UPDATED !!W/GRAPHIC PHOTOS!!: Coccidosis or Cholera? - sick bird

[pdirt]

Ya'know, I though first you were right, and your idea of it being lung set my mind questioning in what I think is the right direction. I don't think it's lung now, but rather the oviduct.

Okay...after looking at some more chicken anatomy diagrams and photos of lungs and oviducts, the mystery organ I believe was the uterus aka shell gland. I guess the leafy-things are part of the gland. But the photos I am seeing online of chicken oviducts are more pink, like the intestines. She must have had some internal bleeding, but the question is, why and how?

As for the black stuff, I see what you mean. It may just more of the dark red stuff and because of the failing daylight and camera flash, it showed up as more black than dark red. But now I think it is all congealed/clotted blood, like you had suggested.

Her vent or oviduct were not prolapsed. I still have her buried in the snow and may take another look, now I think I know what I am looking at.

 

[RussianChickens]

Ya'know, I though first you were right, and your idea of it being lung set my mind questioning in what I think is the right direction. I don't think it's lung now, but rather the oviduct.

Okay...after looking at some more chicken anatomy diagrams and photos of lungs and oviducts, the mystery organ I believe was the uterus aka shell gland. I guess the leafy-things are part of the gland. But the photos I am seeing online of chicken oviducts are more pink, like the intestines. She must have had some internal bleeding, but the question is, why and how?

As for the black stuff, I see what you mean. It may just more of the dark red stuff and because of the failing daylight and camera flash, it showed up as more black than dark red. But now I think it is all congealed/clotted blood, like you had suggested.

Her vent or oviduct were not prolapsed. I still have her buried in the snow and may take another look, now I think I know what I am looking at.

Yeah that would be my other best guess. That was what I kept seeing, pink organs, not dark red. I suppose it would turn dark red after she died if the organ was very vascular or had a lot of blood in it at TOD. Which lungs would be, but I would imagine the egg gland or ovaries would as well.
I think most of the pictures online are of freshly dead birds before the blood had time to congeal. So this could be the difference.

Could well be internal bleeding, but from what we may not know. Check the main arteries and heart for any tears or bursts and organs for anything that looks like it might have ruptured.

Take some pictures if you have another look. This is a very interesting mystery.

 

[pdirt]

I haven't look at her insides again. But when I first opened her up, I don't recall any blood internally...everything look quite clean. It wasn't until I started cutting into the oviduct and uterus that the congealed blood started getting everywhere (the very dark spots). I think the bleeding was in the oviduct. In a human female, this would be normal, depending on the time of the month, but I don't think chickens work that way. I mean, the eggs come out relatively clean, not with darkened blood all over them.

I'll post again if I do look inside her again. Thanks for sharing this sleuthing with me

 

[RussianChickens]

I haven't look at her insides again. But when I first opened her up, I don't recall any blood internally...everything look quite clean. It wasn't until I started cutting into the oviduct and uterus that the congealed blood started getting everywhere (the very dark spots). I think the bleeding was in the oviduct. In a human female, this would be normal, depending on the time of the month, but I don't think chickens work that way. I mean, the eggs come out relatively clean, not with darkened blood all over them.

I'll post again if I do look inside her again. Thanks for sharing this sleuthing with me

Yeah, I'm not sure how that is suppose to work in a chicken. Strange.

Your welcome! I wish good health to you and the rest of your birds!