Swollen abdomen

[Caitladoo]

Hello all! I am a new chicken mommy of 4 barred rocks that are 6 months old that I purchased at 1 day old. 1 of 4 started laying a month ago (still waiting on the other 3). I am concerned with one of the non egg layers as of 3 days ago I noticed that her abdomen was pretty swollen. Otherwise, she has no other symptoms. She is eating, drinking, urinating and deficating. She has the same amount of energy as usual. With the thought that she may be egg bound, This morning we tried giving her a warm bath for 20 minutes. Afterward we let her run around which did not produce anything. We also tried feeling around her vent which didn't feel as though there was anything in there either. I'm concerned that she looks like she's sick but isn't acting it. Any thoughts ? I hope I'm just over reacting

 

[TwinsLoveChicks]

Does her abdomen feel a little like a water balloon?

 

[coach723]

I'm going to give you a link to a short article that may help. There are several possibilities including internal laying, which is a malfunction in the oviduct which causes egg matter to be deposited into the abdomen rather than traveling down the oviduct to the vent. Hopefully the article will help you perhaps narrow things down. If an avian vet is available to you that would probably be your best option at this point. Chickens are very good at hiding symptoms and acting fine until illness is very advanced.
http://www.hobbyfarms.com/6-causes-of-swollen-abdomen-in-chickens-2/

 

[Caitladoo]

Does her abdomen feel a little like a water balloon?

the area is very soft and when she flexes it gets very hard (almost like when we flex our abs) I'm not sure I would describe the feeling as a water balloon though.