Opinions on necropsy results! *Graphic pic*

[KristaChickenWhisperer]

So I had an easter egger go down suddenly on Friday night. She was alert, but couldn't stand or walk. I did a quick examination and felt a really hard mass in her lower right abdomen. Over the night, she got worse, and passed away.

I recently took this hen in from my Grandparent's, and they told me a few times earlier this year that this hen would get lethargic randomly. She also stopped laying all together, and before she stopped she was laying eggs that were only membrane.

I did a necropsy and pulled out two HUGE masses that looked like hard boiled yoke. One was in her abdominal cavity (and was HUGE) and the other I pulled out of her chest cavity. She had MORE in her chest, but by that time I had seen enough to know why she died. Pictures are below.

Are these tumors or what?

 

[KrisRose]

You are right that the masses are yolk. She was an internal layer. All of my ISA Browns died from this which is way I dont buy them anymore.
Sorry about the loss of your hen.

 

[speckledhen]

Yes, she was an internal layer. Those masses are composed of yolk and solidified infection, not tumors. I've pulled numerous masses just like them out of many hens over the last few years. It's genetic/hormone based, no prevention, no cure, very common in high production breeds.

 

[Hixnstix]

What would be different if the hen was "egg bound" vs "internal layer". Is it the same??

 

[speckledhen]

Completely different things. Egg bound means an entire egg is actually stuck in the oviduct and probably because of the shape or size of the egg, is not being passed. These masses can be found in the oviducts as well as in the abdomen itself.

Egg binding can usually be fixed by easing the egg out. Internal laying is terminal unless a vet does a complete hysterectomy on the hen and can remove all the infection and gunk inside.


Here is what I got from one hen who had not laid in 8 months and died:

 

[featherz]

Quote:
Egg bound is an actual egg stuck in the 'chute'. Internal layer is that mess up top where everything just gels together in their abdomen. Have had one myself so far, a young white leghorn.

 

[Hixnstix]

Very good info. This thread ought be a sticky.

 

[speckledhen]

These threads may be helpful to you. https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=362422

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=195347

 

[KristaChickenWhisperer]

Thanks everyone.

I thought she might have been an internal layer, but when I found a chunk of that stuff in her chest cavity it threw me off a bit.

 

[speckledhen]

It probably just migrated there.