Warning - Graphic pics of Internal Egg Layer Necropsy

[Missouri Maiden]

Poor girl! Sorry for your loss.

 

[peakpoultry]

Alls I can say is WOW! That is horrible.. Poor girl..

 

[CountryBumpkinsofLumpkin]

We have a RIR that is walking like a penguin. I found a few articles on a hen being 'egg bound'. She isn't in any pain when I pick her up and poke her. But, we are concerned. This is her 2nd week. I have 18 other hens just fine.

Could she be another 'internal egg layer'? I'm going to try the warm bath tomorrow.

Mike
Dahlonega, Ga

 

[speckledhen]

None of mine ever walked upright like that, Mike. She may be eggbound or have an infection causing her pain. Hard to say, really. I'm not a vet and don't claim to have that much knowledge, I just happen to have some experience with internal laying, as does rooster-red, whom I've conferred with about this. And I consulted Dr. Peter Brown, who says that internal laying is mostly hormonal, and there isn't much you can do about it, other than have a hysterectomy performed on the hen. From the articles, seems that perhaps Old Rebel's hen had a different ailment, though some of the symptoms were quite similar to my hens'.

 

[joebryant]

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Quote:
speckledhen and dlhunicorn, thank you for your helpful replies. I will try to get an appointment with the vet for tomorrow. Maybe a hysterectomy can save her if it isn't too late. She's really a sweet hen. Hopefully she can be saved.

 

[the Old Rebel]

All I can say is WOW again. THANK YOU all for your comforting words of sympathy. Hope was a special lady. I feel like she deserved better than I was able to give her, but, honestly, I had NO IDEA what she was going through. She showed no signs of distress until one week before she died.

A special thanks to you, Dhlunicorn, and to you, SpeckledHen, for all of your information and input. I am convinced now that Hope didn't die from internal laying, but from something else. My DH and I both wish we had either taken her for further investigation at our diagnostic lab or investigated further ourselves. We just assumed those were unfinished eggs. Shows you how much we know.

Ha! I used to think I knew a little something about chickens. I don't anymore. I've had them as pets for 10 years and have had very good luck with them when it comes to diseases and other problems. We have been very, very blessed.

I have lost a few hens along the way.... a few stood straight up like a penguin, a few lost all of the meat on their breastbone, and a few were alive one day and dead the next with no readily apparent cause. This was the first time I opted to do a necropsy. Since they are pets, I couldn't bring myself to cut on them, but I think that has changed now. I WANT to know what is hurting my babies.

Just for everyone's information.... Hope was not a hatchery bird, but her great-grandparents were. She was hatched and raised right here on this property. She was 4 years old. I do not use artificial lighting to get my hens to lay. I would NEVER force a molt. My girls do what they want, when they want, and how they want. Some go broody and some do not. To my knowledge, Hope never did. I assumed she was laying, because I would see her in the nestboxes, but I have so many hens, I can't say which egg belongs to who. When I say so many, I mean 24 in the pen Hope came from..... which is actually two adjoining pens with separate hen houses. The hens cross back and forth under the common fence, but the two roos respect each other's territory and stay on their own side of the fence. It works for us.

Anyway, for you newbies, I pray you won't worry too much about your birds and really take time to ENJOY them. Sometimes they get sick and when they do, do your best to take care of them. But we have to know that death is as much a part of life as living. You WILL have losses. There have been times when I have given my very best only to find out it was the exactly wrong thing to do. I've killed a few of the ones I love the most with what I thought was kindness. So take advantage of the years of experience and wisdom that is represented here on this forum. I know I couldn't get along very well without it.

Thanks to all.

The Old Rebel

 

[caralouise1974]

Quote:
This has really struck a chord for me, as a relative newbie to chicken-keeping.

My two girls have both had serious illnesses... and we've only had them since February. Henrietta the buff orp had mycoplasma (which nearly ended her short life because she was already weak from pining for her sister who went to a new home) and Bella has terrible ongoing laying issues (we are also agonising at the moment over getting her an expensive and risky hysterectomy).

I do seem to have spent far more time since February out in the pen crying, or pacing the floor at 4am sobbing and wringing my hands than I ever thought I would. These hens have been an almost non-stop source of worry. I didn't realise how much I would love them and stress over their health and happiness. I'm due to have my first child in four weeks, but I cannot imagine being as neurotic over my own baby as I am over these chickens!

My husband is getting to the point where he'd quite happily give them away, just because he can't bear to see me in so much distress, for so much of the time.

You've made me realise that doing my best is all I can really promise them - and enjoying having them as our pets was why we got them in the first place. I have lost sight of the positive reasons for having my girls, because I have been too busy stressing over them.

Yes, I might get it wrong and yes, they will get ill, and yes, I will have to watch them suffer if they are poorly, and yes, they will die one day - but if I'm wracked with guilt and can't simply enjoy their company for 90% of the time, then I'm missing the point of having them around.

Thanks for the reality check, and of course so sorry for the loss of your girl Hope. I'm sure she knew how much she was loved. xxxx

 

[Mrs. Glassman]

Your reference to Rainbow Bridge gave me cold chills. Quite a tear inducing poem. I hadn't realized it was so popular.

Sorry for the loss of your girl.

 

[joebryant]

I called the vet on Monday, but he was closed on Memorial Day. I called him again this morning; his assistant said that he does not see chickens. I don't trust any other vet. I'm going to wait and see what happens with Leontyne; hopefully, I'm wrong and things will get better for her.

 

[ChickyLaura]

Quote:
This is a good point you bring up. I had a sweet little Silkie hatch, but it had foot/leg problems. I made a bandaid boot, and tried everything I could think of to try to help it. I came home from work one day, and it was dead. I did feel guilty on one hand, but on the other hand, I tried everything could. Thanks for the words of encouragement! I am a newbie, but I am pretty glad to report that I haven't been fretting over my chickens (well, for the most part). I totally enjoy having them around, and I actually do enjoy caring for them, including cleaning out the coop. Who knew?

I am very sorry for your loss... Very interesting pics!