Butchering 4 high production hens turned necropsy

[Weetamoo93]

Graphic photos ahead. Please move topic if appropriate; I wasn't sure where best to put this.




My friend gave me 4 hens she bought that wouldn't lay to butcher and, y'all, these birds are BAD. Not from any lack of trying by my friend.

I immediately noticed the distended abdomen and I could feel something hard inside one. One hen straight up prolapsed post mortem because she wasn't forcing herself to keep it in any more.

I have two questions.
1) what am I looking at? This is the morbid curiosity side.
2) I was processing these for my dogs at the very least, but should I just bin them and dump them someways off for coyotes whatnot to find? I'm dumping all organs and saving carcasses for dogs. Usually they get innards, too, but I'm not giving them these. I'm burying it all deep in the earth. My dogs may eat very questionable things, not by my choice, but they ain't getting this.
3) does my friend need to worry about her other poultry on site? I'm not sure if she quarantined these or not, but I can check. The spotty livers were primarily my concern with that.

I'm getting the remaining 3 from her ASAP because they need to be put of their misery if they are anything like these 4.

 

[Weetamoo93]

(okay, I tried to come back and delete this, but I can't? I'll just have to edit as I continue)

 

[Weetamoo93]

We'll call this chicken #1. Liver was yellow. Giant soft mass inside reproductive tract with hard masses. I did not open it because I did not have gloves at that time. I 100% should've gone and grabbed some.

All her organs, and all subsequent organs, went into a bin. I'm going to dig a very deep (3 to 4 feet) hole and bury it all. Dump ashes on it for good measure.

 

[Weetamoo93]

Chicken #2 had what I presume is "water belly" as she ruptured and gushed a milky fluid with hard masses, but crumbly masses.

Her liver is yellow and has spots.

 

[Weetamoo93]

Chicken #3 a bit more normal. A lot of the yellow is ruptured yolks. Her liver was still yellow and spotted. At least her reproductive tract looked okay.

Chicken#4 actually looks fine on the inside, but her bones were breaking as I processed her. I've never even broken bones processing silkies.

 

[servant_of_fluffs]

We'll call this chicken #1. Liver was yellow. Giant soft mass inside reproductive tract with hard masses. I did not open it because I did not have gloves at that time. I 100% should've gone and grabbed some.

All her organs, and all subsequent organs, went into a bin. I'm going to dig a very deep (3 to 4 feet) hole and bury it all. Dump ashes on it for good measure.

I'm guessing ovarian cancer? It and other reproductive diseases (waterbelly) are very common in high production breeds

 

[servant_of_fluffs]

Chicken #3 a bit more normal. A lot of the yellow is ruptured yolks. Her liver was still yellow and spotted. At least her reproductive tract looked okay.

Chicken#4 actually looks fine on the inside, but her bones were breaking as I processed her. I've never even broken bones processing silkies.

Do you know how they were fed? Let me know if you figure out what was up with #4. This link may or may not be helpful https://www.thepoultrysite.com/arti...oor-shell-quality-prevention-rather-than-cure

 

[jeekeelee]

Do you know what they were fed or how old they were? All the yellow yolk and pus around the reproductive track definently looks like salpingitis. How many birds does your friend have? If she has 100+ then three birds with salpingitis wouldn't be shocking, and many could've had it for months before it was noticed.

The livers look healthy besides the color and spots so I would assume an infection there as well. Possibly could've spread from the reproductive track. Overall it seems like the three were overtaken by an abdominal infection and you are right to say the others with similar symptoms should be put out of their misery. Also a good call not feeding the organs to your dogs because salpingitis can be caused by very nasty things like e. coli. The carcass should still be safe but I would cook it first to be sure.

I don't know about the fourth at all. Probably genetic if the others don't have the same weakened bones. I've had birds who had problems absorbing calcium and I have a hen right now who is incapable of laying eggs with hard shells even with supplemental calcium. Could be something similar to that where her body just couldn't absorb the calcium to strengthen the bones.

 

[Weetamoo93]

Do you know what they were fed or how old they were? All the yellow yolk and pus around the reproductive track definently looks like salpingitis. How many birds does your friend have? If she has 100+ then three birds with salpingitis wouldn't be shocking, and many could've had it for months before it was noticed.

I'll check with her with what other birds she has, but I think it's under 20, with about 10 chicks? I know she told me numbers.

I'll ask her how long she had them, but she bought 12 from somebody who had a bunch of them (ISA Browns, by the looks. Common production hens). 4 died over time and she had 8 left when she asked me for advice; only 1 ever laid for her that she's aware of.

The livers look healthy besides the color and spots so I would assume an infection there as well. Possibly could've spread from the reproductive track. Overall it seems like the three were overtaken by an abdominal infection and you are right to say the others with similar symptoms should be put out of their misery.

That's good to know. I know she was trying to deworm them and delouse with natural remedies because she didn't know what was wrong with them.

Also a good call not feeding the organs to your dogs because salpingitis can be caused by very nasty things like e. coli. The carcass should still be safe but I would cook it first to be sure.

I have one who's a literal garbage disposal for these things and he eyeballed me the entire process. He's used to getting all the bits I cut off/out and I could tell her was disappointed, so he got a compensatory foot to chew on.

I don't know about the fourth at all. Probably genetic if the others don't have the same weakened bones. I've had birds who had problems absorbing calcium and I have a hen right now who is incapable of laying eggs with hard shells even with supplemental calcium. Could be something similar to that where her body just couldn't absorb the calcium to strengthen the bones.

That poor bird should've been culled a long time ago. I've never broken so many bones processing. I broke a rib while holding her post dispatch; I broke both her knees, in two places, trying to remove the feet. And her entire rib cage "crunched" in when I was removing organs.