Does this intestine look odd?

[Jynuine]

We found out recently our free range hens were free ranging the livestock feed more than we knew. We had one up and die every morning easter week almost for 4 days! Every morning a new hen dead in the coup. Had a vet do a post Mortem and she said healthy other than fatty liver disease! In my rhodie! She hemorrhaged and had a blood clot.So jumping off the roost probably did it.
Today in front of my son, our almost a year old cornish cross jumped from about 4 ft high onto the ground where she lay immediately dead. We processed her and during inspection I saw her intestines looked pale with red capillaries. Her heart had the sac around it full of blood so I know her heart probably burst.

 

[HummingSeramas]

So sorry for your loss.

 

[justplainbatty]

We found out recently our free range hens were free ranging the livestock feed more than we knew. We had one up and die every morning easter week almost for 4 days! Every morning a new hen dead in the coup. Had a vet do a post Mortem and she said healthy other than fatty liver disease! In my rhodie! She hemorrhaged and had a blood clot.So jumping off the roost probably did it.
Today in front of my son, our almost a year old cornish cross jumped from about 4 ft high onto the ground where she lay immediately dead. We processed her and during inspection I saw her intestines looked pale with red capillaries. Her heart had the sac around it full of blood so I know her heart probably burst.

What sort of livestock feed were they eating? Fatty liver is usually from too much corn or similar and happens more in older hens. Did the vet test for worms? Chickens almost always have worms, it's just a matter of what kind and how heavy is the load. Sorry you are losing them, time to be a detective!

 

[Jynuine]

So sorry for your loss.

Thank you We have only let a handful of our crosses 'go' and they lay medium size brown eggs. This one particular cornish roosts on TOP with the other chickens! WE couldnt believe she got her huge body up there. We will miss her.

 

[Jynuine]

What sort of livestock feed were they eating? Fatty liver is usually from too much corn or similar and happens more in older hens. Did the vet test for worms? Chickens almost always have worms, it's just a matter of what kind and how heavy is the load. Sorry you are losing them, time to be a detective!

The feed they were eating were sweet grains for the sheep and for our calves. No corn really... mostly oats and mollases stuff. We had a huge barrel of it since we have a flock of sheep and 2 bull Jersey calves as well as 2 american Guinae hogs. WE give them 1 scoop of sweet grain a day- but the chickens were stealing a lot of it as well as knocking off the top to the feed barrel.
The kids were also happily feeding them which they are NOT allowed to do.
The chickens are almost completely free-range and we have a LOT of grass and good bugs for them to eat this year.

The vet said that there were no worms, no coci, everything was healthy other than the fatty liver. The ones who would be most likely to have it are the light flyers- our rhodies, the Leghorns, Americaunas, etc- since they can squeeze through into the stalls. Our cornish really couldnt ever fit and had to be tempted from outside the reaches of the food bins.

Our new system is to feed the grains BEFORE the chickens are let out.

But with the cross, here, the cause of death isn't a surprise. She was a good size hen! Her heart definitely burst from the amount of blood in the heart sac. She even had a nice fresh egg inside I was able to retrieve.
It's the intestines that look odd to me. ill upload another picture of the inards.

The liver doesnt look too bad although there is quite a bit of fat on everything else.



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[justplainbatty]

I looked at a few sweet feeds, no idea what you use exactly. Comparatively, it doesn't have a lot of what chickens need including copper sulfate and it has too much of other stuff. A bit of fat on hens is expected but not enough to kill at 1 yr. I think restricting them to their own feed and forage ground is best, sneaky little birds (and kids lol)!