Updated! - Test Your Diagnostic Skills - Warning, Contains Graphic Necropsy Photos

[Wyorp Rock]

I doubt you will get any more knowledgeable people on another thread than those that frequent this thread. It may just take longer for people to see it and comment.
A possibility might be to contact your state ag dept or veterinary college and see if they will take a look at the photos via email and give you an opinion. The difficulty is not being able to see that structure in it's entirety and understand it's exact location in the body cavity and feel it's texture and confirm that it is not the kidneys, by locating those separately. Has the carcass been disposed of?

I was beginning to doubt my concerns about the amount of fat after reading Sue Gremlin's post, but I have done a bit of research since then (You Tube "processing laying hens") and now stand by my opinion as regards the level of fat, particularly that covering the intestinal membrane of a 10 month old pullet. I really do not think that is healthy.

Good idea Barbara! Sending photos to a Vet College or even an avian vet may be helpful.
I did see that dark mass in the photos, but was just not quite sure what to make
of it

I also agree with you on the amount of fat in the abdomen. I still feel like it's a lot, especially for such a young girl. The way it was attached to the intestines, I have not seen that either.

@Treerooted a few of the others are not online that frequently, so hopefully they will be by to take a look and give you their opinion. I wish we had better answers for you, thank you again for posting the photos. If you do happen to get someone to look at your photos, we would appreciate your sharing what you find out.

 

[Treerooted]

No thank you!

I'll have to do a bit of research to figure out where I could send photos, and if I get any responses I will definitely share the info!

 

[rebrascora]

I keep coming back to it being the kidneys.... the colour and structure of that dark mass looks like kidney lobes and the blood tinged clear liquid poop makes me think urinary infection.... Did she have any reddening and or swelling of the legs and how much breast and leg muscle did she have? Did she seem to be wasted?
This article, whilst old, (2011) suggests there is an increase in kidney disease in layers...
http://www.poultryworld.net/Breeder...-damage-is-emerging-in-laying-hens-WP008719W/

From reading the article, it might be worth adding ACV to your remaining flock's water if you don't already, as it states something about acidifying the bird's intake to help prevent this.

 

[rebrascora]

Also, part of the kidney's function is to regulate glucose in the blood. Perhaps that might explain why the bird has such heavy fat deposits when she had a balanced diet.

It was interesting reading more about the function of the kidneys and to learn that the cloaca reabsorbs a significant proportion of the water (and sodium) from the urine just before it leaves the birds body, which is why bird "wee" is passed as a white pasty solid rather than the liquid form of urine we pass. I have often joked about "bird wee" because I thought it didn't really exist as such, but apparently it does, it's just that the bird recycles the water from it before it is released from the body, which I think is pretty neat and efficient!

I would also like to extend my thanks to you for taking the time to do a necropsy and post the photos because it gives us a chance to learn and improve our knowledge and research things we are unaware/unsure of.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I still think it's the ovaries but I'm puzzled as to why they are like that.
There's too many individual "grape-like" spheres - even looks like a few separated out upon examination, but again, I'm not an expert.

I did find a few necropsy photos of kidneys - a lot would depend on the cause, but the photos are interesting (links below)

https://openi.nlm.nih.gov/detailedresult.php?img=PMC3557894_12-0552-F4&req=4
https://www.researchgate.net/figure...-12-dpi-Kidneys-were-collected_fig6_304326822
http://www.hylinena.com/redbook/Health/Gout.html

 

[orrpeople]

@rebrascora posted a link to this thread on one of the other "my hens died" threads. I'm slowly catching up with reading through the posts, but want to follow along. Thanks!

