What was wrong with this hen? (WARNING: Graphic necropsy photos)

[Poultrybonkers]

Maybe fatty liver disease

 

[Chicalina]

I can't answer your questions, but just wanted to jump in and say how impressed I am with your knowledge of chicken anatomy and home post mortem skills. I'm watching this thread with interest, and I've already learned lots.

 

[JustCallMeMaple]

Yellow fat disease is usually in larger livestock, cats or dogs but it's possible. Fatty liver disease is a viable option in the medical side by side for livers and stages here.

https://www.biomin.net/species/poultry/fatty-liver/

 

[JustCallMeMaple]

It could be the top bird had fatty liver with kidney and other issues as a possibly. Was there a foul odor off the birds?

 

[LikeTurkeys]

That's pretty interesting you can tell it's just enlarged and not functioning as it should. What could cause the body to do this. I mean yes infections can get you sick but there doesn't seem to be a point or center of infection. Bacteria can cause issues, have you split the organs and checked any thickening of the intestine? The fat looks off maybe yellow fat disease?

The intestines revealed a yellowish-green liquid when cut. Probably from some yolk I had fed her that day.

Maybe fatty liver disease

Yellow fat disease is usually in larger livestock, cats or dogs but it's possible. Fatty liver disease is a viable option in the medical side by side for livers and stages here.

https://www.biomin.net/species/poultry/fatty-liver/

Unlikely I think because the bird was not obese. In fact, there was very little abdominal fat at all. The liver was not hemorrhaged or ruptured, nor was it friable. Often FLHS occurs in older birds and usually causes sudden death when the liver hemorrhages, rather than lethargy and inappetence. Also, this does not explain the swollen and necrotic spleen and kidneys.

It could be the top bird had fatty liver with kidney and other issues as a possibly. Was there a foul odor off the birds?

Yes, but only in the Whiting True Green, a putrid smell I am certain is related to the green rotting material. The Legbar had no odor.

The birds had very different, almost opposite post-mortem lesions, which is what makes me think that the cases were not related (it was just an unfortunate coincidence that they occurred around the same time).

 

[JustCallMeMaple]

The yellow fat disease in larger animals is a nourishment imbalance and they aren't obese. In fact the animals that suffer from it are skinny or underweight. There is a lack of Vitamin E and high unsaturated fats with fish oil intake as a factor in a portion of the studies. If it was it it would be extremely rare possibly one of the first cases that was seen. Was there any chance the feed was contaminated with anything accidentally?

 

[LikeTurkeys]

The yellow fat disease in larger animals is a nourishment imbalance and they aren't obese. In fact the animals that suffer from it are skinny or underweight. There is a lack of Vitamin E and high unsaturated fats with fish oil intake as a factor in a portion of the studies. If it was it it would be extremely rare possibly one of the first cases that was seen. Was there any chance the feed was contaminated with anything accidentally?

Hmmm... I've never heard of this in poultry. Vitamin E deficiency yes, but this usually causes neurological symptoms (wry neck). The flock is currently on 17% All Flock produced by Dumor. They were on 20% starter grower, but the feed store was out of this last week so I was forced to get the lower protein feed.

Edit: I don't think the feed was contaminated with anything. It's kept inside in a closed tote box and the birds go through a bag in 3-4 days, so it's not like it's sitting around very long.

 

[Regina Larsen]

Hi everyone,
This morning I had to euthanize one of my sister's 3 pullets. She had been lethargic and not eating for about a week, and stopped laying about a week before that. When syringe fed egg yolk, the crop was slow to empty. The droppings were greenish but of normal consistency. 4 days ago I put her on Amoxicillin (250 mg twice a day), but with no improvement.

This necropsy is the worst one I've ever done. Let me start by saying that she smelled horrible. The first cut into the abdomen revealed a stinking green exudate penetrating deep into the body cavity. The right side of the breast muscle had a cooked appearance and was more infiltrated by the rotting green material than the left side. The heart had a thick fibrinous white coating, the likes of which I have never seen before in a chicken.

The liver appeared normal in color and texture. The reproductive system was also in good condition. The gizzard, stomach, proventriculus and spleen were covered with the green rotting material and also stuck tightly to the breast (the part which had the 'cooked' appearance). I attempted to separate these organs but unfortunately they proved more fragile than the material that held them together, so I ended up damaging them.

The lungs and intestines looked healthy. The kidneys appeared moderately swollen and with some evidence of necrotic tissue (pale mottling), however not severe.

I did not examine the cloacal bursa, the inside of the crop or the windpipe & trachea.

What caused the rotting flesh (foul green material) and also the thick white coating on the heart? Photos are attached (the last one shows the extent of the green material and also the 'cooked' upper left side of the breast muscle)

Thank you!

Bacterial endocarditis? Strep or staph i would be inclined to say staph as it can invade nearby tissues more readily. Cardiac failure and necrosis causing the fibrous banding? Too acute for PO abx im sure once s/s manifested if thats it. The exudates would indeed be VILE ... bleah. Poor thing.

 

[LikeTurkeys]

Bacterial endocarditis? Strep or staph i would be inclined to say staph as it can invade nearby tissues more readily. Cardiac failure and necrosis causing the fibrous banding? Too acute for PO abx im sure once s/s manifested if thats it. The exudates would indeed be VILE ... bleah. Poor thing.

I think you are on to something here. In fact, it's possible both birds had a bacterial infection, but one that presented itself in different forms.

If so, the Whiting True Green appears to have started with a more localized infection (hence the green exudates and breast muscle infiltration), then septicemia toward the end. Perhaps she had a better immune system and was able to cope longer with the infection because fibrinous pericarditis usually results at the chronic stage. Possibly the antibiotics even kept her hanging on for a little while, though it was obviously too late for her. The Cream Legbar would have had a systemic infection, hence the enlarged and necrotic liver, spleen, and kidneys.

The next question is what bacteria caused this (since staph and strep are not the only ones), but at least these have a treatment as opposed to viruses. I will not be treating any birds however unless I see another with symptoms, and of course at that point will seriously consider euthanizing and sending the body to my state lab for definite diagnosis.

Thank you all for the feedback.

 

[Regina Larsen]

I think you are on to something here. In fact, it's possible both birds had a bacterial infection, but one that presented itself in different forms.

If so, the Whiting True Green appears to have started with a more localized infection (hence the green exudates and breast muscle infiltration), then septicemia toward the end. Perhaps she had a better immune system and was able to cope longer with the infection because fibrinous pericarditis usually results at the chronic stage. Possibly the antibiotics even kept her hanging on for a little while, though it was obviously too late for her. The Cream Legbar would have had a systemic infection, hence the enlarged and necrotic liver, spleen, and kidneys.

The next question is what bacteria caused this (since staph and strep are not the only ones), but at least these have a treatment as opposed to viruses. I will not be treating any birds however unless I see another with symptoms, and of course at that point will seriously consider euthanizing and sending the body to my state lab for definite diagnosis.

Thank you all for the feedback.

Im sorry you both had to deal with losing birds. The question arises as to the vector - any injury routes you saw. OTOH they might have been so healed and the infection subclinical long enough you would not see it