see no signs of that in the photo. Vent Gleet is usually a white to yellow yeasty smelling pasty discharge.

 

[Lrnadoon]

She is only about 15 mos old and has still been laying everyday even since the time change! Acts totally normal. She has been my problem child tho! She is the one with the poopy butt often so I have had to trim her and bathe her often. I did find a vet in my area who see's chickens so she is going to see him tomorrow morning! I can keep ya'll posted if anyone is curious.

 

[CHlCKEN]

She is only about 15 mos old and has still been laying everyday even since the time change! Acts totally normal. She has been my problem child tho! She is the one with the poopy butt often so I have had to trim her and bathe her often. I did find a vet in my area who see's chickens so she is going to see him tomorrow morning! I can keep ya'll posted if anyone is curious.

Thanks for clarifying that the feathers are trimmed. I didn’t look closely at the photo and assumed they’d fallen out which is normal with water belly.

Let us know how the vet visit goes… if they suggest an x-ray for some reason, I’d reject it. I don’t think it’s necessary if you say she’s acting just fine.