Slightly swollen abdomen

[littlefarmgirl9]

So one lot my seven chickens, Penny, is a three year old Black Australorp hen. She's seemed a bit off the past few days. So yesterday I picked her up for an inspection. Her crop was totally fine. The only thing I noticed was a bit of a large abdomen. It felt like there was liquid in it and popped back out when I squeezed gently. Then (the things I do for these hens!!) I totally invaded lil Penny's privacy and stuck my finger in her vent. No egg, but there was some normal looking poop, though I haven't seen Penny poop for a few days--not that I would though. A family member noticed as well, that Penny would stop walking before resuming her slow pace occasionally. Ive done some research and am conceding the possibility of Ascites (is that the right spelling??). So I need opinions: do I wait till she shows signs of lethargy, or should I try to drain her abdomen? I don't want to assume things, as I have been known to do with these gals. So am I worrying about nothing, or...?
Penny has no other symptoms, except occasionally settling in and puffing her feathers up--but all my hens do that while preening, since it IS cold here.
Also, Penny once had an egg crack in her that I pulled out. It was a few months ago, though.
Anyway! Sorry if this is a waste of everyone's time, but I think I'm just gonna wait it out and see what happens .But opinions are appreciated!!! Thanks y'all!

 

[Boonie Stomper]

is she still laying ... has it been awhile?
when was she last wormed?
post photo please and note her weight.

 

[rebrascora]

If it is Ascites(water belly), that is really just a symptom of another ailment like internal laying or possibly Fatty Liver Haemorrhagic Syndrome. Do you know if she is laying? Is her comb nice and red? Does she have soiled butt feathers? Is she walking with a wide stance.... compare with other hens to be sure of what is normal.
Unfortunately draining Ascites will only give short term relief and it will almost certainly fill back up again. Draining also risks introducing an infection into the abdominal cavity either from outside on the needle or by accidentally puncturing the gut with the needle internally and the bird can go into shock if too much fluid is removed at once, so it is not to be undertaken without weighing up the risks and ensuring that the site and needle are sterile and inserted in the correct place. It may actually be kinder to euthanize the bird rather than put her through the draining process or leaving her to die an uncomfortable death from the internal pressure of the fluid on her organs.
If the Ascites is down to the bird laying internally, then Superlorin hormone implants can be beneficial but are expensive and need to be replaced every 3-6 months, which is a veterinary procedure. If this is a pet and you have the funds for such things, then it is better done sooner than later as there will also be a mass of eggs yolks building up in her abdominal cavity which cannot be removed other than by extremely risky and very expensive surgery. The hormone implant prevents any more yolks being produced by the ovary, so it stops things getting any worse and the bird is often able to reabsorb some of the fluid without being drained.

If it is down to something like Fatty Liver Syndrome then you might want to look at what you are feeding your flock as it can be associated with a diet imbalance, often too high carbohydrate and not enough protein, but breed and poultry management usually play a part as well as a genetic disposition to it. Feeding too much scratch or corn is often linked to it.

Just a few things to think about...

 

[littlefarmgirl9]

For all I know she is still laying, though today she sat in the box for no reason. My chickens do that a lot...but a week or two ago, there was no egg before she went in the box and there was one after. However I haven't seen the egg come out for a few months, I haven't gone to see them as much since its so cold they stay in anyway.
Her tail is up, she eats and drinks and walks fine. Except for the fact that she stops with one foot in the air sometimes. I'm sure our scale is off, but Penny is very light for a Black Australorp. She's always been a runt; when she was a chick I thought she might not make it since she always stood under the lamp. Her sister Minnie is the same age and breed, but feels much heavier when you pick them up.
Penny is also very low on the pecking order, 3rd out of seven I think. So she doesn't get much feed to eat .
I'm not convinced anything is really wrong, I just don't want things to get worse. But her abdomen still feels a bit larger than those of her sisters. Thats basically my only cause for alarm .
Penny has a nice bright red comb, with just a few peck marks. She has very clean feathers, although some of them have whitish tips...idk why. My chickens have never been wormed but there's never been any problem with worms either. I like to think they're healthy!
Thanks for the responses! I'll keep you posted if there's any change .