Gaping/gasping for air

[VinnyVincent]

RIP Redbeard

 

[VinnyVincent]

The only way to know what this was and if you could have prevented it is to get a necropsy performed on her body.

There's a better than even chance she died from an avian virus causing tumors on her organs and that's what interfered with her breathing.

While it lets you off the hook for preventing it, it does have serious implications for the rest of your flock. Call your university extension office for information on how to get a necropsy. Meanwhile refrigerate her body, don't freeze. Do this right away as labs will refuse to do this on a body that is more than a few hours old.

How difficult would it be for me to cut her open myself and see what it was? My thoughts are that if it's an object that caused it, I can save time and money. Or if there's a tumor, I could send her off at that point...

 

[azygous]

That's what I do, open up the chicken that died. After one necropsy that identified an avian virus in my flock and since I now have confirmation of it from an expensive necropsy, I do my own crude necropsies.

It's easy enough to see cancer tumors. One hen I opened up, her abdominal cavity was swimming with tumors that resembled navy bean soup. I've done a few and posted photos. Here are my threads.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/internal-laying-what-it-looks-like.1349959/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...-a-chicken-gross-and-disgusting-pics.1296324/

 

[VinnyVincent]

That's what I do, open up the chicken that died. After one necropsy that identified an avian virus in my flock and since I now have confirmation of it from an expensive necropsy, I do my own crude necropsies.

It's easy enough to see cancer tumors. One hen I opened up, her abdominal cavity was swimming with tumors that resembled navy bean soup. I've done a few and posted photos. Here are my threads.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/internal-laying-what-it-looks-like.1349959/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...-a-chicken-gross-and-disgusting-pics.1296324/

I think I'm going to give it a shot! I'm fairly confident that it's some sort of debris that caused the blockage, considering she seemed very healthy up until a day before she passed.

I have her in the mini fridge now, I'm gong to finish watching this video on how to do a necroscopy, then take a crack at it. She's already quite stiff, hopefully that doesn't make it too difficult.

It won't be easy, but I may go ahead and take pictures like you did, to encourage others to give it a shot themselves. If there's a virus in my flock, I definitely want to know about it.

 

[VinnyVincent]

I ordered a pair of bandage scissors to cut her neck open with, so that the trachea remains intact. They'll be here tomorrow, so I'll perform the necropsy either tomorrow, or the day after, depending on when they arrive.
I'll update this thread on what I find.

 

[azygous]

Good for you! This does take a bit of courage and suspension of emotions. This isn't for the faint of heart. It will be very interesting to see what turns up.

 

[VinnyVincent]

I found these two little rocks in her windpipe. Hard to believe such a tiny thing could have done it, but I suppose it it had turned sideways it could.
There was a bunch of "stuff" near the base of her esophagus as well. Not sure if that contributed somehow, but it does seem like she had gorged herself.

The two tiny white things in the close up are the rocks.

 

[azygous]

Now we know. Necropsies are very useful.

It's very doubtful anyone could have prevented such a thing. When chickens are competing for food, they kind of lose their little minds in the panic to get their share.

Among things that have been found inside of chickens during necropsies are paper clips, aluminum can pop tops, safety pins, screws, and bottle caps.