LittlePip21
Songster
- Feb 5, 2017
- 258
- 283
- 171
Recently I have been having problems with a strange illness in my flock, and none of what I've found online or in books seems to match up quite right. I've had 3 girls die, 2 died in my arms.
I was wondering if anyone might know what this is and have experience with it.
The first hen was an RIR, around four. She was lethargic with a swollen squishy abdomen and a musty infection smell. She was occasionally puking and pooping plain water, along with pooping yellow foamy and watery droppings. I treated her with probiotics. After a while the swelling went down and the abdomen was almost hard, and she was doing well for a while after that, but I had to leave for a few days and when I returned she was dead in a corner. From the way she was laying she probably died in a seizure. My neighbor who was caring for them says she checked on her in the morning and she was acting alert and healthy.
The second hen died several months later. She was also an RIR around 4, again squishy and bloated, much worse than the first. This time only green water droppings. Same smell. This hen has had a history of medical problems. These include, egg binding, and a strange reaction where she puked up a large amount of infectious smelling brown gunk. She was completely normal after that incident. Then, maybe a year later? (at least a few months) she started having the same symptoms as the chicken above, only difference was the droppings. Again, swelling went down and she was fine. until one night I went to put them in, and she was sitting out in the middle of the yard gurgling. I brought her inside, and she began to puke small amounts of brown bile and sneezing. Then, she sneezed loudly and collapsed into a seizure, I held her down, she bit down hard and died. I had intended to do a necropsy, but I had to put the body outdoors, and it was freezing, so I wasn't able to.
The third hen, not sure what she is, but possibly some kind of RIR cross, around 3-4, same smell, same droppings, but swelling was not as severe and was accompanied by lots of head shaking. Wasn't sure what to do, and I couldn't find a gape wormer online or locally. I had to leave again for a few days, and when I came back she was almost gone. (my flock has also been suffering from lice, and it was just too much for her) She wouldn't stand, I gave her a warm bath and wrapped her in a towel. I then put her down in the towel on the floor to grab something, and I could tell she was having a seizure. The towel kept her from squirming and she died peacefully.
I decided to do an necropsy, I had researched, but I could only get so far because of it being below freezing and having only blunt and inadequate tools to work with. When I checked her vent, there was a huge fluid pocket blocking her exit, along with two more cheesy, bluish and bile filled pockets on the abdomen. When I cut open her body cavity (quite by accident, this was my first time dissecting anything) a huge amount of disgusting water the color and consistency of pee came out. Further in I found that the lumps had brownish clear liquid in them. I was unable to enter the windpipe, but the outside did not look abnormal or lumpy in any way. Her breast bone was completely concave. I wasn't able to get very far after that, but her organs looked strange and alien compared to the pictures and videos I had seen. (either because of my inexperience or she was just really messed up inside.) From what I could see what I'm pretty sure was the heart was bluish gray, as were the other organs.
Any advice or support would be appreciated, thanks!
PS: I took pictures of the necropsy, so if I can I will post.
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The first hen was an RIR, around four. She was lethargic with a swollen squishy abdomen and a musty infection smell. She was occasionally puking and pooping plain water, along with pooping yellow foamy and watery droppings. I treated her with probiotics. After a while the swelling went down and the abdomen was almost hard, and she was doing well for a while after that, but I had to leave for a few days and when I returned she was dead in a corner. From the way she was laying she probably died in a seizure. My neighbor who was caring for them says she checked on her in the morning and she was acting alert and healthy.
The second hen died several months later. She was also an RIR around 4, again squishy and bloated, much worse than the first. This time only green water droppings. Same smell. This hen has had a history of medical problems. These include, egg binding, and a strange reaction where she puked up a large amount of infectious smelling brown gunk. She was completely normal after that incident. Then, maybe a year later? (at least a few months) she started having the same symptoms as the chicken above, only difference was the droppings. Again, swelling went down and she was fine. until one night I went to put them in, and she was sitting out in the middle of the yard gurgling. I brought her inside, and she began to puke small amounts of brown bile and sneezing. Then, she sneezed loudly and collapsed into a seizure, I held her down, she bit down hard and died. I had intended to do a necropsy, but I had to put the body outdoors, and it was freezing, so I wasn't able to.
The third hen, not sure what she is, but possibly some kind of RIR cross, around 3-4, same smell, same droppings, but swelling was not as severe and was accompanied by lots of head shaking. Wasn't sure what to do, and I couldn't find a gape wormer online or locally. I had to leave again for a few days, and when I came back she was almost gone. (my flock has also been suffering from lice, and it was just too much for her) She wouldn't stand, I gave her a warm bath and wrapped her in a towel. I then put her down in the towel on the floor to grab something, and I could tell she was having a seizure. The towel kept her from squirming and she died peacefully.
I decided to do an necropsy, I had researched, but I could only get so far because of it being below freezing and having only blunt and inadequate tools to work with. When I checked her vent, there was a huge fluid pocket blocking her exit, along with two more cheesy, bluish and bile filled pockets on the abdomen. When I cut open her body cavity (quite by accident, this was my first time dissecting anything) a huge amount of disgusting water the color and consistency of pee came out. Further in I found that the lumps had brownish clear liquid in them. I was unable to enter the windpipe, but the outside did not look abnormal or lumpy in any way. Her breast bone was completely concave. I wasn't able to get very far after that, but her organs looked strange and alien compared to the pictures and videos I had seen. (either because of my inexperience or she was just really messed up inside.) From what I could see what I'm pretty sure was the heart was bluish gray, as were the other organs.
Any advice or support would be appreciated, thanks!
PS: I took pictures of the necropsy, so if I can I will post.
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