 

[MLG1900]

Hello all, I wanted to add some photos for education. This was a 2 yr old Buff Orpington. I noticed about 3 days ago that she had very dirty feathers below her vent and when she was out foraging with the other hens, she was walking slower and didn't really seem to be eating when she was pecking the ground. I brought her inside to clean her up and try and fix her. I thought at first she might be egg bound. Then the next day she laid bits of lash. After another day of not eating / drinking and just a huge decline. I actually thought she died on two separate occasions a few hours apart. So, I knew it was time to help her pass. Here are my few photos after opening her abdomen. I guess the fat is very noticeable. I don't know if that is abnormal amount of fat or not. She was pretty skinny at the time of death. Really no breast tissue. Her liver looked a strange shiny green color. (I think that is her liver) And her reproductive tract was just full of lash contents. I knew this her reason for decline. So, I did not open her up further to see other organs.

 

[rebrascora]

Thanks for sharing. Poor girl must have been in a lot of discomfort with all that lash egg mass inside her. Well done for helping her pass and also for being open minded enough to take a look inside her. It is always a comfort to me to know I did the right thing by euthanizing, when I find something like this. There was never going to be any chance of recovery from that!

In my experience, that amount of fat is unhealthy and I would reassess your flock's diet. It is hard to see the actual colour of the liver, but excessive fat in the body can cause liver issues, which can in itself prove fatal. Larger birds like Buff Orps seem to be more susceptible to it. Heavy fatty deposits are often linked to a high carbohydrate diet..... things like to many scratch grains or whole grain feeds where the birds can pick out the higher carb components like corn. If your feed is a 16% layer pellet and you don't feed any significant treats or scratch then it may be worthwhile upping to an 18-20% protein feed if you have other larger girls. If you feed scratch on a regular basis, cut it down or stop altogether and replace with something more healthy like meal worms. Free ranging will also help to burn off some of the carbs before they get laid down as fat, but obviously not possible in everyone's situation. I'm not saying that this is the reason for the salpingitis that was killing her although the two could possibly be linked.... it can certainly cause prolapses.... but just that large deposits of fat are not healthy and pose a general risk to the birds longevity.

 

[MLG1900]

Thanks for sharing. Poor girl must have been in a lot of discomfort with all that lash egg mass inside her. Well done for helping her pass and also for being open minded enough to take a look inside her. It is always a comfort to me to know I did the right thing by euthanizing, when I find something like this. There was never going to be any chance of recovery from that!

In my experience, that amount of fat is unhealthy and I would reassess your flock's diet. It is hard to see the actual colour of the liver, but excessive fat in the body can cause liver issues, which can in itself prove fatal. Larger birds like Buff Orps seem to be more susceptible to it. Heavy fatty deposits are often linked to a high carbohydrate diet..... things like to many scratch grains or whole grain feeds where the birds can pick out the higher carb components like corn. If your feed is a 16% layer pellet and you don't feed any significant treats or scratch then it may be worthwhile upping to an 18-20% protein feed if you have other larger girls. If you feed scratch on a regular basis, cut it down or stop altogether and replace with something more healthy like meal worms. Free ranging will also help to burn off some of the carbs before they get laid down as fat, but obviously not possible in everyone's situation. I'm not saying that this is the reason for the salpingitis that was killing her although the two could possibly be linked.... it can certainly cause prolapses.... but just that large deposits of fat are not healthy and pose a general risk to the birds longevity.

Thanks, Their first year of life I fed them purina starter then layena crumbles. Someone told me to feed them corn in the winter to help keep them warm. So, I would give throw out like 2 cups of corn every day in the winter. So, I guess maybe that is just a myth? They really don't need corn in the winter? This fall / winter I did give them feather fixer when they seemed to all be having a rough molt. Currently, I have them all switched to Nutrena layer crumbles. I thought I would try a new brand. In addition to worming. To see if I can get some more eggs. I had a bad summer of only about 4 to 5 eggs a day (if that) from 13 hens.

 

[Cragg Klefor]

i'm hoping to post photo's tomorrow when i hopefully have a look inside a chicken i lost today. heavy heart right now... but ex-battery i have had for year+ with respiratory illness and god knows what else. posting now to make sure i go through with it. have not done before. won't be so emotional tomorrow and the logic will take back over...i hope.