Hi,
*Disclaimer* I sent the autopsy report to all of the involved parties when I got it back, PMing around the 25th April. I have not seen one posted or sent to me from anyone else. I am having blood drawn tomorrow at Analy Vet in Sebastopol at 9am, where there is a poultry vet with whom I have been corresponding, as many of my other chicks which were with the affected ones have also been ill. My philosophy at this point is that it is better to find out and deal with it.
Below is what I sent to the involved people. *I am not interested at this point in anything but trying to get my flock healthy.* Dawn
Here is the UC Davis report. I was bummed when I got a memo on 4/18 from UPS that they mistakenly sent the box to Sacramento (instead of Turlock, which is the address I had on the box!), and so it got to them on
day two. In talking with Dr. Julie, she told me that after reviewing the chicks and hearing that several people had received sick chicks from one breeder, her best guess was "failure to thrive" due to poor/unsanitary hatch conditions, which then developed into the symptoms she lists below.
FYI per Wikipedia (I had to look it up!):
In biology, autolysis, more commonly known as self-digestion, refers to the destruction of a cell through the action of its own enzymes.
Best,
Dawn
CAHFS Case #: K1200827
3 dead, 3 week old BYF chicks
PO Box 1522
Turlock, CA 95381-2204
(209) 634-5837
Final
Version 1
This report supersedes all
previous reports for this case
Date Collected: 04/17/2012
Case Coordinator: Julie Kelly
Electronically Signed and
Authorized By: Kelly, Julie on
4/25/2012 4:35:09PM
04/19/2012
Email To:
[email protected]
Dolan, Dawn
Collection Site:
Dolan, Dawn
764 Alexander Valley Road
Healdsburg, CA 95448
Specimens Received: 3 Carcass;
C a s e C o n t a c t s
Bill To , BYF Backyard Flock ,
Submitter Dolan, Dawn 707-332-4805 764 Alexander Valley Road Healdsburg, CA 95448
ID ID Type Taxonomy Gender Age
S p e c i m e n D e t a i l s
CAHFS Internal ID Chicken 3.00 Weeks
E. coli
-isolated from the trachea
L a b o r a t o r y F i n d i n g s / D i a g n o s i s
***Final Report***
For diagnostic purposes, the birds were too decomposed to see any lesions grossly or histologically. E. coli, a common environmental organism, was isolated from cultures of the tracheas. It is frequently cultured from animals and might be a contributing cause of death in these birds. However, the definitive cause cannot be determined. There were no signs of transmittable disease and no other significant findings were observed. This concludes all the testing. If you have any
questions, please feel free to contact us.
C a s e S u m m a r y
Received 3 dead, 3 week old chicks via UPS from Dawn Dolan for necropsy. Birds were brought to owner by a breeder . Birds were lethargic and only ate and drank enough to survive the beginning. One bird died 4-17-12 and others were culled for concern of other chicks. History of these birds being ill from the breeder. Vaccinated for Marek's.
C l i n i c a l H i s t o r y
G r o s s O b s e r v a t i o n s
Received 3 dead birds
-All of the birds had severe autolysis
-No significant gross lesions were observed
B a c t e r i o l o g y
Animal/Source Specimen Specimen Type
BACTERIAL AEROBIC CULTURE
Results
K1200827-01 A Liver Swab No growth after 48 hours
K1200827-01 B Liver Swab Mixed flora Rare
K1200827-01 A Tracheal Swab Mixed Coliforms Mod#
Report 4.3-CAHFS Standard Report - 2/22/2012 Page 1 of 2
CAHFS Final Version 1 Accession # K1200827 April 25, 2012
Escherichia coli
K1200827-01 B Tracheal Swab Escherichia coli Lg#
Mixed flora Sm#
B i o t e c h n o l o g y
Animal/Source Specimen Specimen Type
Avian Influenza matrix gene qRT-PCR
Results
K1200827-01 Pharyngeal Swab
Pool - BHI
K1200827-01.0
002
Negative
H i s t o l o g y
Tissues examined include the lung, liver, kidney, and trachea. All tissues were very autolyzed. Congestion was seen in the lung and kidney. No other significant findings were observed.
Thank you for your insights on the issue as well. It is very helpful. 
