Autopsied Chicken - WARNING: GRAPHIC PICTURE

[fmacken13]

I'm posting a picture of Susie chicken's opened carcass. I don't know what I'm looking at so I'm asking for help.

Susie has been a sick bird, on and off, for about 6 months. This last bout, I was sure that she was laying internally, but I don't see any eggs. However, when she passed (assisted by CO2), I did notice a LOT of little worms...maybe 2 centimeters or so...all around her vent. Anyway...she was filled with fluid...there was a LOT of fluid. It didn't smell bad but was a brownish color. Also, if you look at the picture, there are little white bumps on her intestines. Is this normal? What are the little brown sacs?

This is my first dead bird. Euthanizing was difficult but I didn't have a problem opening her up afterwards. All my other chickens are in great health!

Please write back if you have some knowledge of what might have been going on with her. It'll help me in the future with my other birds.

Thank you!
Fiona

 

[chick chicks]

Not sure but I looked up some of the conditions and things I saw in the picture, sounds like a gut condition called Fowl Typhoid, the description was "Carcass is dark red in colour, intestines contain watery fluid, sometimes blood. Liver and spleen are bigger than normal. Small white spots on liver, heart and lungs in birds that have been ill for some time" those dark brown sacks are the liver and spleen, and they seem fairly large compared to some pictures. I could be wrong but from the website I saw it sounds like Fowl Typhoid.

 

[casportpony]

Looks like it could be cancer, probably oviduct cancer that spread to her intestines.

-Kathy

 

[fmacken13]

Thank you so much for your feedback. I'll take a look at Fowl Typhoid and I'll research Oviduct cancer, too. Susie didn't lay eggs for quite some time and she'd been sick, on and off, for 6 months. The white pockets on the intestines were hard...not mushy at all. In fact, her whole digestive tract was hard. I feel bad because...maybe there was more I could have done for her. If it was cancer, then it wouldn't spread to the rest of the birds. But I'm wondering about the Fowl Typhoid now.

Thanks again!!
Fiona

 

[casportpony]

Sorry for your loss, I know all too well how hard it is... FYI, if you had done a cloacal exam on her, you probably would have felt the bumps. I had a couple of sick hens that I felt the bumps on, both died and I sent one to UC Davis for a necropsy and they confirmed oviduct cancer that had spread all over.

Thanks for sharing, it's from people like you that I have learned so much!

-Kathy

 

[Beckyhsinglsc]

Did you ever figure this out? I had a chicken die that had a bunch of little white "tumors" also.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/834297/need-chicken-autopsy-help-warning-very-graphic-pictures

 

[fmacken13]

Unfortunately, never sent the carcass to the vet for confirmation. I sent a letter describing what happened, along with the photo you see on here. The vet wouldn't commit as to what the ailment was without pathology.

The previous post to yours, sounds like it might have been cancer. It's not uncommon for chickens

The rest of my flock is unaffected, happy and healthy. So my logic tells me that cancer was probably the culprit.

I'm sorry for your loss

Fiona

 

[ricard]

I'm posting a picture of Susie chicken's opened carcass. I don't know what I'm looking at so I'm asking for help.

Susie has been a sick bird, on and off, for about 6 months. This last bout, I was sure that she was laying internally, but I don't see any eggs. However, when she passed (assisted by CO2), I did notice a LOT of little worms...maybe 2 centimeters or so...all around her vent. Anyway...she was filled with fluid...there was a LOT of fluid. It didn't smell bad but was a brownish color. Also, if you look at the picture, there are little white bumps on her intestines. Is this normal? What are the little brown sacs?

This is my first dead bird. Euthanizing was difficult but I didn't have a problem opening her up afterwards. All my other chickens are in great health!

Please write back if you have some knowledge of what might have been going on with her. It'll help me in the future with my other birds.

Thank you!
Fiona

Fiona, We had an Asa Red die from the same condition. We thought she was egg bound so placed her inside with a heat pad under her box. She ate and drank for 3 days, droppings slightly loose. Necropsy showed distended abdomen, and as you described an abnormal amount of tea colored fluid. What we also noticed were an enormous amount of nodules covering most of her organs and cavity wall. Did you ever receive information on what the cause of death?

 

[tlcmurphy]

The OP hasn’t been in BYC since 2013, shortly after this post

 

[Eggcessive]

Fiona, We had an Asa Red die from the same condition. We thought she was egg bound so placed her inside with a heat pad under her box. She ate and drank for 3 days, droppings slightly loose. Necropsy showed distended abdomen, and as you described an abnormal amount of tea colored fluid. What we also noticed were an enormous amount of nodules covering most of her organs and cavity wall. Did you ever receive information on what the cause of death?

Usually a distended abdomen and having yellow to dark amber fluid inside is ascites (water belly.) The nodules are most likely cancer. Oviduct cancer is very common. Ascites can be a result of cancer, liver disease or fatty liver, egg yolk peritonitis, and heart failure. This thread is 11 years old, but you can always post necropsy pictures on here or on a new thread of your own. Sorry for your loss.