Lash Egg - Oh No... Here we go again!

ZedikerStation

Songster
Jan 2, 2020
247
210
131
Western Pennsylvania, USA
We haven't seen lash material in a little over 30 days now because the last one that was passing it is still in "sick bay", the other 2 died. More about that here.

So this is now going to be the 3rd, but possibly the 4th hen passing lash material. (I'm thinking #2 was EYP) I'm starting to wonder if they are all predisposed to this issue. We don't know which one it is yet, but will narrow it down like before by noting roost position and checking the droppings board in the mornings... Uggh.

We are down to 7 in the coop, and one in the house. Of those 7 we are only getting 1 egg a day. Occasionally, we get 2. They were filling the nest boxes to the tune of 10 a day when there were 12 in there.

I'm wondering if there is anything to be seen under a microscope that would provide any information on the cause, other than the obvious Salpingitis....

@azygous
@Eggcessive
@Wyorp Rock
 
When you have so many chickens dying, it may be unwise to assume you know why. There could be a more serious underlying issue such as avian virus. I wonder what a lab necropsy would turn up. It might be worth sending one of these dead birds off to see what they find.
 
When you have so many chickens dying, it may be unwise to assume you know why. There could be a more serious underlying issue such as avian virus. I wonder what a lab necropsy would turn up. It might be worth sending one of these dead birds off to see what they find.
Agreed. It will most likely be "Sling-Girl" next week. With 5 new 17 week pullets in another building in quarantine for another 3 weeks, I can't chance putting them in the coop at this point.
 
Well, "Sling-Girl" had her bags packed and ticket bought. She was going to be the first girl in the flock to go to College (Penn State University) yesterday. That was until she decided to show signs of improvement. Yeah, it's not much, but she is adjusting herself in the sling, (that she hates), and is able to stand if leaning against something or with a little assist. She's eating, drinking, and pooping, so we thought we would give her another week, unless she takes a turn for the worse. She looks a little ragged, so this probably won't be her yearbook photo....
 

Attachments

  • 20210406_200437.jpg
    20210406_200437.jpg
    370.4 KB · Views: 4
Update on "Sling-Girl"

After her slight improvement, she took a turn for the worse and refused any food. She was looking bad so it was time to end her suffering. She went to Penn State University and they preformed the gross necropsy this morning. We will have the results tomorrow evening, with the exception of the bacterial slides which are going to take a few days. What we know at this point:

1- She did not have salpingitis; in fact she was completely out of egg production with full regression of both the ovary and oviduct. (does this seem odd for a 2 year old hen? This probably explains why we are only getting 1 or 2 eggs a day from the remaining 7 hens)

2- The liver was mildly enlarged with multiple spots throughout. (not sure what this indicates)

3- She set up bacterial cultures and took samples to look at under the microscope (histopathology).

4- She didn’t have any feed in the gizzard, but she found 2 screws, a washer, and a small piece of glass/plastic.

We should have preliminary results from bacteriology tomorrow. Histopathology can take a few days to prepare the slides and then a few more days for her to review the slides.

Can anyone think of things to ask the lab? This mystery is still not telling us what caused the issue with this hen, just what did not cause it.

Our new Barred Rock hens are trapped in quarantine and have begun laying. I'm sure they would like to move into the coop, but we need to make sure the coast is clear.

The fourth hen that became listless and was passing lash eggs 3 days in a row was put on Amoxicillin 7 days ago. After 48 hours she began moving around. Today, 7 days into antibiotics, she is fighting her way back up the pecking order. We are giving her the Amoxicillin for a full 10 days, then some yogurt to get her right.

Does the end of egg production result in lash eggs?
 
Sling Girl had "pica", a disorder that affects animals and people where they fixate on eating non-food items such a hardware and paper and dirt. It's a brain thing. When chickens eat metal, they usually die from it.

But it sounds like she could have had a tumor causing avian virus. Hopefully the other tests will be more conclusive.

Lash material is pus. It's caused by infection which can cause sterility.
 
Sling Girl had "pica", a disorder that affects animals and people where they fixate on eating non-food items such a hardware and paper and dirt. It's a brain thing. When chickens eat metal, they usually die from it.
Do you think that would cause her to not walk or stand? If I remember from my 4-H days, is it true things like that won't pass through the gizzard?
 
I've never had a chicken with pica, but from what I've read, the hardware accumulates in the gizzard and causes health issues, sometimes heavy metal poisoning. At the very least, it would prevent the gizzard from digesting food efficiently and the hen will eventually become malnourished, causing a domino effect of health issues, eventually leading to death.

You have a rare bird there. Pica isn't very common.
 
I've never had a chicken with pica, but from what I've read, the hardware accumulates in the gizzard and causes health issues, sometimes heavy metal poisoning. At the very least, it would prevent the gizzard from digesting food efficiently and the hen will eventually become malnourished, causing a domino effect of health issues, eventually leading to death.

You have a rare bird there. Pica isn't very common.
Great! She was a regular walking magnet... The heavy metal makes sense. Hopefully we can get some solid answers from the lab later this week.
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom