Vent swollen/red

[aart]

Does her belly feel bloated or full of fluid?

This^^^
That what it looks like.
Cup your hand under her vent with your finger down between her legs.
Compare to another bird.

ETA: get a pic of the actual vent...or at least get a good look at it yourself.
The red skin could be part of the problem or something different.

 

[micstrachan]

One more thing. If she has fully dried, is behaving normally and is not being picked on, I’d put her back with her flock.

 

[micstrachan]

The bulge is a little lower than I originally thought. Still leaning toward fat accumulation, but ascites looks like a possibility, too.

Off to let my flock out for one more run around before they go to bed.

 

[Eggcessive]

If her feathers are mostly covering her round bottom, I would probably place her back in the coop with the others, once you have checked for swelling or enlargement. Watch to see if she is laying eggs. Cut her back to layer feed only, no treats. If her vent area gets pecked, I would use something like bluKote spray to hide the red, or pine tar which works as an anti-peck ointment (smells like pine and tastes bad.) Pine tar also has some healing qualities.

She may just be fat there, or she could be showing some first signs of internal laying or ascites. But I have had a few hens who looked similar and who lived for a few years. Many times it is hard to know what is going on until they die, when a necropsy can be performed at home to look and see.

 

[azygous]

Has the cherry red skin over her bulge subsided, or is it still bright red? While it's normal for chicken skin to redden a bit when you wash it, it should fade to her normal skin color a few hours after her bath. If she's still bright red in that area, it could signal infection.

 

[dawg53]

The redness is due to urates in feces "burning" her skin. Apply Nu-Stock to the red area and it will clear up in about a week.
You can trim fluff and feathers back with scissors so that she'll have a clear "shot" to the ground. Dont trim back too much though.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hey guys! Just noticed today that one of my girls has some swelling/redness in her vent area. You can only get a good look when she bends over. She is alert, eating, drinking, socializing, and I BELIEVE she is still laying, though I will be able to make certain tomorrow. Not sure what I should do, if anything, and what may be going on with her poor tush. Any help appreciated!

View attachment 1676497 View attachment 1676498

Side note, she is definitely pooping normal healthy poops. In the house, but otherwise totally normal.

She isn’t walking weird or acting like she is in pain, and she lets me touch the area with no complaints.

The odd part is her vent actually seems okay, so my title is now kind of misleading. All of the redness and swelling is below her vent, but doesn’t include it. I’m happy she is acting normally otherwise but I’m obviously very worried for her.

In the event that it is a fat issue, is there anything that can be done for her?

She is acting normal?
Eating/drinking o.k.?
Not being picked on?
She's pooping?
No signs of distress?

I would put her back with the flock once she is dried off.
The swollen bum may be from fat, could be a symptom of fullness from the start of a reproductive problem. The redness can be a little irritation from poop stuck on the feathers, a little picking and hormones.

If she is fatty, then cutting back on scratch may help. I would watch to see if she how she does - if she is laying eggs. Just monitor her.

 

[Shadrach]

Without being able to examine the hen in person so to speak all one can do is mention possible causes and the standard treatments for them.
So, if you are really worried and she starts looking and acting sick the best course of action is to take her to a vet.
From your description of her behavior and what little I can see from the pictures it doesn't look like a problem with her vent. To me, the reddened skin below the vent looks like an irritation. Some of the older hens here get something that looks similar, particularly during the summer months. As far as I've been able to tell this rash is caused by poop sticking to the feathers, drying out and pulling on the feathers where the poop forms a solid lump. I would tend to agree with @dawg53 and guess that uric acid could be responsible for producing the rash.
Here the older hens that have problems getting the poop to clear the feathers below their vent when they poop because they have fat rear ends. It doesn't seem to stop them enjoying their food, laying eggs or otherwise interfere in their day to day life. It does interfere with mine because I have to clean there rear ends on a fairly regular basis and the poop sets as hard as concrete.
I would keep the area clean using water only. There are various salves and ointments but many of these, particularly those containing steroids can cause irritation.
I would put her back with the flock. As a rule I try not to separate either sick or injured chickens from their flock unless absolutely necessary. It causes stress.
If she shows signs of being ill, not eating, lethargic, separating, herself from the others, then that would be the time to investigate other possible causes.

 

[Kimberlass]

Thank you everyone! I truly appreciate all of the input. I put some blue kote on her this morning and stuck her back with the other girls. I am working until three, but the boyfriend says he believes she laid - at the very least she came out, sang an egg song, and there was an egg in the nest box. At a glance she was still swollen this morning. I’ll give her a bath again tonight and check it out and maybe trim her butt feathers.

 

[Kimberlass]

Weird update! On my way home to check her out, but the boyf sent me a pic of the very strange egg she laid. What is this all about? Middle one, obviously.