Ranting Chicken's Reproductive Ill health.

[SkyAJK]

I know what you mean. When I discovered how large the one was that I removed, I was dumbfounded by the size and the density; layered as Mint's was. I then felt a tremendous guilt for allowing her to linger for so long surprised she didn't succumb to it sooner.
They are amazing creatures.
May your heartache end soon. Be gentle with yourself.

I am sorry that it happened to your hen. Mint wanted to live, she tried to eat, picked up the blueberries and dropped it down instead, that mass was crushing her organs. Her will/mind want to live, to eat the yummy food, but the body just not having it. You and I could not have done it any sooner because when they so want to live, how could we take that away from them.

 

[SkyAJK]

I am quite certain that the mass lash egg Mint had took about a year to build up. She started going to the nestbox, but no egg since August 2024.

I am sure Mint was internal laying, but the lash egg is an infection.

The mass is caused by the infection or the internal laying that caused the mass build up?

How does this work?

 

[tlcmurphy]

I am quite certain that the mass lash egg Mint had took about a year to build up. She started going to the nestbox, but no egg since August 2024.

I am sure Mint was internal laying, but the lash egg is an infection.

The mass is caused by the infection or the internal laying that caused the mass build up?

How does this work?

Let me tag a few folks that may know the answer.
@Eggcessive
@Wyorp Rock
@azygous

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I just euthanized my sick hen Mint this afternoonView attachment 4291684View attachment 4291685View attachment 4291686View attachment 4291687. She was the first egg hatched in my home ever, she was healthy, strong, and inherited reproductive ill health from her Isa Brown father. Her mother is an Silver laced Wyandotte.

Her tummy was solid hard, she wanted to live, but she was carrying that large mass of lash egg material so she did not eat and was covered in feather only. Here what I found after opened her up.

I feel sad, relief and sad, very sad.

Edit to add: Fat covered her gizzard, all other organs did not look sick. I think that mass of lash egg about 400-500g if not more

I am quite certain that the mass lash egg Mint had took about a year to build up. She started going to the nestbox, but no egg since August 2024.

I am sure Mint was internal laying, but the lash egg is an infection.

The mass is caused by the infection or the internal laying that caused the mass build up?

How does this work?

I'm sorry about your hen.

All of the mass (Lash material) looks like it was encased in the Oviduct, so I would call this Salpingitis which is an inflammation of the Oviduct.
Salpingitis can be the result of several different things, without testing, it would be hard to know which one unless you know for certain that there is a history of something like Mycoplasma or other respiratory disease in your flock. Other causes are infection. More information is outlined in the links below.

Internal Laying is what it sounds like. You would find partially or fully formed eggs "laid internally" in the Abdominal Cavity. These travel due to reverse peristalsis of the oviduct (traveling back up and dropping into the abdomen. In your photos that were posted, I don't see any evidence of Internal Laying unless you also found loose or shelled eggs in the abdominal cavity and that was not included in the photos. (Should not be confused with seeing the Ovary which has a cluster of developing Ova (which will eventually be yolks(Ovum)).

Hope that helps.

https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poul...tive-system-in-poultry/salpingitis-in-poultry
https://the-chicken-chick.com/causes-of-lash-eggs-salpingitis-by/