20week old hen, lethargic

[123maparker]

Oh, I am very sorry for your loss. If you are up to it, I would either do a home necropsy, or contact your state vet lab for a more professional one. She may have had a reproductive disorder or something like fatty liver disease. With fatty liver disease, they have a ton of extra fat lining the body and organs, and usually a blood clot on the liver can be seen. It can be hard to know. I can provide a video to help you identify her abdominal organs if interested. You are welcome to post pictures of the organs. Here is a list of state vets to contact for a necropsy:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/poultry...L5h4Xt137GBu32pWJZSRUY5DYhQyVrd4ODmF-Ab8otocc

Thank you. I would like to do a home necropolis. This is very helpful.

 

[123maparker]

Thank you. I would like to do a home necropsy. This is very helpful.

 

[Eggcessive]

Take pictures of the organs if you do one to post here. The liver, intestines, and oviduct are important to see. Note if there is any yellow fluid present inside the abdomen when the abdominal wall is opened.

 

[123maparker]

Take pictures of the organs if you do one to post here. The liver, intestines, and oviduct are important to see. Note if there is any yellow fluid present inside the abdomen when the abdominal wall is opened.

Hello, I did the home necropsy. Here is a link to the pics and videos. https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1BkI1sZadGyb1RyhRG5RKo2FRoFNTIRqN?usp=sharing

 

[Eggcessive]

Thanks for posting the necropsy pictures. I just scanned them briefly now and don’t have any ideas. I will tag @Wyorp Rock @azygous and hopefully others will have a look. Will look back again at pics later on today.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm sorry about your pullet.

Hopefully Kim can look back at the photos and Carol will also take a look.

Nice job on the necropsy.
I do note that she had some swelling of the face before she died, but I don't see any lesions or infection of the head/face in the necropsy photos.

I do see some yellow material in the body cavity and surrounding the organs. Doesn't look like fat, could you tell if that was some type of pus or exudes?

 

[123maparker]

I'm sorry about your pullet.

Hopefully Kim can look back at the photos and Carol will also take a look.

Nice job on the necropsy.
I do note that she had some swelling of the face before she died, but I don't see any lesions or infection of the head/face in the necropsy photos.

I do see some yellow material in the body cavity and surrounding the organs. Doesn't look like fat, could you tell if that was some type of pus or exudes?

Hi, the yellow material looked like fat in person. It did not appear to be pus. I was surprised to see it and could not tell where it came from. A second chicken died this morning. No apparent signs yesterday except a 1-2 loose droppings. Full body, open mouth heavy breathing this AM. She wouldn't come out from under the perch area. I left the coop to prepare to isolate her. About 1-2 minutes later, I heard a ruckus behind me. When I turned around she was on her back dead. I spoke with my vet, I'm taking the body to the WVDL on Monday for a necropsy.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hi, the yellow material looked like fat in person. It did not appear to be pus. I was surprised to see it and could not tell where it came from. A second chicken died this morning. No apparent signs yesterday except a 1-2 loose droppings. Full body, open mouth heavy breathing this AM. She wouldn't come out from under the perch area. I left the coop to prepare to isolate her. About 1-2 minutes later, I heard a ruckus behind me. When I turned around she was on her back dead. I spoke with my vet, I'm taking the body to the WVDL on Monday for a necropsy.

I'm sorry to hear about another loss. Good idea to have a necropsy so you can get more information. Let us know what you find out.

Thank you for clarifying the photos, sometimes it can be hard to tell with photo, but I always appreciate someone taking the time to share them, I've learned so much from others.

 

[123maparker]

I'm sorry to hear about another loss. Good idea to have a necropsy so you can get more information. Let us know what you find out.

Thank you for clarifying the photos, sometimes it can be hard to tell with photo, but I always appreciate someone taking the time to share them, I've learned so much from others.

Hi, the necropsy indicated Marek’s.

 

[Eggcessive]

Hi, the necropsy indicated Marek’s.

Oh no, I’m sorry for that diagnosis. How many chickens do you have now? I would close your flock with no birds ever being sold or rehomed for the life of all of the remaining birds. Mareks spreads in your environment through the feather dust and dander, so all of your birds will be carriers and can infect others they come in contact with. Many BYC members have dealt with Mareks in their flocks, and they breed their own birds who are healthy and seem to have some resistance to the disease. Here are some good articles to get up to speed on Mareks disease:
https://vetmedbiosci.colostate.edu/vdl/colorado-avian-health-program/mareks-disease/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq.66077/