A hen dying every two weeks

[Ccort]

Sorry for your loss. In the picture, it looks like a prolapse. She could have plugged up with an egg, lash egg, or constipated. You can keep the body cold, not frozen until Monday am, and then take it to your state vet for a necropsy. If you cannot afford one, then opening the abdominal cavity yourself can give you some clues. Take pictures if you do one to post here for comments. Unfortunately, chickens don’t always live long lives. I have had some live to 10, but have lost some prematurely. Exposure to viruses, molds, and other things can affect their health. Here is a good video that identifies the organs and can help with doing a necropsy:

I did another necropsy and the full results should be in within two weeks

 

[Ccort]

Yeah, it is like you get PTSD when they start going in numbers like that. It's terrible. I'm so sorry you are going through all of this.

Hey @azygous , this person sent out her bird to a lab and was told it was fatty liver disease, but their other hens keep dying. Do you think it is it possible that a lab could just see the liver enlargment and not realize that avian leukosis is actually what is wrong?

Thank you. It is. I keep thinking everytime I see them could be the last time, no matter how they seem

 

[Ccort]

I'm the one always looking in the weeds for the ball while all the rest are looking in the outfield. You mentioned grass, and that the chickens were eating a lot of it. The prolapse on the one that just died is another clue if we can connect it to other clues.

Is this grass high? Do these chickens get grit? Store bought or from your soil? Have you checked all of their crops? You may be dealing with impacted crops. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

You also could be dealing with coccidiosis due to time of year and wetness. How old are your chickens? How long have you had them?

I treated with Safeguard and Corid. My grass is not long but I do keep the clippings in the yard. I've been feeling their crops though and they seem fine in the morning.
They have container of grit...store bought.
All turned a year old April 5 and I've had them since they were three days old

 

[azygous]

I've run into problems in the past with grass cuttings. The chickens tend to indulge themselves on the excess easy grass, and it can cause crop issues. Not letting the chickens access a big pile of grass cuttings is a wiser move.

 

[Ccort]

I'm so sorry for your losses. I lost several of my birds when they were between eight months to a year old. Unfortunately, it seems like that is a time when a lot of health issues really start to show up.

When trying to solve a medical mystery like this, the first thing I would do (which you might have done already, and if so, you can skip this step) is to pick up each bird and give them a thorough health check. I would check their body condition. How do they feel when you pick them up? Lighter than usual, heavier, the same? How does their keel bone feel? Body condition can provide a clue as to the bird's health. I would check eyes, nose, inside the mouth if you can manage although that one can be tricky even with multiple people. How does their comb and face look? Paler than usual? Tinged blue or purple at all? I would feel their crop to check for anything there that could indicate a blockage or sour crop or anything similar. I would also check to make sure that their crops are filling and then emptying properly overnight. I feel their entire body, checking to make sure that there are no unusual lumps, bumps, swellings, anything like that. I check the feet for anything unusual.

I also check to make sure that their abdomen is not larger and more swollen than it should be, which can be an indicator of salpingitis or water belly. I look for any signs of mites or lice, both on the bird (under the wings and around the vent especially) and in the coop/run. How is their egg laying? Are they laying or have they stopped? Have they had any issues with soft eggs or lash eggs? Egg binding? Are there any signs of prolapse? Have they had any other health issues in the past? (This does not always mean there will be an issue, but can be an indicator - one of my hens had a prolapse several months prior, another struggled with laying and had also prolapsed, and the third struggled a lot in the heat.)

The next thing I would do would be to inspect the environment. Could they have access to anything that would make them sick? It could be feed that spilled and then started to go bad because of dampness, or anything else like that. Are there any signs of parasites in the coop?

Best of luck. I hope you are able to figure out what is going on.

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Is the keel just above the crop or below? That's the one thing I'm not sure how it should feel?

 

[Ccort]

Yes, but did she die from the prolapse, or did her body start shutting down and not functioning because of another illness and then the prolapse happened as she was dying?

She has laid an egg that day and was pooping, if that helps

 

[Ccort]

I would guess that these hens that had prolapsed vents when found had been experiencing cramping and were pushing to relieve them. Constipation perhaps. Full crops and constipation sometimes go together. I would examine all the surviving chickens for crop issues in case this is what was responsible for the deaths.

I've been checking their crops and making sure they're eating, drinking, pooping and all are.

You asked about symptoms. My first two had ZERO. One of those was shown to have Fatty Liver.
My third, whose results I am waiting on, was normal that morning, then started to become slightly lethargic. About an hour later, she was panting and more lethargic. I picked her up and held her and she died in my arms within no more than ten minutes. Those were the only symptoms.

The brahma I mentioned with the odd eggs is still alive. I am assuming this is all related somehow?

 

[Ccort]

What were all of the symptoms you can recall prior to these chickens dying?

I responded to you below

 

[Auntiejessi3]

I'm so sorry! I hope you figure out what is happening

 

[Ccort]

I read Vitamin b can be helpful for the liver. I found a liquid supplement of B and K for their water. Ok to add it?

Does she look a bit purple on top?