Managing Your Flock and the Importance of Necropsies - Contains Graphic Picures and Video

[casportpony]

So if you find a sick bird and taking it to the vet is not an option, what are you going to do? This came up the other day when someone sent me a video of their hen gasping for air. Said hen had no eye/nasal discharge and was according to them fine the day before. They had no medications on hand and could not take the hen to a vet.

To complicate matters, California is now a no antibiotic without a prescription state, (https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/ahfss/aus/docs/Antimicrobial_Availability_Vet.pdf), so those of us in CA can no longer run to our feed store any antibiotics.

Anyway, The hen was dead within an hour, so I told her to bring her by for a necropsy.

Does anyone want to guess what I found?

 

[henaynei]

Fluid in her lungs or perhaps an internal parasite?

 

[casportpony]

Fluid in her lungs or perhaps an internal parasite?

Correct!
Though it was not fluid in her lungs, it was pus! And of course she had a bunch of roundworms.

 

[henaynei]

Correct!
Though it was not fluid in her lungs, it was pus! And of course she had a bunch of roundworms.

I cheated, I’m a nurse...
Poor chicky
Hope they address the worm issue ASAP
What caused the infection do you think?

 

[casportpony]

I cheated, I’m a nurse...
Poor chicky
Hope they address the worm issue ASAP
What caused the infection do you think?

That's not cheating, lol. Without proper lab testing it's hard to say what caused it. Maybe it aspirated some feed, maybe it was some sort of contagious bacterial infection?

 

[casportpony]

Here are some necropsy pictures:

Spoiler: Necropsy

 

[JesusHChicken]

To complicate matters, California is now a no antibiotic with a prescription state, (https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/ahfss/aus/docs/Antimicrobial_Availability_Vet.pdf), so those of us in CA can no longer run to our feed store antibiotics

Wow. That really bites. When did this restriction start?

Great advice. Thanks for this post. To know how to do a necropsy is important.

 

[henaynei]

That's not cheating, lol. Without proper lab testing it's hard to say what caused it. Maybe it aspirated some feed, maybe it was some sort of contagious bacterial infection?

The difference could be critical, as you know...were some samples of the pus taken to vet for culturing?

 

[henaynei]

Here are some necropsy pictures:

Spoiler: Necropsy

View attachment 1282321 View attachment 1282322

That seems like a load of worms for something as small as a chicken...
What are good treatments for round worms?

 

[casportpony]

That seems like a load of worms for something as small as a chicken...
What are good treatments for round worms?

Most wormers will treat large roundworms, but only fenbendazole is approved for use in laying hens. The approved amount is 1 mg/kg for five days.