The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Bulldogma]

I just euthanized my dear little Grey Silkie pullet Binkus and did a necropsy on her in an effort to better my own flock for health. I'm feeling very sad right now and will go sit and have a good cry. Even after raising chickens for forty years, I still hate doing it. It was for the best. She didin't look right inside and was slowly wasting away.

Mumsy - I'm so sorry! No - it doesn't get easier with the ones you really like. But, as you know, you did the right thing!!!

HUGS!

 

[cywiar merch]

Mumsy, so sorry to hear about your dear sillkie.

 

[Bulldogma]

Mumsy -
The green is a bit unusual (in my opinion) based upon what you say she has been eating. Alfalfa can make everything green, but not usually that bright. I'm adding some thoughts below:

Warning! Graphic Necropsy images of a Silkie



OK - others feel free to weigh in and correct me if I'm off base, but that large, rounded thing in the picture below (just in front of the heart) looks like it should be the crop... and it looks rather full. It's a little hard to see which direction these pictures are take from (which angle), but based on the orientation of the heart and intestines... I can't think what else that would be?? Updated: I think I'm looking at it backwards and that would be her ovary. If the crop was totally empty, it would be hard to miss as it would just be an empty pouch.



A very odd color indeed, unless she had just eaten fresh greens.



I've never heard of the inside of the gizzard being dyed like this. I wonder about brain tumors? If it affected the Pituitary gland, it could have affected growth as well as the function of other glads regulating body fluids. Just conjecture here. If the poor thing had one tumor, based upon her behavior it would be reasonable to believe it likely she had other tumors (in less obvious places like the brain).

Mumsy - thank you so much for sharing. I hope if nothing else, this necropsy gave you peace of mind that you absolutely did the right thing!!

 

[aoxa]

Thank you Leahs mom and aagg. Feeling so awful but trying to focus on those eggs in the bators and the healthy birds in my barn. The Binkus necropsy reassured me she didn't have Mareks but she did have what looks like a chick pea sized tumor. She was just a little skeleton with no fat and barely any meat at all. I'm not sure I have the heart to post pictures. I want her death and the results to have meaning and give her dignity. I don't want them to be a cause for posts commenting on how weird or gross Silkies look on the inside. She was a sweet little girl. I will miss her.

Mumsy, I'm sorry to hear that

Her intestines look very pale grey on my screen. Almost looks like it was dying - but I have very limited experience. My boys all had very pink intestines. Terminology is probably bad.. Should it be called small intestines or large intestines? You know what I mean...

I can't imagine culling at all right now. But you do what you have to do, and you did the right thing.

 

[aoxa]

Mumsy -
The green is a bit unusual (in my opinion) based upon what you say she has been eating. Alfalfa can make everything green, but not usually that bright. I'm adding some thoughts below:
Mumsy - thank you so much for sharing. I hope if nothing else, this necropsy gave you peace of mind that you absolutely did the right thing!!

I would agree with you there on the crop. But I never did the gutting. I just watched them do one and continued doing the culling/plucking.

 

[aoxa]

Del - I filed my own farm taxes this year. Getting a nice sizeable refund. Thank God. Need a fence for the goats, and this will cover it for sure!

I'm going to do everything on Simply Accounting this time around.

 

[Loghousemom]

Sorry to hear about your poor little silkie mumsy.... So sad. I was however impressed by the photos. I have not had the need to cull any of our birds yet. (Only have 10) but since I do have some that are in their 3rd year this year, we are waiting for spring to see how everyone lays, and how many chicks hatch.

I was hoping to get some hatching eggs to send to the school with my mutt eggs for them to hatch ( a local preschool asked me to donate eggs for hatching as part of their unit on farms). I don't have an incubator yet, but I think I will need one after this year. I am so excited to try out some new breeds and some day I would like to try my hand at breeding. (You know, with all my free time)

 

[Mumsy]

Mumsy -
The green is a bit unusual (in my opinion) based upon what you say she has been eating. Alfalfa can make everything green, but not usually that bright. I'm adding some thoughts below:
Mumsy - thank you so much for sharing. I hope if nothing else, this necropsy gave you peace of mind that you absolutely did the right thing!!

Here is the picture with orientation of organs as they were in the body. Nothing moved around. The tumor where the crop should be is not in this picture. I saw no crop. No pouch. very strange. I believe she was dying. I don't think she would have lived another hour or so.

Her oviduct was almost non existent. This pullet was just not growing. I didn't open her brain. When I think about how she first started exhibiting symptoms and I thought she had a brain injury would explain a tumor there.

 

[armorfirelady]

So sorry to hear about the silkie Mumsy but thnk you for sharing the necropsy pictures to help us newbies learn.


Ok question for you guys:
My hens leaky butts had stopped completely. 2 days ago I gave them plain sugar free yogurt with granola mixed in. They have had it every day since then. Today when I was out putting up their new fence one of the girls squatted for me and when I rubbed her feathers she squirted out her vent clear liquid (thank goodness I was on the side of her) and I noticed later she squirted out more. Her butt is leaky again I'm guessing? Her feathers are just a little messy.
Do you think the yogurt could cause it? Maybe an overload of probiotics with the FF? It's the only different food they have had since the last time they had it about a month ago.

When I did my hen check last Sunday they were all clean

 

[Leahs Mom]

AFL - can you define the granola? Is it sweetened, home made or store bought, etc.?