Is this water belly? 😭

[FarrFreshEggs]

Hi all,
Is this water belly? she’s eating and drinking and acting totally normal.

 

[AmeraucanaLover20]

It does kind of look like it. Does her abdomen feel like a water balloon?

 

[FarrFreshEggs]

It does kind of look like it. Does her abdomen feel like a water balloon?

Yes that part is like a softball size water balloon. No swelling on her breast bone area but definitely hangs below her vent

 

[StinkyAcres]

I can't tell if it's swollen from the photos. It just looks like she's been feather picked. Did you compare her abdomen side by side with another chicken?

 

[FarrFreshEggs]

I can't tell if it's swollen from the photos. It just looks like she's been feather picked. Did you compare her abdomen side by side with another chicken?

That’s what I originally thought. She’s been bare bottomed since her molt. Today I noticed that the swollen part hangs really low, compared to the other girls butts.

 

[Eggcessive]

She is a big hen, and it could be enlarged from fat, fluid, or she could have salpingitis from internal laying. I have had a couple of big girls like that, and it may be hard to tell exactly what is going on at this time. Mine lived a couple of years with enlarged lower bellies. Is she being feather picked by another hen or is she doing this to herself? Can you get a picture or two of her droppings. Has she had any yellow urates in her droppings? Those are normally the white cap in the dropping.

 

[FarrFreshEggs]

She is a big hen, and it could be enlarged from fat, fluid, or she could have salpingitis from internal laying. I have had a couple of big girls like that, and it may be hard to tell exactly what is going on at this time. Mine lived a couple of years with enlarged lower bellies. Is she being feather picked by another hen or is she doing this to herself? Can you get a picture or two of her droppings. Has she had any yellow urates in her droppings? Those are normally the white cap in the dropping.

No feather picking that I’ve seen. Shes pretty high on the pecking order. She lost her feathers with her molt and they haven’t come back.
She laid yesterday and the last few days. No yellow that I’ve seen (I have 25 chickens so following her around isn’t in my schedule). I’m hoping it’s just her belly and I’ve not noticed before because she had feathers there.

 

[Eggcessive]

It looks like her egg may be abnormal. Many egg shell problems may be because of infectious bronchitis virus which later may lead to reproductive disorders. Here is a link about banded eggs:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/common-egg-quality-problems.65923/

 

[FarrFreshEggs]

It looks like her egg may be abnormal. Many egg shell problems may be because of infectious bronchitis virus which later may lead to reproductive disorders. Here is a link about banded eggs:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/common-egg-quality-problems.65923/

that’s interesting because we did have an upper respiratory infection in the flock last summer. I just read an article that said the virus shedding can still occur 5 months after. maybe her body is still recovering from that? Chickens are so complex sometimes.

 

[FarrFreshEggs]

I can't tell if it's swollen from the photos. It just looks like she's been feather picked. Did you compare her abdomen side by side with another chicken?

Now that I’m looking at the photo closely it does look like she might be getting feathers pecked out huh? Ugh why do chickens have to be so mean sometimes. I’ll spray her with pecking spray in the morning.