# Help please



## hennypenny68 (Apr 30, 2013)

Ok I have never had sick chickens and I have now lost 3 they are 4 month old speckled Sussex hens they showed barely any sign of being sick till the end. No coughing sneezing nothing at all. This little hen had this thing appear all of a sudden she was eating and drinking and doing well then today she died. So I cut her open to see what is was any ideas please help.


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## Sundancers (Jun 20, 2012)

And you know what you are looking for ... right ...

Lots of things can come into play with the loss. I think a vet can tell you better than me... IMO...


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## Bee (Jun 20, 2013)

Whoa!!! Have never seen anything like that in a chicken before! Was it hard or soft? Looks like she had a big, ol' hematoma...can't see a tumor developing that quickly, so I'm thinking a hematoma. Did they all have that before they died or just this one?


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## hennypenny68 (Apr 30, 2013)

That's the only one that had it and it wasn't a hematoma it was really fleshy almost kidney or liver like it was solid not liquid I was thinking tumor but it showed up so fast I'm puzzled and if you have never seen this Bee I'm even more puzzled now I was hoping u might know.


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## hennypenny68 (Apr 30, 2013)

Oh yah when I cut it out it wasn't attached like a tumor I kinda peeled it out when I removed it and were it sat under the skin looked normal no damage done to her beak or her throat.


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## Bee (Jun 20, 2013)

It does look a little livery but a tumor cannot arise so quickly, so I'm thinking blood clot. Could they be getting into something and eating it that may be cutting their throats up on the inside? Did you open her up and look through her other organs for any other kind of abnormality?


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## hennypenny68 (Apr 30, 2013)

No I haven't but I still have her I think I'm gonna open her up just to see what she had going on inside and I will take some pics as well


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## hennypenny68 (Apr 30, 2013)

There's nothing in there coop that could cause that and they are on a crumble feed and the get bread every day so I don't think it would be that but you never know.


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## hennypenny68 (Apr 30, 2013)

Well I went out and cut her open and nothing her heart was a normal size her lungs looked great and her gizzerd and her bowels all looked normal and healthy so I'm no further ahead. I did also cut into that tumer like thing and it was like cutting into muscles that's the only way to discribe it so I don't know maybe just a freak thing.


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## Bee (Jun 20, 2013)

Did you open up her organs for a look inside? That's all very weird..a clot shouldn't be hard to incise at all. You've had 3 birds die suddenly and this one pops up with this meaty growth in her head...gotta be something going on.


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## hennypenny68 (Apr 30, 2013)

Yup got home today and opened up the hen house and bam my young roo is dead well I was planning on breeding these birds but not now I had 10 and now I'm down to 5  not a happy girl right now. And this morning he was the first out into the yard flying around having a good time I just don't know any more.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Its time to contact the state vet and ask about having a necropsy done. Whatever is hitting your flock is beyond anything I've ever heard of.


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## Bee (Jun 20, 2013)

Got any neighbors that don't like your chickens? Could be poisoning them with rat poison when you are not around. Looks a lot like pelleted chicken feed...


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## GratefulGirl (Sep 10, 2012)

Goodness so sorry this is happening please keep us updated!


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## hennypenny68 (Apr 30, 2013)

No I don't think any one is doing that I have 3 separate pens and that one is closest to the house so I think if it was poison the others would get it as well and everyone else is doing great.


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## doodlehike (Jul 27, 2013)

Could be Marek's. Were they vaccinated? I've had 4 chickens die recently and have learned a lot in the process. In all cases, it was very sudden onset. Your birds sound like they are just about the right age, too. Just before laying age.


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## hennypenny68 (Apr 30, 2013)

I don't think it's that they didn't have any of the symptoms I think it might of been coccidea I haven't lost any more for 3 days and everyone else seems to be doing ok now fingers x I don't loose any more


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## doodlehike (Jul 27, 2013)

Three of my 4 birds didn't have any symptoms. They were alive in the morning and dead that afternoon. The state lab found masses in one of my bird's organs. I'm new to this so it may be something else, but a necropsy is never a bad idea. Our lab does them for free, too.


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