Large swollen abdomen

[Bigbuffygirl23]

Hi everyone, this is only our second year with chickens so we are still learning! Hoping for some help with one of our chickens. She is about 1.5 years old. We noticed yesterday she hadn't left the roost bar and when we looked at her she has a baseball size semi firm lump on her abdomen. At first I thought maybe she was egg bound because my husband said he noticed her in the nest boxes a lot the last two days and thought maybe she was being broody. She is moving slow and staying in the coop on the roost bars a lot. It is sort of pulsating as if she were trying to lay an egg. She does come out to eat and drink still. Right now she's free ranging around the yard. We soaked her butt in an epson salt bath last night for 15 minutes. There is fresh poop stuck to her feathers so she must still be pooping. Comb is still nice and red she doesn't seem sick... yet. Any ideas? I'll try to show a picture

 

[Eggcessive]

She could have salpingitis (masses of egg material from inflammation of the oviduct,) or ascites (water belly.) Ascites is from liver disease common in reproductive infections, cancer, and fatty liver disease. Is the white part of her poops always yellowish? That is a sign of water belly. Is she breathing hard? There is no cure for ascites, but if it is causing labored breathing or discomfort, you can drain her belly with an 18 gauge needle inserted into the abdominal wall. You can use a large syringe attached to the needle or just leave the needle attached. There always is a risk of infection or even death with draining. Disinfect the skin of the abdomen before draining. If she has ascites, the fluid will be yellow. If it is clear and colorless fluid, that is a cystic right oviduct.

For what it is worth, I have had a couple of hens who had this, and lived for a couple of years. I did not drain them, but did a necropsy on them to look at their abdominal contents after they died.

 

[Eggcessive]

This picture by casportpony shows a hen being drained for water belly:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/hredirect2.php?c=6136086