Water Belly with no symptoms

[Jenjens]

Hello,
I just gave Ruby and bath and noticed she has water belly. I had a girl who had one before, and she was lethargic and had heavy breathing so we treated her.

Ruby isn't showing any of those symptoms, is acting totally normal, she can still jump up on her rather high roost.
Do y'all think I should drain her, or just leave it be since she is in regular spirits?

Thank you

 

[FrostRanger]

I'd proceed as if she were presenting other symptoms. Chickens are good at hiding illnesses until they're right on death's door so even if she's acting fine now, she's still very ill

 

[Jenjens]

I'd proceed as if she were presenting other symptoms. Chickens are good at hiding illnesses until they're right on death's door so even if she's acting fine now, she's still very ill

That's what I figured. Thanks!

 

[Eggcessive]

You could be mistaking an enlarged lower belly for fluid, that might be fat or she could have some reproductive disorder that has made her distended. There also is something called cystic right oviduct, where clear colorless fluid may accumulate when the right oviduct does not atrophy after hatching. Hens are born with 2 oviducts, but most of the time, the right one shrivels and goes away. I had a few hens with large bellies for several years. Since they no longer laid eggs, and a couple had yellow urates instead of the normal white, I knew they had liver problems and possibly water belly. You won’t really know unless you try to draw yellow fluid with an 18 gauge needle. But since that can be dangerous, and has the potential of causing infection or even shock and death in some cases, I would only do it to help if she had labored breathing. When you withdraw fluid, it comes back, and does nothing to cure the disease. Be sure if you do it to use a sterile needle and disinfect the skin. Ascites from liver disease, fatty liver disease, heart failure, cancer and other causes is alway fatal.

 

[Jenjens]

You could be mistaking an enlarged lower belly for fluid, that might be fat or she could have some reproductive disorder that has made her distended. There also is something called cystic right oviduct, where clear colorless fluid may accumulate when the right oviduct does not atrophy after hatching. Hens are born with 2 oviducts, but most of the time, the right one shrivels and goes away. I had a few hens with large bellies for several years. Since they no longer laid eggs, and a couple had yellow urates instead of the normal white, I knew they had liver problems and possibly water belly. You won’t really know unless you try to draw yellow fluid with an 18 gauge needle. But since that can be dangerous, and has the potential of causing infection or even shock and death in some cases, I would only do it to help if she had labored breathing. When you withdraw fluid, it comes back, and does nothing to cure the disease. Be sure if you do it to use a sterile needle and disinfect the skin. Ascites from liver disease, fatty liver disease, heart failure, cancer and other causes is alway fatal.

Yes, actually I forgot the other hen had cystic right oviduct not water belly. Her fluid was clear
And now I am conflicted