**Necropsy results** Georgie is orange. Any ideas? Jaundice?

[ChooksChick]

Georgie is almost a year and a half old and has a health history. She was a normal, robust BR up until a spill off the roost this Spring in which she fractured her pelvis. She recovered after 7 weeks inside, though she never regained laying status.

She began a molt about a month ago, like all of her sisters, and then began to (finally) redden up again for the first time since her injury. Her comb, which had flopped during her convalescence, began to right itself. Suddenly, about a week ago she began looking as though she felt unwell, and very quickly she turned bright yellow/orange.

She eats 1/2 Layena, 1/2 Manna Pro Trip-L-Duty, with some Game bird feed (24% protein) thrown in for the molt. They all have oyster and grit free will, as is the food. No medications, save that I wormed them with Wazine the same day I decided she was ill- her symptoms haven't changed due to the Wazine.

I'm not certain if she has an illness or jaundice or what- I've never seen this or experienced anything like it. She had a mildly runny nose two nights ago, but it was cold out and so did I! She got confused and walked into the open banty shanty on her way to the coop that night and due to low light, couldn't find her way out (the door was the opposite direction from the visible light of the coop, so she paced the hardware cloth facing the lit coop, panicked, until I got out there). She's never done that before and looked unwell. The next day I decided to isolate her, but I have 60 chicks inside, so it's difficult!

Does anyone know what is going on with her?

This pic really doesn't do her coloring justice- she looks like a liver disease victim.

 

[ChooksChick]

So I had to leave for 7 hours after I posted, and she stood/sat in the same spot in the room I have her in the whole time. My family reports she just stared and talked to them here and there- she's very vocal.

She doesn't appear to have any other symptoms unless I take her outside, where it's about 40 degrees, and she gets a runny nose pretty quickly then.

Anyone have anything?

 

[canada-goose]

I don't know what could be wrong. Good luck and I hope she'll be okay!

 

[ChooksChick]

Today she ate a little cooked egg and some thawed frozen corn. Not all that interested in anything. I'm very bummed about this. No symptoms. She just stands there and makes little noises when we go by.

I'm very sad about this, as are my daughters- she's been through so much!

 

[drumstick diva]

Poor Georgie, she really looks jaundiced! I wonder if those special lights they have for jaundiced babies work for anything else. Is there any way she would have come into some poison. I know some go straight to the liver. Could you pm Three Horses? I'm sure she would come up with some super advice. Hoping this will turn around for her.

 

[Iowa Roo Mom]

I don't know..

I hope someone jumps on and gets you and Georgie the advice you need soon!

 

[speckledhen]

I dont know. I'm sure you checked her for lice/mites. Pale color can be anemia, but it sure is orangey! Wish I had an answer for you. Could be her liver is failing, but I sure hope not.

Found this for you from a bird veterinarian's site, which was an answer to someone who wrote in, so seems to go with what I was thinking:

From what you have said, it doesn't sound like liver disease, as usually with a liver disease whether it be fatty liver or any other liver disease causing illness , you will get jaundice- a yellowing of the mucus membranes, so the wattle and comb would take on a yellowish color. The fact it is pale red either is more indicative of anemia or a circulatory disorder.

Also, found this, another article that points to the liver malfunction:
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/163/vibrionic-hepatitis-avian-infectious-hepatitis

Vibrionic Hepatitis, Avian Infectious Hepatitis

Extracted From:

A Pocket Guide to
Poultry Health
and
Disease

By Paul McMullin

2004
Click Here to
Order Your Copy
Introduction
An insidious onset disease of chickens caused by Vibrio bacteria. Morbidity is low. Transmission is by faecal contamination, birds remaining carriers for months, and disease is precipitated by stress. The infective agent is rather resistant to environment and disinfectants.

