Updated! - Test Your Diagnostic Skills - Warning, Contains Graphic Necropsy Photos

[coach723]

I think that was a lash egg, and it appeared there were more lower down. So likely salpingitis. Here's more info: http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2014/12/salpingitis-lash-eggs-in-backyard.html
You can find more by searching online. I'm very sorry for your loss, good that you looked to see what happened. I've never had one recover from this despite some info that says it may be treatable in the early stages with antibiotics. By the time they show symptoms it's just too late.

 

[coach723]

Not sure what you are asking? Salpingitis and internal laying are very similar. Once an infection sets in in the abdomen of a bird caused by egg matter and bacteria the infection is egg peritonitis. Sometimes the peritonitis can be treated with antibiotics, depending on the root cause, but it can recur. They kind of go hand in hand when a bird has a reproductive issue. A lash egg usually looks like a solid mass and when cut open looks like layers and layers of cooked egg. Sometimes it's more yellow, and it may contain egg matter. Mostly the mass is made up of pus. That's how the chickens body tries to contain the infection, by encapsulating it, and the result is what is commonly referred to as a lash egg. Sometimes birds will pass lash eggs, so you have an idea what is going on. Sometimes they just remain in the abdomen and you don't find them until necropsy.
Hope that makes sense.
Here's more info on EYP: http://www.theveterinaryexpert.com/backyard-poultry/egg-yolk-peritonitis/

 

[Jspenc02]

I don’t know if I’m in the correct post, please bear with me. I have had 4 young, healthy chickens die recently. I finally was able to do a necropsy and will post my pictures here to not offend anyone. I think they are getting an impacted crop, but I do not know tha anatomy of a chicken as well as I know human anatomy. Anyways, I recently got a new brand of wood shavings and they appear to have a lot of “fines” along with the flakes. I did tell the store I was using them to bed chickens and this is what they sold me. I do give them some scratch twice a day, and was also worried about rats. This is my first necropsy and I just kinda winged it, so bear with me.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/dying-chicken-with-bloody-vent.1219521/#post-19502015

 

[rebrascora]

I'm not sure what breed these girls are that you are having problems with but Leghorns are naturally more flighty, energetic birds, so they may be burning off the carbohydrate calories better. Heavier dual purpose birds like Sussex, Orpingtons etc will be more prone to Fatty Liver Disease because they are bigger, slower, calmer birds. At 6 months old that is a huge amount of fat to have accumulated. Your Leghorns may still be building up a dangerous layer of fat, but just be taking longer for it to become an issue, so I would change their diet too.

What do you use as their main feed? I'm just curious if it is a grain mix as quite a large percentage of the other people experiencing this problem have been using an organic grain mix. I have a theory that the birds will pick out their favourite bits from a grain mix and perhaps leave the higher protein lentils etc that are less appealing for rodents to clean up. It might explain why you have a rodent problem although I accept that when you have poultry, rats will always be an issue sooner or later.
I would remove the feeders at night and consider switching to a pellet or crumble (much less waste with pellets) if you are currently using a grain mix and leave the grit in a separate container. Mixing anything into the feed will cause them to bill it out to get the bits they want. That is why a homogenous pellet means less waste, because there is no incentive for them to bill it out....ie no good bits in it to find. Your hens will go on strike when you change their feed, so be prepared to hold out until they give in and try to make it a gradual change, rather that suddenly stop one feed and start another.

 

[coach723]

Agree with the previous posts about the liver color and the fat deposits.
For the rats, I would recommend that you ditch the poison and try electric traps. The rats get electrocuted when they go inside. They cost more, but I've had much better luck with them. I don't like poison because it doesn't stay where you put it and it's a risk for every other animal. The rats carry it back to the nest or where ever they drop it, or die somewhere else and are eaten. The electric traps can be left out all the time and pose no risk to your birds. You bait them, check and empty daily, or more often at first maybe since you seem to have so many. That and removing food at night will help you get rid of them. What material have they chewed through to make the holes? If you can replace it with hardware cloth, 1/2 " or smaller, that would help, or line it with 1/2 " hardware cloth. They will also tunnel, so if you block their current entries they will try to dig new ones. Burying the cloth around your perimeter can help prevent the digging in. Also if you have lots of brush, or brush piles, debris piles, or other buildings that they can hide under near your chicken coop, they may be living in there.

 

[rebrascora]

Hi.

I would have to agree that the huge amount of fat has certainly been a contributing factor as @Wyorp Rock has outlined. To see a thick layer of it attached to the intestinal membrane all along it's length like that is quite astonishing in a relatively young bird. It is odd that there is a dark line all along the intestine separating it from the fat and I'm not sure what that might be. The liver is also paler than I would like to see which may indicate Fatty Liver Haemorrhagic Syndrome..... a clearer picture of the liver would have been helpful when so much fat was found. Did you handle/ remove the liver (I'm guessing you may have to get to the heart) and if so, was it quite solid or did it easily break apart when handled?

