What is wrong? Chicken with enlarged liver.

[Family dust bath]

We got a batch of white Sussex eggs and when they hathed we realized they weren't pure. They are 10 months old and have not layed one egg. About four months ago one of them would have trouble swallowing its food and would foam out her mouth. Three nights ago when my mom was counting the chickens she realized one was missing. She found the chicken sitting between the nesting box and the chicken run. In the morning I saw the same chicken sitting in front of the chicken run standing, eye's closed and head up. Something was wrong. I put her in a cage with food and water with a comfortable box. That day she was panting and wings out the whole day. Even when it got cold and dark she was still panting and wings out. She didn't drink or eat either. I read some threads and thought she was egg bound. She was swollen all around her belly. We soaked her in warm water and massaged where it was swollen. We put her in a dark warm comfortable box with some hay. About 10 minutes later she died. We decided to open her up and her intestines were so small, and her liver so enlarged it filled in her whole inner area. Almost unbelievably large. Her kidney was big too. But no egg. Anybody know what this is? Please reply. I would appreciate it.

 

[coach723]

So sorry for your loss.
Good that you took a look to see what happened.
Did you take any pictures of her organs? Liver failure can cause ascites, which is fluid build up in the abdomen, which may have been the cause of the enlarged belly. Was there a lot of fluid when you opened her up? A lot of fat? Any sign of hemorrhage? Knowing what the liver looked like beside enlarged would help too. There are quite a few things that can ultimately affect the liver. Lymphoid leukosis can cause an enlarged liver, and it will often have nodules. Heart failure can affect the liver, various virus's and cancers, fatty liver hemorrhagic syndrome. Sometimes it's a process of elimination. If you lose another under similar circumstances you might consider having a professional necropsy done, with labs they could ID if it's a virus or a bacteria. Often times what you learn from one necropsy can help with any future ones that you do yourself. Pictures are always helpful, there are quite a few people here who will look at necropsy photo's and give opinions based on their own experience.
These links might help:
https://www.poultryworld.net/Health/health_tool/Lymphoid-leukosis/
https://thepoultrysite.com/disease-guide/big-liver-and-spleen-disease
https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poul...f-fatty-liver-hemorrhagic-syndrome-in-poultry
Here are some resources for necropsy if you want to consider for the future:
http://www.heritageacresmarket.com/poultry-necropsy-labs/amp/
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/nahln/downloads/all_nahln_lab_list.pdf
https://www.metzerfarms.com/PoultryLabs.cfm

 

[Eggcessive]

Welcome to BYC. Sorry about losing your chicken at such a yound age. You have received good advice. It was very good that you did a necropsy to look at the organs. It can be a real help to learn what was going on that affected your pullet.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

At what age did you start feeding layer feed?
What state are you in?
Do you know there are two kidneys with 3 segments each? Were all segments enlarged or was there some enlarged and some atrophied?

 

[Family dust bath]

Thanks for your advice. I didn't see any liquid or fat when I opened her up. The liver wasn't a normal colour and a bit splotchy.

 

[coach723]

If you do a search (google or whatever you prefer) for 'diseased chicken liver' and select images, you will get a bunch of pictures. Maybe you can find one that looks like what you saw. There are so many things that can affect the liver that it's hard to guess just based on a verbal description. It could be viral or bacterial, cancer, etc.