I am lucky to live very close to one of the only poultry pathology labs in the state of California, so when I lose a bird (which does not happen often, thankfully), I can have a thorough necropsy performed for only $25.
I am attaching a recent necropsy report for my oldest hen as I am sure there are others out there (like me) who are fascinated by information like this and/or curious about the information included in these reports.
Background on hen the report is based on: She was a barred rock, 4 years and 11 months old, and over the winter, I noticed she was not acting like herself (seemed lethargic, didn't have her usual pep). I assumed it was due to the cold weather and molting and figured she'd perk up as the weather warmed and days got longer. In late January, I noticed she had a bit of a limp (and had a dirty bottom), so I gave her an epsom salt soak to soothe her joints and cleaned her up. While cleaning the feces off of her feathers, I noticed her abdomen felt enlarged/rounded and firm yet squishy (like a very full water balloon); obviously not normal. I monitored her for a few more weeks but did not see any improvement and also noticed she had started eating less and seemed generally uncomfortable (labored breathing while resting, no longer roosting on roost bar, etc.). I made a vet appointment and after discussing with vet, we decided the best thing for her was to euthanize her. The vet could not diagnose her definitively without running diagnostics but strongly suspected reproductive cancer. According to the necropsy, she was right, and even though it was tough to lose the hen, I made the right choice in ending her suffering.
If you can utilize your state's pathology/university lab, I highly recommend it! It's an inexpensive way to get peace of mind; especially if a bird dies unexpectedly so you can rule out contagious disease.
I am attaching a recent necropsy report for my oldest hen as I am sure there are others out there (like me) who are fascinated by information like this and/or curious about the information included in these reports.
Background on hen the report is based on: She was a barred rock, 4 years and 11 months old, and over the winter, I noticed she was not acting like herself (seemed lethargic, didn't have her usual pep). I assumed it was due to the cold weather and molting and figured she'd perk up as the weather warmed and days got longer. In late January, I noticed she had a bit of a limp (and had a dirty bottom), so I gave her an epsom salt soak to soothe her joints and cleaned her up. While cleaning the feces off of her feathers, I noticed her abdomen felt enlarged/rounded and firm yet squishy (like a very full water balloon); obviously not normal. I monitored her for a few more weeks but did not see any improvement and also noticed she had started eating less and seemed generally uncomfortable (labored breathing while resting, no longer roosting on roost bar, etc.). I made a vet appointment and after discussing with vet, we decided the best thing for her was to euthanize her. The vet could not diagnose her definitively without running diagnostics but strongly suspected reproductive cancer. According to the necropsy, she was right, and even though it was tough to lose the hen, I made the right choice in ending her suffering.
If you can utilize your state's pathology/university lab, I highly recommend it! It's an inexpensive way to get peace of mind; especially if a bird dies unexpectedly so you can rule out contagious disease.
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