I appreciate that you don't feed many treats but some people don't consider that scratch is a treat, so just wondering if you feed any scratch or grains at all or do they have access to other animals' feed where they might be filling up on grains or perhaps forage in stubble fields where there has been some grain spillage?

Sussex are a heavier breed and therefore more sedate and don't burn off the calories like lighter weight birds. There is some suggestion that higher protein feeds for heavier breeds is beneficial (more protein means less fat producing carbohydrate)... I'm not sure what the protein content of your Purina layer pellets is, but if they don't have access to scratch or other grains and it is only 16%, and you have other heavy breed birds, you might want to up it to 18 or 20% protein feed

I'm having difficulty identifying some of the organ in your photos and wonder if you might be able to confirm....

The large dark mass in the centre of the fourth photo looks like it might be the kidneys (from the colour) but is much larger than I would expect and normally the kidneys are embedded tightly into the back, nestled into the skeletal structure behind the ovary. Just wondering if you can remember if that organ in the picture was hanging loose in the abdominal cavity or if it was stuck to the back.
It is usually quite difficult to prize them out when you are processing.

I'm guessing that the organ in your hand in the fifth photo is the heart?? Again it is concerning that there are fatty deposits on it making it almost unrecognisable.

The final photo I'm assuming is the intestine cut open. There doesn't look to be anything untoward in that small section. In the background you can clearly see the ovary with ripe follicles ready to be released. Were there any eggs in the oviduct or cloaca, perhaps indicating egg binding, which will be a risk with a bird carrying so much fat.

Was there any obvious fluid in the abdominal cavity when you cut her open? If so, what colour. I'm not sure if you are familiar with the innards of a chickens (perhaps from processing) but you would expect the abdominal cavity to be moist but no surplus fluid.
If that really is the kidneys in the fourth photo, my gut feeling is that there is something amiss for them to be so large. I will be interested to read what @casportpony picks up from these photos and her thoughts on a possible cause.

 

[rebrascora]

I doubt you will get any more knowledgeable people on another thread than those that frequent this thread. It may just take longer for people to see it and comment.
A possibility might be to contact your state ag dept or veterinary college and see if they will take a look at the photos via email and give you an opinion. The difficulty is not being able to see that structure in it's entirety and understand it's exact location in the body cavity and feel it's texture and confirm that it is not the kidneys, by locating those separately. Has the carcass been disposed of?

I was beginning to doubt my concerns about the amount of fat after reading Sue Gremlin's post, but I have done a bit of research since then (You Tube "processing laying hens") and now stand by my opinion as regards the level of fat, particularly that covering the intestinal membrane of a 10 month old pullet. I really do not think that is healthy.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I doubt you will get any more knowledgeable people on another thread than those that frequent this thread. It may just take longer for people to see it and comment.
A possibility might be to contact your state ag dept or veterinary college and see if they will take a look at the photos via email and give you an opinion. The difficulty is not being able to see that structure in it's entirety and understand it's exact location in the body cavity and feel it's texture and confirm that it is not the kidneys, by locating those separately. Has the carcass been disposed of?

I was beginning to doubt my concerns about the amount of fat after reading Sue Gremlin's post, but I have done a bit of research since then (You Tube "processing laying hens") and now stand by my opinion as regards the level of fat, particularly that covering the intestinal membrane of a 10 month old pullet. I really do not think that is healthy.

Good idea Barbara! Sending photos to a Vet College or even an avian vet may be helpful.
I did see that dark mass in the photos, but was just not quite sure what to make
of it

I also agree with you on the amount of fat in the abdomen. I still feel like it's a lot, especially for such a young girl. The way it was attached to the intestines, I have not seen that either.

@Treerooted a few of the others are not online that frequently, so hopefully they will be by to take a look and give you their opinion. I wish we had better answers for you, thank you again for posting the photos. If you do happen to get someone to look at your photos, we would appreciate your sharing what you find out.

 

[casportpony]

i'm hoping to post photo's tomorrow when i hopefully have a look inside a chicken i lost today. heavy heart right now... but ex-battery i have had for year+ with respiratory illness and god knows what else. posting now to make sure i go through with it. have not done before. won't be so emotional tomorrow and the logic will take back over...i hope.

I am very sorry for your loss.

 

[Kiki]

i'm hoping to post photo's tomorrow when i hopefully have a look inside a chicken i lost today. heavy heart right now... but ex-battery i have had for year+ with respiratory illness and god knows what else. posting now to make sure i go through with it. have not done before. won't be so emotional tomorrow and the logic will take back over...i hope.