Signs

Dejection.
Diarrhoea.
Loss of condition.
Inappetance.
Pale comb and wattles.
Scaly comb.
Jaundice.
Drop in production/weight gain.
Post-mortem lesions

Focal hepatic necrosis in 10% of affected. Foci often stellate, or there may be a cauliflower-like 'spotty liver'.
Haematocysts under capsule.
Swelling of organs.
Catarrhal enteritis.
Diagnosis
History, lesions, isolation of infective agent from bile. Differentiate from leukosis, histomonosis, ulcerative enteritis, fowl cholera, and typhoid.

Treatment
Erythromycin, fluoroquinolones.

Prevention
Hygiene, depopulate, obtain birds free of disease, contain stressors.​

 

[dlhunicorn]

Birds do not get "jaundice " in the sense that their skin turns yellow from liver problems:
http://www.heidihoefer.com/pages/birds/avian_blood_test.htm
(excerpt)
"...Bilirubin testing does not have diagnostic value in most species. This means that birds do not become jaundiced (skin and eyes turning yellow). Birds lack the enzyme which converts the bile pigment biliverdin into bilirubin. Birds with liver disease will therefore have excess levels of biliverdin. Biliverdin does not accumulate in tissues; it is rapidly excreted in the urine. Green/yellow urates represents biliverdin in the urine and can be loosely considered the bird equivalent of jaundice. Birds do not become "yellow" from jaundice like people or other small companion mammals...."

see here on pigmentation (and check your feed sources for anything mentioned including your vitamin supplement)
http://ps.fass.org/cgi/reprint/84/1/143.pdf

 

[tuffolbird]

I don't want to alarm you but this is something to think about. This is the only mention of yellow skin that I could find. Other web sites state that it is usually found in birds around 2 years of age but can develope in younger birds. Also, it is possible to be transfered to humans. Here is the link:

http://www.worldpoultry.net/health-diseases/a/avian-tuberculosis-tb.-9.html

And here is an excerpt:

Avian tuberculosis (TB).
Occurrence: Worldwide.

Species affected: All.

Age affected: Older (over 2 years of age), rare in commercial flocks.

Causes: Bacterium- Mycobacterium avian.

Effects: Pale, regressed combs and wattles, depression, emaciation, anaemia, unthriftiness, icterus (yellow skin) and lameness. Public health significance.

Detailed causes:

Avian tuberculosis can be a serious chronic problem in older birds (over 2 years of age) of all species, but in rare in commercial flocks. It is caused by Mycobacterium avian, an acid-fast, bactillary, club-like bacterium. Curved and crooked forms of the bacterium can also occur.



It is spread by older carrier birds, or contaminated faecal material, soil, litter, aerosol, and cannibalism.

Special note
It has public health significance. Some cases of M. avium induced disease can occur in man. Immunosuppressed humans are very susceptible to this organism. It can spread to swine and cattle causing positive skin test. Backyard flocks, zoo and aviary birds over 2 years of age are commonly infected.

Clinical signs:

Pale, regressed combs, wattles, and depression can be seen. Emaciation, anaemia, unthriftiness, icterus (yellow skin) and lameness may occur.

Postmortem lesions
Internal yellow or grey-white pearl-shaped nodules in lungs, liver, spleen, intestines and bone marrow may be seen.

Diagnosis:

Gross lesions (nodules in lungs and bone) and TB skin test of wattles using antigen from state diagnostic laboratory are diagnostic. Acid-fast stain of Tubercle bacilli is also important. Histopathologic observations of tubercule and acid-fast bacilli can be done. Serology tests include ELISA and rapid agglutination test. It simulates lymphoid leucosis and coligranuloma.

Treatment and control:

Prevention
Separate birds by age and remove skin-test-positive birds. Affected flocks should be quarantined.

Treatment
Depopulation of commercial flocks is important. Exotic species can be given isoniazid (30 mg/Kg), ethambutol (30mg/Kg) and rifampicillin (45 mg/Kg) for 18 months.

 

[tuffolbird]

How is your hen doing? I am interested because the yellow skin symptom is not common at all. I think this could be a learning experience for all. I really hope she improves.