Necropsy pictures (graphic images), help please..

[Briani]

Part 1
We have some Red Star chickens that are about 2.5 years old. And they are starting to get what my wife is calling water belly, ( its not the crop ) and she believes Coccidiosis. They have a white pasty butt. Its not all the Chickens but it seems like a new one every week or couple of weeks. we drained one and got the clear yellow liquid out ( like is described in the posts and youtube videos we seen). about a week and a half later she started getting big again. She died Friday. We are loosing chickens too fast if you ask me. We've tried to find out what is causing this and how to fix this problem. If anyone can help me figure this out I would really appreciate it. I think I'm going to add Apple Cider Vinegar to their water today. I guess that helps there gut Flora, but besides that I don't know. Thank you for your help..

part 2
Ok so we did a Necropsy on the chicken today and took some pictures. ( I am by no means a professional or skilled in anatomy in any way but I tried ) There's a couple things that we didn't know. What are these little white raised bumps all over the guts? And the green thing not sure what that is either. Thank you for your help..

 

[Nambroth]

So sorry you are losing your hens. Sex-linked production hens have a very, very high incidence of fatal reproductive issues due to the focus on egg production in breeding these birds. My vet, who specializes in avians and sees many pet/backyard chickens yearly, says that they are her number one patient for reproductive illness and that sadly many of them never live to see three years of age. Your birds at 2.5 are in the prime age group for these issues, sadly. They have amongst the highest rates for reproductive cancer, egg peritonitis, ascites (water belly), etc. If you'd like to avoid these issues in the future, you can consider a breed less known for high production. The trade off, of course, is that you may have less egg production! There are no cures for these ailments... it's pure genetics and valuing egg production over longevity that causes this in these hens. Peritonitis can sometimes be managed if caught early, but requires expensive veterinary intervention that most people can not or won't do.

I can tell you the white dots all throughout her system are probably reproductive cancer. I lost my golden comet (a red sex linked production chicken) to this, exactly. We took her to the vet and did an ultrasound and discovered the cancer all though her viscera. She was suffering and so we kindly euthanized her. A necropsy showed just what you experienced above (this was not a home diagnosis but one made by a licensed avian vet). I didn't take photos because she was a loved pet and I didn't think of it at the time. This doesn't look like Marek's or Avian Lymphoid Leukosis, to me... it just looks like (sadly) reproductive cancer.
Your photos also look like she may have had some peritonitis, which is another common illness in production hens. See: the yellow yolky material.

 

[Eggcessive]

I am not an expert on necropsies, but in seeing the little bumps everywhere, I would guess that your hen may have had a virus causing cancer, such as lymphoid leukosis or Mareks disease. It would be great if others, such as @casportpony, @rebrascora and others, with more experience chime in.

Can you show a clear shot of the liver?

 

[Nambroth]

I forgot to mention, when my hen was diagnosed, the cancer was all through her intestines almost exactly like the photos above and in the link I shared When we were discussing her prognosis with the vet, she said that it (tumors) often travels like this and is inoperable due to becoming so homogenized with their intestines and sometimes nearby organs. My poor girl had gone off her food, and food was her favorite thing in the world, so we knew it was time to euthanize her, RIP.

 

[rebrascora]

So my next question is this cancer everyone is talking about... Does it transfer to the egg. And could it be transferred to humans?

I very much doubt it and I would imagine this hen has not been producing eggs for a little while so you have most likely eaten her eggs by now and therefore little point in even considering it. I'm pretty certain there will be some chickens in commercial egg farms with similar cancers developing but there is no way of knowing until the chicken starts to show symptoms or is butchered.

Thanks it really wasn't that bad. Really weird thing there was no blood?

Blood congeals in the blood vessels after death, so the only time that blood will flow is when the bird is still alive ie during surgery or if a major blood vessel is cut immediately after death but it slows very rapidly in that latter scenario.

 

[Nambroth]

So my next question is this cancer everyone is talking about... Does it transfer to the egg. And could it be transferred to humans?

No. It is not something you need to worry about in that regard; it is not contagious to other chickens or to people. People safely consume processed birds with this affliction (though often when it progresses to the point of death, the bird is thin and possibly not worth eating anyhow). Eggs are also perfectly safe, if the hen is still trying to lay.

 

[Nambroth]

I figured so. But it doesn't hurt to ask. Thank you for the response

You bet! Asking is what the forum is all about. Someone else may come here and learn from your questions in the future, too.

 

[rebrascora]

Hi
Well done for opening her up. It certainly highlights the terminal issue which is a cancer of some description with all those nodules. The green things appear to be in or next to the ovary, so I am guessing they are probably infected follicles. As @Nambroth says, your flock issues stem from the age and breed of birds you have.... some red sex links will make it past 3years but the majority probably won't. There is a price to pay for their wonderful productivity.
I'm sorry there is nothing much I can suggest to improve the longevity of the remaining flock members. This is unlikely to be coccidiosis related unless the cancer compromises their immune system. Most adult chickens develop immunity to the coccidia in their environment. The times they are at risk from it are when they are moved to a new environment and perhaps exposed to different strains of it that their bodies have previously not encountered or their immune system is suppressed by some other illness or stress.

 

[casportpony]

So sorry for your losses.

I'm no expert either, but that does look like cancer, and the first thing that came to mind was an oviduct cancer that spread.

 

[Kiki]

Thank you for sharing pictures.