At 6 months she may loiter around the nest box for a week or 2 while she practices getting ready to lay. She might get a bit stressed by it all and you might have to provide a dark warm secluded and private place for her for her first time. A warm bath can sometimes help.
It's so difficult to articulate what ascites feels like but with my hen is wasn't squishy. She felt full of water almost to bursting point. I've had hens that have suffered from peritonitis and they have felt normal but their symptoms have been green runny poop and either not laying or laying soft shelled eggs. In these cases they look like they are weighty but in reality their abdominal area is just swollen and really they are quite thin.
It does sound to me like she is ready to lay and a bit pent up about it all. I would continue to keep an eye on her, give her a warm private place, some vitamins in her water, and hopefully she will sing you her egg song very soon.
Good luck to you all xx
It's so difficult to articulate what ascites feels like but with my hen is wasn't squishy. She felt full of water almost to bursting point. I've had hens that have suffered from peritonitis and they have felt normal but their symptoms have been green runny poop and either not laying or laying soft shelled eggs. In these cases they look like they are weighty but in reality their abdominal area is just swollen and really they are quite thin.
It does sound to me like she is ready to lay and a bit pent up about it all. I would continue to keep an eye on her, give her a warm private place, some vitamins in her water, and hopefully she will sing you her egg song very soon.
Good luck to you all xx