Necropcy, warning! photos of internal organs!

[chipens]

I posted on here about some rhode islands drinking alot and doing very watery poops.
I decided to cull the worst one to take a look inside (I've processed many roosters for eating and have a rough idea what should be 'normal') I took a couple photos, should've taken more oops.
Hen was literally skin and bone, hugely prominent keel bone, and skin was very dry and insides were very dry.
There was alot of bright orange stuff around organs.
This photo is top of small intestines duodenal loop cut open and has sort of dark patches.
crop looked a little 'thickened' but was quite dry and rubbery, gizzard was full and had good amount of stones, rest of organs looked relatively normal and healthy, no worms seen. Alot of digestive system was empty as hadn't been fed that day.
Can anyone see anything or know why so orange??
I've got another about the same I'm treating for coccidia to see if any improvement, she doesn't have such watery poops more pasty with lots of white.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm sorry about your chickens.

Without testing, it's hard to know exactly what you are dealing with.
Do you have a vet or agricultural lab that can runs some tests to help you figure out what's going on?

My first thought is E. Coli infection but that's just a guess. A gram stain through your vet would give much more information.

Try treating for Coccidiosis, it may be helpful.

 

[chipens]

I'm sorry about your chickens.

Without testing, it's hard to know exactly what you are dealing with.
Do you have a vet or agricultural lab that can runs some tests to help you figure out what's going on?

My first thought is E. Coli infection but that's just a guess. A gram stain through your vet would give much more information.

Try treating for Coccidiosis, it may be helpful.

Yea I had also thought a secondary infection of some sort, possibly to a coccidia out break. I know a vet could do much more and possibly get answers but it would be very expensive and I can't justify that (just yet) and is why i wanted to take a look myself. These chooks run in a pen that's attached to another pen with 15 or so chooks in and they have no symptoms like the rhode islands and they have been housed like that for nearly a year now. I've had on and off issues with the rhode islands for about 6 months, their chicks had alot of leg issues after hatching, presume a nutrient deficiency in the egg.

 

[ChickNanny13]

You have other breeds, they are house together but only the RIR are affected; chicks having leg issues and now this. Is it possible it's genetice/inbreeding?

I ask this ask I've read (somewhere here) that curled toes could be that and not only nutritional. I raised (for a friend) a curl toed chick whose will be going back to her soon, assuming it was CTP/Riboflavin deficiency treated and it improved greatly however I noticed the webbing of its feet "tight" and although one side toes straignthen out, the other remains crooked but able "able bodied". Only recently did this owner tell me not to worry about it, she has others with "crooked" toes but never hatched one as bad as this one. She's raises for eggs and not selling birds so guess it's "ok"

 

[chipens]

You have other breeds, they are house together but only the RIR are affected; chicks having leg issues and now this. Is it possible it's genetice/inbreeding?

I ask this ask I've read (somewhere here) that curled toes could be that and not only nutritional. I raised (for a friend) a curl toed chick whose will be going back to her soon, assuming it was CTP/Riboflavin deficiency treated and it improved greatly however I noticed the webbing of its feet "tight" and although one side toes straignthen out, the other remains crooked but able "able bodied". Only recently did this owner tell me not to worry about it, she has others with "crooked" toes but never hatched one as bad as this one. She's raises for eggs and not selling birds so guess it's "ok"

Possibility, I brought 2 lots off eggs from different places and hatched them, so unless there's issues with parent stock where I got them from, I'd not know. It is interesting as not all have the issue, so it could be the ones from one lot of eggs. It could be that they have weak immune systems.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Yea I had also thought a secondary infection of some sort, possibly to a coccidia out break. I know a vet could do much more and possibly get answers but it would be very expensive and I can't justify that (just yet) and is why i wanted to take a look myself. These chooks run in a pen that's attached to another pen with 15 or so chooks in and they have no symptoms like the rhode islands and they have been housed like that for nearly a year now. I've had on and off issues with the rhode islands for about 6 months, their chicks had alot of leg issues after hatching, presume a nutrient deficiency in the egg.

I'm assuming you have Coxoid (Amprolium) to treat for Coccidiosis.

Do you happen to have access to any antibiotics as well? If you do, then it may be worth a shot to give the sick/weak ones a round of antibiotics to see if they drastically improve. This would let you know if infection is a big part of the problem.

I do agree, it sounds like if this decline is only affecting one breed, then genetics/developmental problems/issues would be a good assumption.