Sick Rooster Orpington (Necropsy Results)

[casportpony]

The final day they may have been cloudy, could also be from not enough food and water at that point.

When mine get too dehydrated their eyes get dull, not cloudy. Not saying it can't happen, just that I haven't seen it. The one thing my chick did have though was cloudy eyes, and it wasn't due to lack of water because it had been getting ~10% of it's body weight per day in fluids.

 

[RoosterML]

So sorry you lost your rooster.

I read this comment:

Transmission is by inhalation exposure to an environment with a high spore count; there is usually little bird-to-bird transmission. Spores are highly resistant to disinfectants.​

On this site:
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/7/aspergillosis/

I'm not sure moldy food is the culprit. I think you may be correct that the mulch pile may have been harboring the fungus.

Makes me think I'm moving my compost bin out of the chicken pen and keeping the door closed so they can't get in there!

Thanks for sharing your necropsy results.

Hi,
Can't hurt have something that is constantly decaying out of the reach of the birds. I'm sure they love the worms but could be some other things not so great for them in there.

 

[Eggcessive]

Aspergillosis is very common when there is mold from wet conditions, bedding, and when there are water spills or wet spots in the coop and run. It can be common in brooders (brooder pneumonia) with baby chicks, who as we know spill water and feed in bedding. It can enter the air sacs and spread throughout the body, causing fungal lesions on the organs. I would make sure that your coop has plenty of good air circulation overhead from one end to the other. If there are wet areas, try to re-route water, or keep bedding dry and stirred. So sorry for your loss, but your rooster could possibly be the only one affected. Here are some articles to read about aspergillosis:
http://www.poultrydvm.com/condition/aspergillosis

https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poultry/aspergillosis/overview-of-aspergillosis-in-poultry

 

[ChickNanny13]

Sorry for your loss & thank you for sharing We really appreciate learning from other's experiences good and bad