older hen very bloated and heavy - worms?

[PeepersMama]

Based on how fast she died, it was very likely internal laying. We had a professionla necropsy done on one ofour girls whoh had almost exactly the same symptoms your girl did, and the vet guy said that a yolk exploded in her gut. He called it egg yolk peritonitis, but from the research I've done, that pretty much means internal laying of any kind.
So sorry for your loss!

 

[Gypsi]

Not too late and yes I think she was laying internally. On the australorps, I had them in the run on the lot and never was sure which were laying, this has been going on for awhile. Her abdomen was full of a golden tan paste. she didn't even smell bad, possibly due to dehydration, her fluids did evacuate normally when she died. I didn't go through all organs but did see part of them peeking out between the paste. attaching a photo.


(I realize I should have done a full necropsy but I didn't have the heart. Not one worm, no liquid at all)

 

[Gypsi]

Photo in previous post. I'll bet she had 3 pounds of paste given the difference between her weight and her sisters. Has she ever laid a normal egg if this is the case?

 

[PeepersMama]

Yep, that's it. I need to become a scientist and put an end to all the world's deadly diseases; human and animal!

 

[Gypsi]

I gather things give out as birds get older. My friend the farmer saw the pic when no one posted here, she called it a Faulty infundibulum (funnel)? But says it was recent as the infection that starts when eggs enter the abdomen doesn't take long to kill.

She is 3.5 years old, this isn't a lifetime's worth of eggs. My hens have never gotten past 3 before.

I quit giving sunflower seed treats and quit losing birds to heart disease.

Now I have 7 more birds her age, and one 2.5 and no one is presently laying. The 2.5 year old certainly has eggs left. Waiting for the fall moult to finish and raising some chicks. (half of whom will likely be roosters..)

 

[rebrascora]

Hi

So sorry to hear your girl didn't make it and well done for opening her up. In my experience internal laying can go on for quite a while (weeks and months) but once infection (peritonitis) sets in they start to look ill and go downhill rapidly. You can treat the infection with antibiotics if you catch it soon enough but it will almost certainly reoccur, so in reality the condition is not treatable and therefore nothing you could reasonably have done for her.

For information, you would only know if there was a worm burden by removing the intestines and examining the contents.....that is a smelly job! You would not expect to see worms just loose in the abdominal cavity.

As regards egg production, I have about 40 hens and only 3 are laying at the moment. It's just the time of year. Moulting and lack of daylight. It will pick up in a couple of months or so.

Good luck with the rest of your flock.

Best wishes

Barbara