Kinda gross..........Graphic necropsy photos of an internal layer!!

This was one of my first chickens. I have had her for 5 years and she was about a year old when I got her. She quit laying about 9 months ago - she came back after her molt last fall, laid an egg every day for 2 weeks and then never laid again. I figured she was just retiring but in the last few months she started having diarrhea and losing the feathers around her vent area. Her abdomen was swollen and although her weight was staying about the same it was all in her abdomen, the rest of her was getting thinner & thinner. She still seemed to feel fine, she was always the first one to come begging for a treat and earlier today was out scratching around in the garden with the rest of her buds. When I picked her up I noticed her abdomen was even more distended than it was yesterday so I finally decided to put her out of her misery. This is what I found..........



Thats a 1 quart mason jar for scale



The largest "growth" was about the size of a large navel orange or a small grapefruit, the others were about the size of regular lemons








Poor old girl had to be miserable, I feel bad I let her go so long but she really didn't seem to be in distress. First necropsy I have ever done, gotta say it was kinda cool! Interesting to say the least...........

Thanks for posting those. Great pictures!

donrae said:

Thanks for posting those. Great pictures!

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Ditto Dat^^^

Thanks for sharing that. I lost two Buff Orpingtons - one last winter (I wintered the flock in the basement because we had so much snow) and one the previous year. Both were asymptomatic. The first just laid down in the grass and for me, that's like ringing the dinner bell for predators. I picked her up and she died in my arms. No warning with the other one, either. Don't blame yourself for waiting; you had no idea what was going on in there.

I'm newer to chickens, what is that you found inside of her??? That is so strange!

buzzannie said:

I'm newer to chickens, what is that you found inside of her??? That is so strange!

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Title says 'internal laying'...when egg are 'laid' internally, it's fatal.
Pics show the eggs that developed inside the hen but didn't come out of her vent.

aart said:

Title says 'internal laying'...when egg are 'laid' internally, it's fatal.
Pics show the eggs that developed inside the hen but didn't come out of her vent.

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Wow, okay! Thank you! I supposed I missed that part of the title! How sad for her and the chicken