Water Belly?

[Joy1000]

I came home to find a very lethargic 2 year old RIR hen with a pale waddle and comb. Her vent area was crusty and pumping so I thought perhaps she was egg bound. One of my girls has been laying soft to no shell eggs. I brought her in and checked for egg bound but that doesn’t seem to be the problem. I’m not sure if you can tell but in the pictures it looks like her belly is yellow.

 

[Eggcessive]

I would give her a human calcium citrate tablet with vitamin D or a Tums in case she is having trouble forming egg shells or laying an egg. Offer her some electrolyte water and give her a little scrambled egg and moistened chicken feed. How do her poops look? Does she have any yellow color to her urates (the white part of the dropping?) Draining her abdomen with an 18 gauge needle could confirm water belly if you get any amber colored fluid, but there can be a risk of infection, and rarely shock or death. I usually do not drain hens with large bellies, since water belly is usually from egg yolk peritonitis, salpingitis, fatty liver disease, heart failure, or even cancer. The only one I drained had labored breathing, and it helped temporarily.

 

[Joy1000]

I would give her a human calcium citrate tablet with vitamin D or a Tums in case she is having trouble forming egg shells or laying an egg. Offer her some electrolyte water and give her a little scrambled egg and moistened chicken feed. How do her poops look? Does she have any yellow color to her urates (the white part of the dropping?) Draining her abdomen with an 18 gauge needle could confirm water belly if you get any amber colored fluid, but there can be a risk of infection, and rarely shock or death. I usually do not drain hens with large bellies, since water belly is usually from egg yolk peritonitis, salpingitis, fatty liver disease, heart failure, or even cancer. The only one I drained had labored breathing, and it helped temporarily.

White watery poop. I did give her some electrolyte water but will give her a Tums as well. Thank you