White leghorn death.. ovuduct impaction? Avian flu?

[Whatthecluck99]

Hello all, I hate to make a first post for this reason, but one of my girls passed this morning, and I was wondering if anyone might be able to help me figure out why? (I know nobody is going to be able to tell me exactly what happened, I’m just curious and pretty concerned. I wasn’t home over the weekend, and as I was on my way home Sunday night, my mom called to let me know our leghorn was in the “penguin pose” and not really moving much, hiding in the coop (while the others were free ranging), and not eating. When I got home, I gave her an epsom salt bath and some calcium. This type of thing has happened with my two leghorns before, and I have been able to help them pass the egg. I gave her water, and I kept her inside overnight in a dark area, hoping that she would be able to pass the egg by morning. This morning when I went to check on her, she did not look like she was going to make it at all. She wouldn’t even open her eyes. I took her out of her crate, and as I was looking her over, within a minute of being out of her crate, she flipped over and started twitching, then vomited while on the floor, and defacated. It was quick, only about 10-15 seconds. I’m just wondering if that’s a typically death for an oviduct impaction, if it might have been something else, or if I should be potentially concerned about avian flu? I appreciate any help I can get, I’m at a loss.

 

[Sally PB]

I'm sorry for your loss. Where are you located? Just the state is fine.

If it is AI (Avian Influenza), you have a different issue than an egg bound hen (or other individual bird problem). AI could take out your entire flock, and be spread to chickens/other poultry nearby, or not so nearby; it can travel for miles on shoe treads.

You can get a necropsy done to confirm the presence of AI, but a positive result will probably mean that your entire flock will be euthanized, on the spot, no discussion. Yes, it that infectious and that serious.

If you feel up to it, you can necropsy the bird yourself. You'd just be looking for obvious signs of egg laying issues, or advanced disease.

The fact that it happened to two other birds does NOT point to AI, thankfully.

 

[Eggcessive]

Welcome to BYC and sorry for your loss. Could you try to do a brief necropsy on your hen, or send her to your state vet for one? If you do one at home, take pictures of her organs to post here, and look for an egg. When they stand like a penguin, it is hard to know if they are egg bound, suffering from internal laying, or egg yolk peritonitis. Soaking, which is commonly done when we suspect egg bound, can sometimes push a weak hen over the edge. Placing them in a warm spot like a humid bathroom on warm towel can be a better alternative. The best thing to do is give some calcium with D when we suspect egg binding. Here is a list of state vets in case you want a necropsy:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/poultry-labs.html

 

[Whatthecluck99]

I'm sorry for your loss. Where are you located? Just the state is fine.

If it is AI (Avian Influenza), you have a different issue than an egg bound hen (or other individual bird problem). AI could take out your entire flock, and be spread to chickens/other poultry nearby, or not so nearby; it can travel for miles on shoe treads.

You can get a necropsy done to confirm the presence of AI, but a positive result will probably mean that your entire flock will be euthanized, on the spot, no discussion. Yes, it that infectious and that serious.

If you feel up to it, you can necropsy the bird yourself. You'd just be looking for obvious signs of egg laying issues, or advanced disease.

The fact that it happened to two other birds does NOT point to AI, thankfully.

Thank you very much for your response. I’ve heard those things about AI, and it’s had me very nervous all day thinking about the rest of my flock. It was just the manner in which it died that made me wonder. She had been very clearly weak, laying close to the ground and had her beak resting on n by the floor, and suddenly flipped on to her back and started, for lack of a better word, spazzing. It was a very aggressive but short spasm, at the end of which she was already dead, as she was vomiting and defecating. I know chickens with the avian flu tend to spasm like that, and I can’t find any other reason for that type of reaction.

 

[Whatthecluck99]

I'm sorry for your loss. Where are you located? Just the state is fine.

If it is AI (Avian Influenza), you have a different issue than an egg bound hen (or other individual bird problem). AI could take out your entire flock, and be spread to chickens/other poultry nearby, or not so nearby; it can travel for miles on shoe treads.

You can get a necropsy done to confirm the presence of AI, but a positive result will probably mean that your entire flock will be euthanized, on the spot, no discussion. Yes, it that infectious and that serious.

If you feel up to it, you can necropsy the bird yourself. You'd just be looking for obvious signs of egg laying issues, or advanced disease.

The fact that it happened to two other birds does NOT point to AI, thankfully.

And I’m from Massachusetts

 

[Eggcessive]

Most chicken deaths I have witnessed, they tend to spasm, and crop contents will come out. Your state vet can test for AI as well as do the necropsy.

 

[Kiki]

I'm sorry for your loss.
What exactly do you feed your birds?
You mentioned others have died for what you think is the same issue... If you are having multiple birds with laying issues, the first thing to look at is what you feed them.

Do you happen to know if you have Marek's disease in your flock?

I highly recommend getting a necropsy done by your state lab. Necropsy results can be eye-opening and can potentially help future birds.

 

[Whatthecluck99]

Welcome to BYC and sorry for your loss. Could you try to do a brief necropsy on your hen, or send her to your state vet for one? If you do one at home, take pictures of her organs to post here, and look for an egg. When they stand like a penguin, it is hard to know if they are egg bound, suffering from internal laying, or egg yolk peritonitis. Soaking, which is commonly done when we suspect egg bound, can sometimes push a weak hen over the edge. Placing them in a warm spot like a humid bathroom on warm towel can be a better alternative. The best thing to do is give some calcium with D when we suspect egg binding. Here is a list of state vets in case you want a necropsy:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/poultry-labs.html

I can perform a necropsy, I have researched how, and I know I probably should. It’s a bit of a hard thing to think about, as I loved this chicken very much(and I’m a small bit squeamish) but I know it should be done in the case that this was something else more dangerous, and not just a result of genetics. Thank you for the info about the soak. I’ve done that just about every time I have suspected one of my chickens might be egg bound, and now that I know, I’ll probably do what you suggested if the situation presents itself again. The soaking has worked in the past, but if it’s risky I’ll avoid it unless absolutely necessary.

 

[Whatthecluck99]

I'm sorry for your loss.
What exactly do you feed your birds?
You mentioned others have died for what you think is the same issue... If you are having multiple birds with laying issues, the first thing to look at is what you feed them.

Do you happen to know if you have Marek's disease in your flock?

I highly recommend getting a necropsy done by your state lab. Necropsy results can be eye-opening and can potentially help future birds.

Fortunately none of my other birds have died under these circumstances, I mentioned they had just been egg bound like I suspect this one was. If I had chickens dying frequently with egg laying compIications I would definitely be concerned about what they’re eating, but this is the first time one has passed. I feed them Dumor layer pellets and flock party mealworms as a treat from time to time, but they also free range. Every other time a chicken had been egg bound, it was one of my two white leghorns. They are my smallest chickens and certainly lay the biggest eggs, almost doubling the size of the others. I’m wondering if it was too much of a strain on her body and she wasn’t able to keep up with it. I know leghorns are known for being bred specifically to lay large eggs, and that that can mess with their reproductive system. All of my chickens I got from somewhere that vaccinates all chicks prior to selling them, so I don’t believe it could have been Marek’s. I do believe I know most of the serious signs to look for in that case, and I did not see any. I think I’m likely going to do a necropsy on my own.

 

[Whatthecluck99]

Most chicken deaths I have witnessed, they tend to spasm, and crop contents will come out. Your state vet can test for AI as well as do the necropsy.

Thank you. I’ll still probably do a necropsy, but the spasm was the only thing that made me consider AI. Every thing else pointed to a reproductive issue.