# Mystery Death



## WeeLittleChicken (Aug 31, 2012)

This morning I went out to let the chickens out of their coop and I found a Brabanter hen in the middle of the floor, dead as a doornail, no reason. She's probably 8 months old I think, somewhere around there. I picked her up, she was a little thin but not deathly so, her gullet was full but not impacted or sour. She wasn't egg bound. So I opened her up to take a gander and was shocked at what I found -- the biggest liver I have EVER seen in a chicken. I don't know how she had room in there for anything else! It was easily 2.5 times the size it should have been and ghastly discolored. Though there were a few faint patches of normal color toward the back most was this gross uniform grey. It was still smooth, no nodules, or lumps, or hemorrhages. Does anyone know what could cause this? (Sorry, I would have taken a photo if my camera wasn't on the fritz again - UGH.) I'm also shocked this hen could have hidden such a profound illness so well. She was acting normal the night before - her wattles and comb were still a vibrant red. I don't think I had a snow ball's chance in hell of spotting this one. :/


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## 8hensalaying (Jun 5, 2015)

No insight, but so sorry for your loss!


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## Alaskan (Aug 22, 2015)

That is crazy!! Awesome that you opened her up to take a look...

But I am also of no help, sorry.


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

I am so sorry you lost a pullet. I am so glad that you had the nerve to open her up. Unless you send her for a necropsy by a state lab, you may not ever know why she died. I'm sure someone here knows more about livers. It could be a birth anamoly.

I had a rooster , 18 months old, very happy, and I could here him making commotion and looked up and saw him flop down. I first thought he was getting a hen. But he was laying there dead. I thought he was faking. He was not. He just dropped over dead for no reason that I know of. 

IF he had a big liver like that, it was probably something chronic that she's had for a while.


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## zamora (May 26, 2015)

I have no ideas but am so sorry for the loss of your girl.


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## casportpony (Aug 22, 2015)

Sorry for your loss... You might want to send an email to the avian pathologist at your state lab and ask them what might have caused that.


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

It would be nice to know if all these small flock necropsies were entered into a national data base for research. Large production does it to track illnesses. But I think our chickens may have different problems. I'd like to know.


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## Alaskan (Aug 22, 2015)

That would freak me out... Next step would be coming to slaughter our flocks.


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

Alaskan, what a horrible thought. Hopefully big brother is not monitoring our posts.


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