What's Happened? (warning: gross photos)

[Peppercorngal]

Yesterday, my chickens received a treat of grapes. I always cut them in half so they don't choke. I have 4 Leghorns and they got their share. Everyone was acting normally. This morning I found one of my Leghorns dead. She looked like she had fallen from the outdoor roost. She was in rigor, but her belly was still warm! Her belly was large and distended so I thought I'd do a little necropsy work to see what's up. As soon as I made a 1/2 inch cut from her cloaca, all her insides just exploded out! Boom! It scared me, I didn't expect this "big blowout". I saw her poop yesterday and it was normal. She was eating and happy and normal yesterday. How can her insides rot in one night? I quit looking after this happened. I've never seen anything like this before. What happened to my poor girl? Anyone know? She was about 3 years old.

 

[Sally PB]

Wow. I've never seen anything like that.

@azygous, any insights here?

 

[azygous]

It will be interesting if anyone else here who has done home necropsies has had this experience. I have not.

But I can tell you how it might happen. Bacteria, if this hen was infected, could have multiplied exponentially and built up gasses in the abdominal cavity before and after death. Sudden release of the gasses could explode the abdominal contents. Just one theory.

Sorry about this tragedy. It's not fun finding a dead chicken who was very much alive not long before.

 

[Painted Calls]

@casportpony any ideas?

 

[Peppercorngal]

It will be interesting if anyone else here who has done home necropsies has had this experience. I have not.

But I can tell you how it might happen. Bacteria, if this hen was infected, could have multiplied exponentially and built up gasses in the abdominal cavity before and after death. Sudden release of the gasses could explode the abdominal contents. Just one theory.

Sorry about this tragedy. It's not fun finding a dead chicken who was very much alive not long before.

Thanks. It was a shock to find her dead. There were no indicators at all. I've never seen abdominal contents look like this did. I'm stoic, but this grossed me out.