Help please on possible egg bound hen

[jonalisa]

Oh! I am so sorry! I hope it is some comfort that she went peacefully in your arms. I also hope the necropsy result comes back with something that gives you peace of mind that nothing more could have been done to save her, which I am pretty sure is the case, but I know from my own experience that it is helpful to have that confirmation.
Would you be so kind as to post the result when you get it, so that we can perhaps learn something from her sad death too. RIP Agatha.

I will most definitely post the necropsy. Thank you so much for your thoughts.

 

[jonalisa]

All,
Attached is Agatha's necropsy.
Diagnosis:
Marked, diffuse, subacute peritonitis with free yolk and eggs (yolk peritonitis and internal laying)

You were spot on, @Eggcessive

I had my hens on Nutrena Layer Feed for years until recently, I found that the crumbles were ending up more like dust at the end of the day. I realized i was suddenly buying it twice as fast. So i switched to DuMor layer crumbles - which are more like small pellets.
They seem to like it. However, since this necropsy lists nutrition as 'fair', I am wondering if there is something else i could be giving them. (They do have oyster shell and crushed egg shells). Most of my hens are going on 6 years old. Ideas and opinions appreciated.

Edited to add: The report says e.coli can be the culprit. I have a sand coop and run. Wondering what could be the issue? I did have straw down over the winter in the run, but the run is 12'x16' and pretty clean.

 

[Eggcessive]

Oh I am sorry for your loss, just now seeing the past few posts. Glad you posted the necropsy results. I don’t think anyone can prevent chickens from getting internal laying or egg yolk peritonitis and E.coli infection. Just the way the cloaca is with the oviduct opening near the large instestinal opening, there can be some transport of bacteria upwards, especially if there is some reproductive disorder. Salpingitis, impacted oviduct, and other problems can be traced sometimes to bacterial infection. I am not an expert on many of these problems, but have been seeing some of them in my older hens who have been dying over the last year or two. The Merck Veterinary Manual has quite a few articles about reproductive disorders and how they differ or cause others, if you want to click on one, and then go down the list to read some:
https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poul...eproductive-system/egg-peritonitis-in-poultry

 

[rebrascora]

In my opinion "fair nutritional condition" is good. What they are saying is that she wasn't wasted away or carrying too much fat. She may have lost a little bit of condition in her final week or so due to the salpingitis/EYP which has probably been on going for at least a fortnight but probably longer. Anyway, I would not be concerned about your flock's diet from this comment.

As regards the E-coli, it is present at low levels in most faeces from what I understand. For some reason it has managed to penetrate the oviduct. That might be as a result of an egg breaking inside her or a soft shelled egg which sometimes happens with older hens at this time of year as their body winds down to moult. Yes it can also be down to poor management but clearly this is not the case in your situation, so don't worry too much about it. The older hens get, the more worn their reproductive system becomes and that's when it becomes more prone to infection, just like older ladies are more prone to urinary infections. Don't beat yourself up.
It is good that you are prepared to consider changes might be necessary but I'm not sure there is anything you could have done differently or need to alter in this case.
She had a wonderful life with you, far longer and better quality than the vast majority of hens and there was nothing you could have done to make her better. Hopefully that will be a comfort to you.

 

[jonalisa]

Thank you for all your support, @Eggcessive
Any thoughts on nutrition?

@rebrascora We posted simultaneously
Thanks for your thoughts and all your support.
Boy, It's tough to get old. My parents said that all the time but now i am saying it myself!

 

[Eggcessive]

Most brands of chickens feed are pretty similar. I have used many, but I do prefer pellets most of the time, even for some of my bantams. There is also some powder in the bag, or at the bottom of the feeder each day. I just take the powder, and add water to it, which they inhale. This summer I had an awful time with seasonal starlings eating nearly half of my feed. So I have been using Dumor brand since it is $10 right now. I usually use Kalmbach, Nutrna, or Purina layer pellets depending on where I buy. Those range from $13 to 16 here. They get some occasional scrambled egg, a a handful of scratch grains (shared with per 17 chickens) once or twice a week just to get them all excited. That is about it.

 

[jonalisa]

Most brands of chickens feed are pretty similar. I have used many, but I do prefer pellets most of the time, even for some of my bantams. There is also some powder in the bag, or at the bottom of the feeder each day. I just take the powder, and add water to it, which they inhale. This summer I had an awful time with seasonal starlings eating nearly half of my feed. So I have been using Dumor brand since it is $10 right now. I usually use Kalmbach, Nutrna, or Purina layer pellets depending on where I buy. Those range from $13 to 16 here. They get some occasional scrambled egg, a a handful of scratch grains (shared with per 17 chickens) once or twice a week just to get them all excited. That is about it.

Okay, that's good to know. I plant kale and other greens in raised beds for them and seasonally they eat the fallen plums on the ground...