deaths ....Necropsy Photos added... graphic

[ladrholman]

a lot of the yellow was fat, but there could have been yolk too. Some seemed like a liquid fat. I am not sure when she stopped laying. She died a number of days ago. She had been off a while ago and then seemed alright. I am thinking one of the grey lumpy things in the pics could have been ovaries. Her intestines were certainly off colored, but I suspect a peritonitis would lead to other organ failure. She certainly lost weight over the last month, but never looked like she had. Frustrating all the same. Some people say it is just chickens. THey die... but when you get to know them it is still hard. I try to learn with each death though. At least not make it in vain.

 

[Noble Rooster]

Quote:
And the rest of us thank you for sharing what you have learned! While these things may be the reality of keeping chickens (just like other types of health problems are the reality for other animals), it doesn't make it any less hard. You just have to do your best for them; you can't do much more than that.

 

[chicken grandma]

Quote:
After surgery for an impacted crop, I had to treat my hen for a yeast overgrowth and also for a gram negative bacteria that had flourished in the crop while it was impacted. That might account for the diarrhea that one of your hens experienced post surgery.

 

[chicken grandma]

Quote:
After surgery for an impacted crop, I had to treat my hen for a yeast overgrowth and also for a gram negative bacteria that had flourished in the crop while it was impacted. That might account for the diarrhea that one of your hens experienced post surgery.

Did you ever test your hens for coccidia? I understand that permeates the intestinal lining.

 

[Firefighter Chick]

i agree, treat for cocci

 

[Mac in Wisco]

Quote:
That was actually a very good e-mail that referred you to several different sources and is pretty much what I would expect in a reply. As far as the link goes, he made a mistake. I'm sure he was trying to refer you to www.thepoultrysite.com Look under "Technical Information".

 

[brandislee]

Quote:
And the rest of us thank you for sharing what you have learned! While these things may be the reality of keeping chickens (just like other types of health problems are the reality for other animals), it doesn't make it any less hard. You just have to do your best for them; you can't do much more than that.

Yes, that- I appreciate your desire to know what happened with your birds and your initiative to find out the problem. I'm naturally curious, but I'm also very freaked out by dead animals. It's not even a gross thing (I've processed a chicken, it didn't bother me at all once the face was gone). Just a freaked out thing. Of course if I had the experience necessary to know what I were actually looking at were I to do a necropsy I may be less freaked out....

... just wanted to let you know I'm sorry for your loss and I appreciate you sharing the info and pictures.

 

[seminolewind]

On picture #'s 2 and 8, it appears that 2 (organs?) have spots or tumors, very small. In pick #8 one is right in the middle of the pic. In pic 2 it shows 2 items that are not right. I would guess tumors. If so , it can be a sign of Marek's. The "wasting away" is a common sign as well. I've had several chickens in the past year that just wasted away. I hatched 10 chicks a few months ago and half wasted away and the other half got paralysis, and the last 3 also had tumors on their faces. That's when I figured out that it was Marek's. But I did go 2 years wondering why a few of my chickens seemed to waste away.

I hope you can get a necropsy by a lab done, it's better than guessing.

 

[pips&peeps]

I would treat for cocci, you have had recent wet weather and they first two birds who died possibly had prior complications. If they continue to pass, I would get a professional necropsy.

 

[ladrholman]

Quote:
They had passed some bright yellowy green colored stools but not near the time of her death... a few weeks before. One of her ovaries was really grey looking.