Water belly? 4.75 yo Cinnamon Queen who recently lost her sister

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Our 4+ year old lady, Peach, seems to be headed downhill and I’m not sure how to help her. Earliest I could get her into a vet would be a week from now.

Her symptoms: floppy red comb, darker than normal but not purple

Huge water balloon under her vent which is causing her to waddle. This, obviously, is the main indication I have that it’s water belly.

Lethargic, though still eating small amounts. Just not running to greet like normal and stays to herself.

Crop empty in the am. No diarrhea but her poop is greener than normal.

She does seem to be panting at times, but it’s not consistent.

With those symptoms and severity, should we attempt to drain? Can she even wait a week to see the vet? Notably, her sister died about a month ago, necropsy results from local veterinarian said liver cancer.

 

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Pictures, her floppy comb, and a black and white from the camera in the coop with her. You can see the saggy water belly well.

 

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Draining a hen with possible ascites is not without risk of infection or sudden death. It can help if the hen is having labored breathing and to confirm the yellow fluid of ascites, but it will not cure her. There are multiple possible reasons for hens to develop ascites/water belly which include heart failure, cancer, reproductive infections or salpingitis, and fatty liver disease. There is another condition that can cause fluid to collect called cystic right oviduct, and the fluid can be clear and colorless in that. Be sure to disinfect the skin if you decide to drain. I have had numerous hens with enlarged abdomens, and have only drained on small hen who had labored breathing. Most of the water belly I have seen was when I did a necropsy on a hen I lost. It can be hard to tell if a belly is big due to salpingitis or reproductive disorders or fluid.