Hen died out of no where

[Kathy Golla]

Let us know if Davis is able to tell you today what they thought the material was. That may be our best clue.
Seems as if it was bright green, that might be the weed.
Brown, something else.
ETA: although in that report they were pretty descriptive. Coarse plant fiber, mix of green and brown.

 

[colette peters]

Let us know if Davis is able to tell you today what they thought the material was. That may be our best clue.
Seems as if it was bright green, that might be the weed.
Brown, something else.
The fact that they found no chicken food in her system is curious.

@Kathy Golla Will do. I’m going to wait for the final report which I’d think I’d get by Tuesday.
Sadly like I said I changed one thing and that was putting that minors lettuce in The run. And they specifically said foliage. That’s pretty telling.
And yes I agree no chicken food found in her is alarming.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

@Kathy Golla Will do. I’m going to wait for the final report which I’d think I’d get by Tuesday.
Sadly like I said I changed one thing and that was putting that minors lettuce in The run. And they specifically said foliage. That’s pretty telling.
And yes I agree no chicken food found in her is alarming.

I’ve saved three hens to sour crop and impacted crop. I’ve got a good handle on them.

Reading your preliminary report is says "Plant fibers" and "Mixed course green to brown roughage" that can be a lot of things.

You mention in post#48 you've had 3 hens with sour and impacted crop - this was within the past 3 yrs? So there is a history of crop issues going back, correct?
Re-evaluate what you are using and feeding. Oyster shell and crushed granite given free choice, I would not have those mixed in the feed. The hens will take what they need.
Short pieces of straw/hay - I know mine would eat that, they pick through straw and eat bits all the time. Feed should also be available free choice during waking hours.

Have you ever read TwoCrows article about crop issues? If you haven't read that in it's entirety, it would be a good idea https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...d-sour-crops-prevention-and-treatments.67194/

 

[Morrigan]

If it was the miner's lettuce, it seems odd that the impaction would have happened so quickly. I wonder if she had some pre-existing partial blockage from the past eating of straw or bamboo leaves (or something that fell or blew into the run), and the lettuce was the final straw, so to speak.

I have chickens who eat some pretty suspect stuff -- straw, long, fibrous weeds they manage to pull up when the ground is soft, dead, fallen leaves, etc. And, they seem to be digesting it somehow. On the other hand, I had a young sussex years ago who was an aggressive straw eater and she got an impacted crop at only 5 months old. Different thing effect chickens differently and some chickens seem to have more sense than others. Please don't beat yourself up over your decision to give your chickens some miner's lettuce. It may have had nothing to do with this, or else just been crazy bad luck.

I hope you get some more clarity from the final report.

 

[colette peters]

@Morrigan @Wyorp Rock @Kathy Golla @Arwon @micstrachan @SurferchickinSB
Got the final report back and looks like not much changed from the preliminary
I’m going to call and tell them my miner lettuce feeding and see if that’s what they possibly saw.
But here’s the final:

Examined was a adult hen 3 years of age that was in good postmortem condition and in good nutritional condition. The crop is distended with course roughage admixed with small amount of grit. The proventriculus and ventriculus contain course green to brown roughage admixed with grit. The proximal portion of the duodenum is obstructed by a fibrous plug of mixed coarse plant fibers that firmly dilates the lumen of the proximal duodenum by 2 cm in diameter over a length of 6 cm. Distal to this obstruction the rest of the digestive tract is relatively empty with no remarkable gross lesions. In the respiratory tract is no remarkable gross lesions. The heart is grossly unremarkable. The liver is unremarkable. The kidneys are unremarkable. The ovary has several yellow ova over 1 cm in diameter. The oviduct is empty. No remarkable gross lesions are noted in the peripheral nerves.

 

[colette peters]

Reading your preliminary report is says "Plant fibers" and "Mixed course green to brown roughage" that can be a lot of things.

You mention in post#48 you've had 3 hens with sour and impacted crop - this was within the past 3 yrs? So there is a history of crop issues going back, correct?
Re-evaluate what you are using and feeding. Oyster shell and crushed granite given free choice, I would not have those mixed in the feed. The hens will take what they need.
Short pieces of straw/hay - I know mine would eat that, they pick through straw and eat bits all the time. Feed should also be available free choice during waking hours.

Have you ever read TwoCrows article about crop issues? If you haven't read that in it's entirety, it would be a good idea https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...d-sour-crops-prevention-and-treatments.67194/

@Morrigan
@Wyorp Rock
I will read that.
I have just one hen in particular that seems to have reacuring crop issues. I think she’s really sensitive to change of feed and grassy things. Other than that all 11 are healthy.
But I will change their food again if you think the premixed oyster shells and cracked corn should be separate. I thought they would just pick out what they want.
But yes they have access to feed throughout the day out of a feeder. There are two of them filled at all times along with plenty of fresh water.

 

[Morrigan]

green to brown roughage admixed with grit.

Brown roughage sounds like something other than miner's lettuce. I think calling them is a good idea.

 

[colette peters]

Brown roughage sounds like something other than miner's lettuce. I think calling them is a good idea.

@Morrigan
I just left a message for them to call me.

 

[colette peters]

@Wyorp Rock what do you recommend I use for bedding/nesting box? Wood shavings?

 

[Kathy Golla]

Well I know it doesn’t make it hurt any less, but there are about 50 other things you would never want to see on a necropsy report that were not on yours.
RIP Loretta. I’m so sorry, it must be very hard to keep digging this all up.

@Wyorp Rock what do you recommend I use for bedding/nesting box? Wood shavings?

When you say bedding..what are you referring to? Inside your coop under the roosts?