Internal layer *graphic*

[Mrs MIA]

About a week ago I found a buff Orpington girl standing in the nest box, and as always I pet her, sliding my hand down her back. As I got to her tail, she quickly tucked her butt under. Concerned, I picked her up and started feeling her abdomen... it felt like there were two fully formed eggs just under the skin. I poked and prodded a little, and when I reached under her near her pelvic bones, she tucked again like she was pushing. Normal hen's abdomens are soft and squishy... no hard masses at all, and she seemed warmer than usual. So I watched her for a couple of days to see if she'd pass anything... nope. So this morning I took pity on her. The following photos are what I found (I put them in thumbnails... click on them to view the larger images).
There is no way that I could have helped her pass these masses. They were very dense, solid masses of egg, cooked solid. I had a difficult time cutting the largest one open.

I highly recommend checking your birds from time to time... get to know what they feel like in good health, so you know when they're not well. If you feel a hard mass in the abdomen, and it doesn't go away, this may be what's going on. I had one hen last year that had a mass the size of a large russet potato.

Poor baby...

 

[silkiechicken]

Sorry about your girl. I've had the same problem in the past with a few of my prolific layers. Here is the one that was the worst.





Culler her when she started to lose her appetite and probably should have done it sooner because there was no sense in letting her suffer like I think she may have. She just seemed fine up till the end because she walked around and acted just like the rest till near the end.

 

[chuckzoo]

OMG your poor hen! I hope this never happens to mine - I only have two.

 

[teach1rusl]

Geeze Louise....

Sorry about your hen. Good advice.

 

[Robin'sBrood]

I'm so sorry for your hens (both of you). I sure hope that isn't what is going on with my Barbara. I can't feel anything hard when I feel around her abdomen but she can't walk right and stands straight up with her tail tucked... https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=297932

Ms. AK-Bird-Brain, will you walk me through feeling around Barbara's abdomen, I'm afraid I'm missing something. I've felt inside her vent both yesterday and today and can't feel anything.

 

[Kansaseq]

I'm so sorry. Thank you for sharing, though, so we can learn.

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

Quote:
x2

 

[speckledhen]

Sorry about the hen, Tori. As you may know, I've lost six hens to this, all hatchery stock so far, and now have two others suffering from either an early stage ovarian infection or internal laying. It's genetic/hormonal and there is nothing to be done to prevent it (other than not pushing them to lay in winter when they'd be taking a break and giving their bodies a rest).
The only way to stop it permanently in a hen is to do a hysterectomy on her and stop her laying altogether. I've pulled many of those wads of solid infection/egg material from hens doing necropsies, though I usually knew what I'd find and I didnt necropsy the last one who had this problem. You get to know the symptoms all too well.

 

[usschicago1]

aww Poor Baby

 

[LynneP]

Very helpful information and I'd like to thank both of you for sharing your experience. Tori, I know you did the right thing and it's very hard to lose a purebred like your Buff Orp...sorry