*Graphic Necropsy Photos Update* Dead Hen This AM—Vent Prolapse? (Photo Warning) :'(

[Auntiejessi3]

What a beautiful lady! I'm sorry for your loss!

 

[NanaK]

So sorry you lost your pretty girl. I know it was difficult to have a look for the cause but I truly thank you for posting this to allow so many to learn.

 

[Eggcessive]

My hen that had fatty liver was not overweight at all, but actually skinny. She was the only one I ever did a necropsy on that had it. There can be many causes of fatty liver disease, not necessarily feeding a lot of scratch or corn, but hereditary or exposure to aflatoxin can also be risk factors. Here is an article with a good picture of fatty liver disease:
https://tvmdl.tamu.edu/2020/04/06/fatty-liver-hemorrhagic-syndrome-in-a-chicken/

 

[NightingaleJen]

Ugh, I feel so terrible on top of losing our sweet hen. Waited for these girls so long, and studied up the whole time, and they are such a joyful part of my life! I truly thought I was doing what was best. Thank you to everyone willing to help teach me.

I would eliminate the scratch immediately.
If you're feeding more than about a spoonful a tablespoon full worth of anything besides the commercially made pelleted or crumbled feed then it is considered a treat.
A spoonful worth of anything is about 10% of their diet.
On average a full grown chicken should eat about 3/4 cup worth of feed per day.

The feed that you feed... Is in a pelleted or crumble form? Is it a whole grain form?

Already decided to stop scratch, but thank you! Happily, there are only a few below-freezing nights left in the forecast. They really did only get it on cold (freezing or below) nights. If anyone has ideas as to how one can otherwise, healthily keep birds warm overnight for *next* winter, I'd appreciate it. :/

Our birds have always been fed Purina's crumbled Flock Raiser (we have two roosters)—well, at least once they were past chick stage. Prior to that they were on the anti-cocci Purina chick crumble, IIRC.

I do have some fodder and sprouts I've been growing for them (again, before flockdown, they got almost no treats save diced herb stems and veggie scraps from the previous night's for-people dinner, that kind of thing, plus the occasional SCOBY). I'll either compost them or dole them out exceedingly sparingly until they are gone.

@Wyorp Rock Thank you so much. Yes, yellow stuff came out pretty quickly...we suspect she has always been laying internally, since Matilda seemed to have 'issues' back there from the time she began to lay. I was fairly regularly washing her rear off, having her checked for worms, and trimming her feathers (she looooooved that...). Perhaps she had always struggled with it. I appreciated your suggestion of the necropsy...it was difficult, but I'm glad I did it. God willing I learned something, anyhow (clearly!) and it will help the other birds! Gosh, it was tough at first. She was apologized to several times...

Thank you for chiming in, @coach723! I'll see what I can learn this spring/summer about keeping everyone warm at night in winter w/out scratch.

Thank you @NanaK and @Eggcessive. I did watch a few YT videos, but ultimately, the book and basic cooking skills probably helped me most in trying to do that! Poor Matilda...but yes, maybe this will help someone else. @Eggcessive, I will look at that article, thanks!

FWIW, in addition to cutting scratch and treats, we are planning to expand the run because of the flu situation; even though they can't free-range half the day for now (which I hear about EVERY AFTERNOON, *all* afternoon), they'll have more safe room to wander in until they can be free chickies again (and also have a second run, which we've wanted for a while). We are hoping to begin that process this weekend.

I'll look into ways to get them moving more in the run, too, just in case anyone else is struggling...no one seems to be, and they do not *feel* fat, but it can't hurt to give them more entertainment, and non-food boredom busters are always good.

It was tough, this first day without Matilda.

 

[Idaho Chicken Bungalow]

I'm so sorry for your loss. I want to comend you on looking inside to see what you could find.

 

[NightingaleJen]

I'm so sorry for your loss. I want to comend you on looking inside to see what you could find.

Thank you. It seemed to me an important thing to do, and to try to figure things out, for the sake of the rest of the flock.