Cystadenocarcinomas in Laying Hens - Graphic pictures

[Molpet]

Sadly, my fav 6 yr old hen, Precious died of this yesterday. I orig thought water belly or internal laying. She stopped laying in spring but always had a healthy appetite. She remained top hen even when she could no longer run. She hobbled to greet me each day but spent more & more time resting under her fav tree as the summer progressed. Now in fall, her abdomen was extremely enlarged, the penguin stance was the norm, and I began to see her use her wings to steady herself as she waddled.

Spoiler: autopsy pics

View attachment 1547823 View attachment 1547824

Precious was part of our family and enjoyed her spot as top & elder hen. She was never a high production hen but her attention-seeking personality made us love her nonetheless. Her eggs were large with those dark golden yolks. At 1 yr old she ripped a nail (It grew back) and she had a case of bumble foot about 3 years ago. Otherwise, she was a healthy barnyard mix. Our flock has basic chicken feed but also free ranges during the day. They get kitchen veggie scraps a couple times a week. No other hens have had this.

RIP my dear, sweet Precious.
View attachment 1547894

so sorry for your loss

 

[coach723]

So sorry for your loss @Faraday40 .
Thank you for sharing your pictures.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Sadly, my fav 6 yr old hen, Precious died of this yesterday. I orig thought water belly or internal laying. She stopped laying in spring but always had a healthy appetite. She remained top hen even when she could no longer run. She hobbled to greet me each day but spent more & more time resting under her fav tree as the summer progressed. Now in fall, her abdomen was extremely enlarged, the penguin stance was the norm, and I began to see her use her wings to steady herself as she waddled.

Spoiler: autopsy pics

View attachment 1547823 View attachment 1547824

Precious was part of our family and enjoyed her spot as top & elder hen. She was never a high production hen but her attention-seeking personality made us love her nonetheless. Her eggs were large with those dark golden yolks. At 1 yr old she ripped a nail (It grew back) and she had a case of bumble foot about 3 years ago. Otherwise, she was a healthy barnyard mix. Our flock has basic chicken feed but also free ranges during the day. They get kitchen veggie scraps a couple times a week. No other hens have had this.

RIP my dear, sweet Precious.
View attachment 1547894

I'm so sorry to hear about Precious

Thank you for taking the time to share her story and the photos.

 

[Kiki]

-Kathy

This is so cool.

 

[Irmasmom]

I wanted to add to this thread for another case... my 3 year old Buff orphington recently started going downhill (ruffled feathers, lethargy and weight loss) I quarantined her so I could monitor her food and water intake and try to get her feeling better. Over 1-2 weeks she continued to decline. I then noticed her waddled walk and swollen abdomen. I work at a veterinary hospital so I took her in to drain the abdomen to see what we found. Nothing too exciting just a clear fluid and she immediately perked up and ate well that day. However, as expected two days later she was all swollen again. So, I elected euthanasia as I just couldn’t let her suffer any longer. I chose to do a necropsy. What we found was an abdomen FULL of cysts!! I didn’t send out for testing but it is definitely to be suspected Cystadenocarcenoma. It’s quite an interesting find but it appears that this can actually be a common thing in hens. So, I wanted to share if it could help someone in the future!

 

[Kiki]

View attachment 1754813 I wanted to add to this thread for another case... my 3 year old Buff orphington recently started going downhill (ruffled feathers, lethargy and weight loss) I quarantined her so I could monitor her food and water intake and try to get her feeling better. Over 1-2 weeks she continued to decline. I then noticed her waddled walk and swollen abdomen. I work at a veterinary hospital so I took her in to drain the abdomen to see what we found. Nothing too exciting just a clear fluid and she immediately perked up and ate well that day. However, as expected two days later she was all swollen again. So, I elected euthanasia as I just couldn’t let her suffer any longer. I chose to do a necropsy. What we found was an abdomen FULL of cysts!! I didn’t send out for testing but it is definitely to be suspected Cystadenocarcenoma. It’s quite an interesting find but it appears that this can actually be a common thing in hens. So, I wanted to share if it could help someone in the future!

I am sorry for your loss, thank you for sharing this photo.

 

[Eggcessive]

@Irmasmom sorry for your loss, and glad you shared you necropsy photo.

 

[micstrachan]

Thank you for sharing and so sorry for your loss.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

View attachment 1754813 I wanted to add to this thread for another case... my 3 year old Buff orphington recently started going downhill (ruffled feathers, lethargy and weight loss) I quarantined her so I could monitor her food and water intake and try to get her feeling better. Over 1-2 weeks she continued to decline. I then noticed her waddled walk and swollen abdomen. I work at a veterinary hospital so I took her in to drain the abdomen to see what we found. Nothing too exciting just a clear fluid and she immediately perked up and ate well that day. However, as expected two days later she was all swollen again. So, I elected euthanasia as I just couldn’t let her suffer any longer. I chose to do a necropsy. What we found was an abdomen FULL of cysts!! I didn’t send out for testing but it is definitely to be suspected Cystadenocarcenoma. It’s quite an interesting find but it appears that this can actually be a common thing in hens. So, I wanted to share if it could help someone in the future!

I'm sorry for your loss
Thank you for taking the time to post the photo along with a snapshot of symptoms you saw in your hen. Very interesting, I'm sure it may be helpful to others looking for information.

 

[Claires Poultry]

Oh my goodness! That's the weirdest thing. I've never seen the egg yolks clear like that. I can't believe that one chicken had egg yolks in it's skin! Looks like that would hurt real bad! Poor chickens!