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/

 

[SkyAJK]

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/

Thank you @Wyorp Rock. The first link is not loaded.

Now I understand that the big yellow mass in my hen was not internal laying egg.

That mass I found was in her abdominal is when I opened up her abdominal cavity and it was right there behind all her organs. If to view it from the vent back inside. Once it was removed, then I can see the rest of the organs deep inside her frame.

There was no egg in her abdominal except for that massive yellow thing.

So was that yellow mass actually in her abdominal or her oviduct?

Mint went to the nestbox, but no egg for over a year now. There was no egg/partial egg material in her abdominal cavity

Is this mean Mint was not internal laying, but she suffered from inflammation of the oviduct - yellow mass?

I am not aware that there was respiratory issue in my flock, so I don't know. In the last 6 months I had added in a rooster that I suspected had respiratory issue, he was treated, and no longer show symptoms.

But Mint had produce no egg almost a year before this rooster joined.

I currently have 2 hens doing what Mint did before, go to the nestbox and no egg come out for a month now.

What can I do now to help these 2 hens?

Internal laying/lash egg, I get this 2 condition confused.

 

[SkyAJK]

Should I treat my other 2 hens with antibiotic now?

They could be having inflammation of the Oviduct as sitting in nestbox, but not laying egg.

By the time those little lash eggs come out, it might be too late to treat?

Edit to add that:

Both of their abdominal are soft, slightly swollen, this is compared to other hens in the flock that have flat abdominal.

 

[SkyAJK]

Anyhow...I am ranting some more....sadly

I checked my 2 hens again...Adzuki and Basil, both sitting in their nestbox every morning, then walk out much later without eggs. Tummy slightly swollen and soft.

Both are enjoying their lives - dirt bathing, eating..etc.. do the usual healthy chicken things.

Yes, all that I remember Mint was too until she wasn't with that big hard mass in her abdominal and stop eating.

Déjà vu...seeing it is starting, knowing the progress and the end.

This really is taking out all the joy of having chickens! Let them have their lives, then off with the head around/about a year time, every day enjoying life is a good life. That is life for my Basil and Adzuki as I see it now.

For me, oh...I will be thinking deep thought, read and re-read endless stuff about this condition, wanting to treat them now, all sort of things running through my mind now, later, during my insomnia time, while watching tv, pray, read more on it, check those 2 chickens, watch them with hawk eyes, weight them, check their tummy - is it hot? Might be give them some garlic to fight infection/bacteria, might be oregano oil natural antibiotic...all sort of madness will dance in my thoughts until..when? I get them some sort of treatment/s and this might just mess them up faster.

 

[SkyAJK]

Anyhow, I am not isolating Adzuki and Basil from the flock, so be it!

 

[Bsmac]

Anyhow, I am not isolating Adzuki and Basil from the flock, so be it!

I wouldn`t either. The two ISA Browns I lost. I ended it for one of them but I left her with her flockmates until then. The second one I found on the coop floor the morning after she could not make it up the ramp to get in the coop, she was gone... I figure if I am pretty sure they do not have some thing the healthy birds won`t catch from them I leave their final days with their friends... Only fitting. As long as not suffering badly. Two of my remaining three have been off. One had a pale comb and sat around not eating or drinking much. I gave her a 7 day treatment of Doxytil anti biotic and 1 500mg capsule of Chinese Skullcap ( biacalin) after a week she was fine! Another one has been acting off a bit, labored breathing which she seems to have periodically so I guess we will see how she does. I am pretty sure our flock is Mareks positive so it really is kind of a guessing game at best! Best of luck with yours! I know I will never keep another production breed!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

So was that yellow mass actually in her abdominal or her oviduct?

The mass was encased in the Oviduct, so I would call that Salpingitis.

Is this mean Mint was not internal laying, but she suffered from inflammation of the oviduct - yellow mass?

Salpingitis is inflammation of the Oviduct.
Sorry the link didn't work, hopefully this corrected one will.
https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poul...tive-system-in-poultry/salpingitis-in-poultry

I currently have 2 hens doing what Mint did before, go to the nestbox and no egg come out for a month now.

What can I do now to help these 2 hens?

Should I treat my other 2 hens with antibiotic now?

They could be having inflammation of the Oviduct as sitting in nestbox, but not laying egg.

By the time those little lash eggs come out, it might be too late to treat?

Edit to add that:

Both of their abdominal are soft, slightly swollen, this is compared to other hens in the flock that have flat abdominal.

Both are enjoying their lives - dirt bathing, eating..etc.. do the usual healthy chicken things.

Salpingitis is not really contagious. It's possibly that you may have more than one with the condition, hard to know.

If they are active, eating/drinking and acting normal, I'd just enjoy them.