Culled a hen found something really weird inside - pics... not to graphic

I found one of lese in a non-laying easter egger today. I broke it open and it was one of the worst smelling things I have ever encountered. N a s t y
 
I should add that the giant egg inside my chicken was rotten and green on the inside. I culled her as sweetly as I could for a chicken who never gave us an egg.
 
I just was reading another thread, and this appears to what they described as "laying internally, or "internal laying".
The eggs fail to pass through the oviduct and end up in the abdomen, The yolks build up over time, and have the appearance of being cooked.
Interesting.
 
I'm glad I just came across this post, I had something very similar happen to one of my laying hens last week. She died on her own - only appeared to be sick for one day, and I was researching possible problems and about to examine her for an impacted crop or being egg bound when she died. I decided I needed to learn from the experience so I cut her open and found something very similar - looked like a uterus full of cooked egg yolk. Unfortunately I did not take pictures. I guessed that it was a blocked oviduct and did a little research on that - all the written descriptions sounded like what I saw in my hen. But your pictures are the first visual confirmation. Thanks for thinking to take and post the photos!
 
SpeckledHen could give you a lot of info.

Because they are egg layers, their system is prone to internal egg laying where the egg drops into the peritoneum and continues to do so and forms this big ball of egg. There is nothing you can do about it. And the surgery most times doesn't work because of the high risk of infection. But it's definitely an internal layer.

I think it's a good thing that you did a necropsy on her. It's such valuable information to have. But I'm sorry it happened to your hen.
 

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