There may be an explanation for my chickens balloon condition. It makes a lot of sense and fits in with what I found during the necropsy. It took me a lot of searching this morning.
It is highly likely this cockerel ruptured his air sacs in his neck. The tear must have been sudden and catastrophic. My feeling is he gorged at the feed pan and there was scuffling and shoving with his flock mates (all cockerels) A full crop may have played a roll.
I found and copied this off the internets. No infringement of copyright is intended by my posting it here. I am sharing it to further education.
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Both the interior and the posterior air sacs expand during inhalation. Air enters the birds via the trachea; half of the inhaled air enters the posterior air sacs, and the other half passes through the lungs and into the interior air sacs. The sacs contract during exhalation, air from the interior air sacs empties directly into the trachea and out the bird’s mouth or nares. The posterior air sacs empty their air into the lung. Air passing through the lungs as the bird exhales is expelled via the trachea. Because fresh air flows through the lung in only one direction, there is no mixing of oxygen-rich air and oxygen-poor, carbon dioxide-rich air as in mammalian lungs. Thus, the partial pressure of oxygen in birds’ lungs is the same as the environment, and so birds have more efficient gas-exchange of both oxygen and carbon dioxide than mammals.
General air sacs function
According to studies done on domestic chickens and turkeys, the function of the air sacs can be summarised as follows:
• Increase pulmonary ventilation and exchange of gases.
• Decrease the specific gravity of the body, thus facilitating flying.
• Regulate body temperature by cooling and warming inspired air.
• Closeness of abdominal air sacs to testes might facilitate spermatogenesis.
• Humidify inspired air.
• Receiving and then delivering a flow of air through the respiratory passages.
• Pneumatize bones facilitating aerial locomotion.
• Thermal regulation of the body in general.
Diagnosis of ruptured air sacs
Because of the presence of the air sacs beneath the skin, an air sac ruptured can be realised as a bulging and swelling of the skin layer. Consequently, and for a better diagnosis, one may push a sterile needle through the skin. If air is present beneath the skin, the swelling will diminish. However, if it is oedema, a fluid can be aspirated through the needle. In most chicks with this problem, the air sac wall will eventually heal and the subcutaneous air will disappear. Nevertheless, many chicks may die.
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I truly think this may have happened with my chicken.
It is highly likely this cockerel ruptured his air sacs in his neck. The tear must have been sudden and catastrophic. My feeling is he gorged at the feed pan and there was scuffling and shoving with his flock mates (all cockerels) A full crop may have played a roll.
I found and copied this off the internets. No infringement of copyright is intended by my posting it here. I am sharing it to further education.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Both the interior and the posterior air sacs expand during inhalation. Air enters the birds via the trachea; half of the inhaled air enters the posterior air sacs, and the other half passes through the lungs and into the interior air sacs. The sacs contract during exhalation, air from the interior air sacs empties directly into the trachea and out the bird’s mouth or nares. The posterior air sacs empty their air into the lung. Air passing through the lungs as the bird exhales is expelled via the trachea. Because fresh air flows through the lung in only one direction, there is no mixing of oxygen-rich air and oxygen-poor, carbon dioxide-rich air as in mammalian lungs. Thus, the partial pressure of oxygen in birds’ lungs is the same as the environment, and so birds have more efficient gas-exchange of both oxygen and carbon dioxide than mammals.
General air sacs function
According to studies done on domestic chickens and turkeys, the function of the air sacs can be summarised as follows:
• Increase pulmonary ventilation and exchange of gases.
• Decrease the specific gravity of the body, thus facilitating flying.
• Regulate body temperature by cooling and warming inspired air.
• Closeness of abdominal air sacs to testes might facilitate spermatogenesis.
• Humidify inspired air.
• Receiving and then delivering a flow of air through the respiratory passages.
• Pneumatize bones facilitating aerial locomotion.
• Thermal regulation of the body in general.
Diagnosis of ruptured air sacs
Because of the presence of the air sacs beneath the skin, an air sac ruptured can be realised as a bulging and swelling of the skin layer. Consequently, and for a better diagnosis, one may push a sterile needle through the skin. If air is present beneath the skin, the swelling will diminish. However, if it is oedema, a fluid can be aspirated through the needle. In most chicks with this problem, the air sac wall will eventually heal and the subcutaneous air will disappear. Nevertheless, many chicks may die.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I truly think this may have happened with my chicken.
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