Answer found! Graphic Photos of Necropsy

[wild chick]

Thanks to all the helpful people on these two threads: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/link-to-necropsy-tips.1270594/ and https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/7-week-old-chick-cant-eat.1264228/ .

As stated in my reviews of the illness this chick seemed to have a funny neck & always held herself a little different. Her neck DID have a strange kink in it. Any comments on that would be welcome. Cause of death was obvious though. She had a roofing nail coming out of her gizzard. All the tissue around it was black (Zinc coating on the nail). I'm really over the top knowing what happened as I was afraid I'd just bumble around and still not know. I'm terribly disturbed at the pain she must have suffered though. I've heard of "hardware disease" and obviously it's no joke.

Thanks for the support here on BYC!

 

[Gypsi]

They will eat about anything. Sorry for your loss

 

[HuffleClaw]

Sorry for you’re loss!

 

[casportpony]

Wow, that is something else! Thanks for posting the pictures and sorry for your loss.

 

[coach723]

Wow, you definitely found the cause. I'm so sorry that happened.
At least you know.

 

[wild chick]

Someone who knows more about digestion and resilience could tell me, but here's my thought. The first days of obvious illness would be when the nail was poking at her crop and making it's way to the gizzard where it could lay in that "pocket" for a couple of weeks until it was forced through? Which would explain a very sick chicken for a few days, then seemingly well then in one day go from not so good to dead from the puncture?

 

[MissChick@dee]

So sorry for your loss. Great job on the necropsy. I’m like that too....I want to know why.
Clearly there’s nothing you could of done. I’m constantly finding stuff when I rake. I’ve never used Christmas tinsel yet I found some. Lots of stuff ya know?
One good thing that will come from this is that others will learn. Perhaps go check their own yards.
Again sorry for your loss.
Best wishes

 

[rebrascora]

Oh wow! What a shame! Poor chick..... just shows how wrong I was!

It looks like you feed a grain mix feed, judging by the contents of that crop (aside from the nail of course!) Are you aware of the possible issues with grain mix feeds? Just wanting to ensure you know how to use them. If it is scratch, then I would respectfully suggest you are being overly generous, which might lead to health issues in other birds as they get older..... not intending to be critical, just struck me when I saw the crop contents.

 

[coach723]

Someone who knows more about digestion and resilience could tell me, but here's my thought. The first days of obvious illness would be when the nail was poking at her crop and making it's way to the gizzard where it could lay in that "pocket" for a couple of weeks until it was forced through? Which would explain a very sick chicken for a few days, then seemingly well then in one day go from not so good to dead from the puncture?

I've never (yet) had a case of hardware disease. I would guess that initially it was uncomfortable while it made it's way into the gizzard, however long that took. Once in the gizzard it may have been there for a time before it punctured through, or it could have happened quickly, no way to really know. Once it did then infection (often sepsis) was only a matter of time. From everything I've read there are very often no symptoms at all until they suddenly die. And they are SO good at hiding illness it can be deceiving about how sick they are sometimes.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Someone who knows more about digestion and resilience could tell me, but here's my thought. The first days of obvious illness would be when the nail was poking at her crop and making it's way to the gizzard where it could lay in that "pocket" for a couple of weeks until it was forced through? Which would explain a very sick chicken for a few days, then seemingly well then in one day go from not so good to dead from the puncture?

Again, I'm sorry for your loss

Even though it's sad, you did a wonderful job finding the cause. Thank you for taking the time to figure this out and post photos too.

Your guess on the timeline of events could be correct. It would be hard to know if it happened exactly that way, but it sounds reasonable.