Almost a month ago one of my hens didn't go in the coop with the others. It was dark when I went back out to look for her. Using a flashlight, I searched behind the coop, finally finding her body underneath (raised coop)....
The University of Connecticut Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory did a necropsy, and the Final Diagnosis was:
"Intrahepatic hemorrhage and acute hemocoelom" which I lay-translated as she had extreme bleeding from her liver into the body cavity.
In the last section, COMMENTS, I read: "This finding was strongly suggestive of fatty liver-hemorrhagic syndrome (FLHS) in which excess fat deposited in the liver results in increased liver fragility and hemorrhage. In this case, no lipid accumulation was seen in the liver histologically, a finding which has been reported in a proportion of apparent FLHS cases. Lack of visible lipid accumulation at the time of death could indicate resolution of previous lipidosis or liver fragility and hemorrhage from a different cause, e.g. trauma. Factors that have been implicated in FLHS in laying hens include consumption high energy diets, lack of exercise, high environmental temperatures, hormonal imbalances, genetic predisposition and rapeseed meal or toxins in the diet." So I take from that, that there might not have been anything I could've done , and that I may or may not be able to prevent it in the other three.
Then today I got an email from Community Chickens (part of Mother Earth News), Subject line: Are Your Chickens Fat?
What?!
I found it interesting timing, and figured others might get something
out of reading about FLHS. So here are links to the article,
and the author's blog:
1. http://www.communitychickens.com/20...s&utm_campaign=CC eNews 12.03.13#.Up5UktJDtJ0
2.http://www.tillysnest.com/2013/11/fatty-liver-diseases-in-backyard.html
(I hope this informs, and doesn't "bum out" readers.)
The University of Connecticut Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory did a necropsy, and the Final Diagnosis was:
"Intrahepatic hemorrhage and acute hemocoelom" which I lay-translated as she had extreme bleeding from her liver into the body cavity.
In the last section, COMMENTS, I read: "This finding was strongly suggestive of fatty liver-hemorrhagic syndrome (FLHS) in which excess fat deposited in the liver results in increased liver fragility and hemorrhage. In this case, no lipid accumulation was seen in the liver histologically, a finding which has been reported in a proportion of apparent FLHS cases. Lack of visible lipid accumulation at the time of death could indicate resolution of previous lipidosis or liver fragility and hemorrhage from a different cause, e.g. trauma. Factors that have been implicated in FLHS in laying hens include consumption high energy diets, lack of exercise, high environmental temperatures, hormonal imbalances, genetic predisposition and rapeseed meal or toxins in the diet." So I take from that, that there might not have been anything I could've done , and that I may or may not be able to prevent it in the other three.
Then today I got an email from Community Chickens (part of Mother Earth News), Subject line: Are Your Chickens Fat?
I found it interesting timing, and figured others might get something
out of reading about FLHS. So here are links to the article,
and the author's blog:
1. http://www.communitychickens.com/20...s&utm_campaign=CC eNews 12.03.13#.Up5UktJDtJ0
2.http://www.tillysnest.com/2013/11/fatty-liver-diseases-in-backyard.html
(I hope this informs, and doesn't "bum out" readers.)
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