White comb on a dead chicken and another showing signs of same thing...thoughts appreciated!

[plantchild]

Hello. I thought I would update you on the chickens. The second chicken died on Saturday, it was so sad to watch her just lay there. The boys and I tried feeding her watermelon and tomatoes with no luck. We took our local extension agents advice and saved her in the refrigerator and took the sample to our state lab to find out what in the world is going on . The preliminary report was that she had a large ovarian adenocarcinoma.....a large tumor on her ovaries. They are sending our more samples and we will know more in 2 to 3 weeks. I will keep you all posted if interested.
What are the chances that 2 brown leghorns both got this? Maybe that is why the others are not showing any signs.
Thank you again to all of you for your help!

 

[crazyfeathers]

Sorry bout your birds but at least you know what the cause was. Thanks for the update.

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry for your loss. Reproductive cancer apparently is very common in hens, and I believe it is more common in the high producing breeds. Where did you get your necropsy done? Thank you for keeping us informed about your results--it helps everyone to learn after hearing your hen's symptoms and then getting a diagnosis from a vet.

 

[Farmer Ken]

Sorry about your chickens. My wife cries almost every time we lose one.

Please keep us up dated and I pray for he health of your flock.

 

[plantchild]

We got the necropsy done at the state animal lab in Harrisburgh Pa. We received an additional report that states she also had cecal worms.....now what do I do for this?!?? Can humans get them...I am worried about my boys that take care of the birds. Any info on how I should treat the entire flock would be appreciated!

 

[casportpony]

We got the necropsy done at the state animal lab in Harrisburgh Pa. We received an additional report that states she also had cecal worms.....now what do I do for this?!?? Can humans get them...I am worried about my boys that take care of the birds. Any info on how I should treat the entire flock would be appreciated!

You can worm them with Safeguard for Goats at 50mg/kg (.5ml per 2.2 pounds) once by mouth and repeat in 10 days. An average Rhode Island Red hen weighs about 3kg, so a hen that size would get 1.5ml.

Here is a thread with pictures that show how I worm my peafowl.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/745210/how-to-safely-worm-your-peafowl-orally

-Kathy

 

[Farmer Ken]

I would follow the advice above as well as practice good farm hygiene.(changing in to work shoes when you go to the pen's, washing hands after dealing with your animals, ect...)