Just wondering what this chicken may have had

[aimeem]

This is regarding a chicken that has been gone for awhile, but I just found the pictures again and remembered I wanted to ask if anyone had any ideas.

We had a Rhode Island Red and it was maybe 1.5 or 2 years old. It got sick I think (two years ago now, I can't quite remember what happened) - I remember it being very lethargic. She didn't move around a lot, seemed to have weakness and difficulty walking around. There is an area with steps in our yard and she couldn't hop or get up the step. We had to get her up on the roosting bar because she just couldn't make it. I think we quarantined her and tried some different things and then she seemed to get better. She rejoined the flock and seemed to regain her energy. She could make it up the steps, etc. She seemed to be totally fine, though we did realize at some point that she wasn't laying any eggs at all. Otherwise she was a normal chicken.

In October 2013 we decided to cull that batch of chickens. When I was taking out the insides of this particular chicken, I discovered she was packed full of this sort of hard, yellow stuff. There was a lot of it. She turned out to be much small than she seemed, like she had less meat, less guts, because of this yellow stuff.

I've always wondered what it was. Some sort of cancer? Egg yolks that didn't come out for some reason and all cooked inside? I can't remember now if we found any egg yolks inside, as we usually find some when we're culling. We saved the bird to eat, but then I just didn't feel like that was a good idea.

Sorry for the bowl of guts photo, but this is what I have:



Any thoughts?

 

[enola]

Eggyolk peronitis? Hens can be sick with this for a long time.

 

[Eggcessive]

Internal layers can have lots of weird egg masses in their bellies. They will sometimes pass some of this material out of the vent, and these are called lash eggs.

 

[rebrascora]

I'm going to suggest Marek's disease as the tumours I found inside my pullet with it, had areas that looked just like scrambled egg within the mass but the tumours were not in the abdominal cavity, so I know it was nothing to do with eggs. It would explain why your chicken appeared to get better as that can happen with Marek's and also the problems walking and getting up and down the step/roost, as it often affects the sciatic nerve, usually on one side. Being thin or even emaciated is another symptom of it, even though they appear to eat well.
From what I have read the meat is safe to eat although I discarded the tumours themselves and cooked the rest for my cats.

 

[seminolewind]

Eggyolk peronitis? Hens can be sick with this for a long time.

I agree. It looks like cooked egg yolk. l had my first one last year.