Cause of death - could this be egg yolk peritonitis? *warning - graphic photos*

[mrchickendude]

Cut open a 2.5 year old naked neck hen who was lethargic and weak with a hard abdomen then died. See pictures. What is that yellow solid mass and possible cause of death? More details below.

We came back from a weekend trip and noticed one of our hens was lethargic but still standing. Isolated her immediately and got her to drink a bit from a syringe. Crop seemed fine, no signs of mites/lice, noticed abdomen was hard and first assumed she might be egg bound. Gave her epsom salt bath and gently massaged then let her rest to see if she might pass the egg, but at this point she was already very weak and the abdominal mass seemed bigger than an egg.

Within a few hours of isolating her she died. Decided to cut her open to confirm whether or not it was actually an egg and this is what we found.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Welcome To BYC

I'm sorry about your hen.

It looks like she has caseous exudes in the abdomen. The mass looks like Salpingitis (Lash Egg).

Here's more information about Salpingitis.
https://the-chicken-chick.com/causes-of-lash-eggs-salpingitis-by/
https://the-chicken-chick.com/salpingitis-lash-eggs-in-backyard/

 

[mrchickendude]

Welcome To BYC

I'm sorry about your hen.

It looks like she has caseous exudes in the abdomen. The mass looks like Salpingitis (Lash Egg).

Here's more information about Salpingitis.
https://the-chicken-chick.com/causes-of-lash-eggs-salpingitis-by/
https://the-chicken-chick.com/salpingitis-lash-eggs-in-backyard/

Thank you for the response. I think you’re right. It was kind of shocking to see how big the mass was when it came out.

 

[casportpony]

Welcome to BYC, and sorry for your loss. Thanks for sharing the pictures. Wow, that's a lot of infection. I think I've only had one like that.

 

[Hedwigsmom]

Cut open a 2.5 year old naked neck hen who was lethargic and weak with a hard abdomen then died. See pictures. What is that yellow solid mass and possible cause of death? More details below.

We came back from a weekend trip and noticed one of our hens was lethargic but still standing. Isolated her immediately and got her to drink a bit from a syringe. Crop seemed fine, no signs of mites/lice, noticed abdomen was hard and first assumed she might be egg bound. Gave her epsom salt bath and gently massaged then let her rest to see if she might pass the egg, but at this point she was already very weak and the abdominal mass seemed bigger than an egg.

Within a few hours of isolating her she died. Decided to cut her open to confirm whether or not it was actually an egg and this is what we found.

I'm going through this with one of my hens. She's still alive and hoping she will survive. I know nothing about this stuff but I've been trying my best. Started off noticing blood dripping off her bum then saw the maggots. Got her cleaned up and found a large wound under her vent. I've been keeping it clean and trying to keep it bandaged with ointment but the pictures your posted look the same as the stuff that I've gotten out of her wound. I have pictures also of that and the wound. It's been 10 days since I first noticed the blood. Can anyone help me?
April

 

[Eggcessive]

I'm going through this with one of my hens. She's still alive and hoping she will survive. I know nothing about this stuff but I've been trying my best. Started off noticing blood dripping off her bum then saw the maggots. Got her cleaned up and found a large wound under her vent. I've been keeping it clean and trying to keep it bandaged with ointment but the pictures your posted look the same as the stuff that I've gotten out of her wound. I have pictures also of that and the wound. It's been 10 days since I first noticed the blood. Can anyone help me?
April

Welcome. Your hen is dealing with fly strike, not necessarily salpingitis or egg yolk peritonitis, although she could have that as well. You really need to start a new thread of your own, so that people will read your thread and give you help right away. You will need to soak her vent and wound in warm soapy water, and add a squirt of Hibiclens or Betadine. Get every last maggot off her. They may continue to hatch out for 24 or more hours, so repeat the soaks 2-3 times. Apply triple antibiotic ointment to the wound. Make sure that she is taking fluids and food. Here is where to post your new thread, just fill in the title, details, and pictures may help:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/emergencies-diseases-injuries-and-cures.10/post-thread