NECROPSY PERFORMED - WHAT AM I SEEING ? What is the best time of day to cull for the sake of a small flock?

[WingItRanch]

Oh man.. I hope you get some good news about your pup. When it rains, it pours. I'm glad you have your husband and aren't dealing with this alone.

 

[Eggcessive]

It is hard dealing with sick pets and a dying chicken at the same time. Since I do a necropsy on the ones I lose, I prefer to do it mid-day, so I have enough light to see. For the flock, it might be better to do after they go to roost for the evening. If you keep the body chilled overnight, you could then either do a necropsy or bury her.

 

[Bawkbok]

@Eggcessive NECROPSY PERFORMED GRAPHIC PHOTOS

I gave her one last chance to convince me I was being premature. She just stood there, not foraging, scratching and looking miserable. Her belly was hanging so low and she could barely waddle back to the run. I gave her the best life I could for as long as I could. Now she is giving me the gift of education.
This is my first cull and necropsy. I watched the aforementioned video which was helpful. I did the best I could and didn't get to the kidneys or liver. I stopped when I found the mass from her belly. Please help me understand what I'm seeing.
I think I'm holding her heart?
The mass inside her belly was larger than a grapefruit. My hand is for comparison of size. I sliced it open and found what's in the pictures below. She seemed to have a lot of fat but I don't know what is normal for a chicken.
Thank you for your insight.
Now for the truly hard part of going on without her. Tomorrow will be challenging as the Orpington will probably yell all day wondering where she is. The flock saw me remove her from the roost as I pulled her right after they cooped and all were still awake and aware.
Thank you for your insight.

 

[Bawkbok]

Oh man.. I hope you get some good news about your pup. When it rains, it pours. I'm glad you have your husband and aren't dealing with this alone.

Good news on our dog - age 17. Heart and lungs sound good although he is wheezing and skipping meals for days. Has only lost three pounds but can still see his ribs since I keep the dogs a little on the lean side. Suspect bacterial infection in his mouth since he wreaks to high heaven. Placed on a strong antibiotic.

My husband is not much help in these situations. The chickens are my gig so it is all me 100% unless I need him for an extra set of hands to hold someone while I clean a vent which he is good about doing so I'm grateful there.

I'm happy to have this ordeal behind me. Drinking a glass of wine - and I don't drink.

 

[WingItRanch]

Wow. I'm so sorry for your loss but Thank you so much for sharing. This is education for us all. I'm interested to see what Eggcessive has to say. I've only cut open one bird and it was a healthy cockerel. Never seen anything like this.

 

[MysteryChicken]

@Eggcessive NECROPSY PERFORMED GRAPHIC PHOTOS

I gave her one last chance to convince me I was being premature. She just stood there, not foraging, scratching and looking miserable. Her belly was hanging so low and she could barely waddle back to the run. I gave her the best life I could for as long as I could. Now she is giving me the gift of education.
This is my first cull and necropsy. I watched the aforementioned video which was helpful. I did the best I could and didn't get to the kidneys or liver. I stopped when I found the mass from her belly. Please help me understand what I'm seeing.
I think I'm holding her heart?
The mass inside her belly was larger than a grapefruit. My hand is for comparison of size. I sliced it open and found what's in the pictures below. She seemed to have a lot of fat but I don't know what is normal for a chicken.
Thank you for your insight.
Now for the truly hard part of going on without her. Tomorrow will be challenging as the Orpington will probably yell all day wondering where she is. The flock saw me remove her from the roost as I pulled her right after they cooped and all were still awake and aware.
Thank you for your insight.

The organ in your hand is the gizzard. Heart is up in the chest cavity above the liver.

The giant mass is a huge Lash Egg.

 

[WingItRanch]

Good news on our dog - age 17. Heart and lungs sound good although he is wheezing and skipping meals for days. Has only lost three pounds but can still see his ribs since I keep the dogs a little on the lean side. Suspect bacterial infection in his mouth since he wreaks to high heaven. Placed on a strong antibiotic.

My husband is not much help in these situations. The chickens are my gig so it is all me 100% unless I need him for an extra set of hands to hold someone while I clean a vent which he is good about doing so I'm grateful there.

I'm happy to have this ordeal behind me. Drinking a glass of wine - and I don't drink.

I'll have a glass of wine in your honor. Good job today. I'm also on my own when it comes to the animals. This is why we have BYC friends.

 

[Bawkbok]

I'll have a glass of wine in your honor. Good job today. I'm also on my own when it comes to the animals. This is why we have BYC friends.

You said it sister!! I would be lost without BYC and the wonderful support here. I have yet to shed a tear - I think because I'm mad that she had so much discomfort in her life. She was a friggin awesome chicken and I will miss her terribly.

 

[Yardfulla poopers]

Good news on our dog - age 17. Heart and lungs sound good although he is wheezing and skipping meals for days. Has only lost three pounds but can still see his ribs since I keep the dogs a little on the lean side. Suspect bacterial infection in his mouth since he wreaks to high heaven. Placed on a strong antibiotic.

My husband is not much help in these situations. The chickens are my gig so it is all me 100% unless I need him for an extra set of hands to hold someone while I clean a vent which he is good about doing so I'm grateful there.

I'm happy to have this ordeal behind me. Drinking a glass of wine - and I don't drink.

I know you are going through a lot and I'm sorry. My advice with the dog is get a chest x-ray. My dog had the same symptoms and they kept giving him steroids/antibiotics until I demanded an x-ray. He had congestive heart failure and they said they couldn't hear that with the stethoscope.

 

[Bawkbok]

The giant mass is a huge Lash Egg.

Thank you. Why could she not pass it months ago when it first formed? Any thoughts?