Found one of my flock dead

[azygous]

Open her up and take photos as you go. The secret to photos that give us maximum information is to balance closeups with corresponding contextual photos so we can better identify what we're seeing and also have scale to bring us closer to reality.

There are many of us here who can stop by and comment. We'll holler for them to come see your photos.

My own experience with necropsies is that I can now identify tumors. Others know their way much better around internal organs and they can stop by and comment. You may find "hardboiled" eggs in the abdominal cavity. That would tell you the hen died from internal laying. Dark murky fluid in the abdomen can mean end stage liver disease.

You might cut open intestines and discover a heavy worm load killed the chicken. Some organs may be enlarged grotesquely, and they will be a clur an avian virus may be present in your flock.

 

[mccmeadows]

Thanks for all the info. I live in Southwestern Ontario and will look to see if there are labs nearby. I'll take another look at the two remaining hens to see if there are lice/mites.

The vermin have been taken care of for the most part. I trapped diligently throughout the summer and haven't found rat poop in the coop for months. Laying didn't seem to resume as normal though.

I believe the only place you can send for a necropsy in our area is Guelph University. It’s the only place we could find in the summer when we were looking, but we didn’t end up being able to get to them.

 

[ObiWanHenobi]

That does look like a blood clot.

Yes, body pictures are okay. Recently I did a necropsy on my rooster who died, & posted them.

Please see attached.

Any ideas on the comb/waddle for the black one?

 

[ObiWanHenobi]

Open her up and take photos as you go. The secret to photos that give us maximum information is to balance closeups with corresponding contextual photos so we can better identify what we're seeing and also have scale to bring us closer to reality.

There are many of us here who can stop by and comment. We'll holler for them to come see your photos.

My own experience with necropsies is that I can now identify tumors. Others know their way much better around internal organs and they can stop by and comment. You may find "hardboiled" eggs in the abdominal cavity. That would tell you the hen died from internal laying. Dark murky fluid in the abdomen can mean end stage liver disease.

You might cut open intestines and discover a heavy worm load killed the chicken. Some organs may be enlarged grotesquely, and they will be a clur an avian virus may be present in your flock.

This is excellent, thank you. I'll do that over the weekend and share more photos.

 

[MysteryChicken]

Please see attached.

Any ideas on the comb/waddle for the black one?

She's definitely pale. My boy was also pale before he passed. He was clear of mites/lice though.

Pale usually means Anaemia, or lack of blood in the system. Apparently it can be a symptom of cancer too.

My rooster the day he passed away due to cancer.

He went thin, was under his usual 8lbs. He was alittle over 4lbs.

His poop was White/Green w/Blood clot. Apparently can also be another symptom of cancer.

 

[azygous]

From the photo of the feathers, the dead hen was extremely dehydrated, perhaps also underweight. That would also very likely cause a pale comb. The chicken was either too sick to drink or was being bullied away from food and water and became too weak to keep trying to get to food and water.