The Official Forum of the Ameraucana Breeders Club > Housing, Health & Hatching
Sudden comb growth, 3y/o hen
Sharon Yorks:
Sorry to hear that, Clare.
dak:
Yeah, kinda a bummer. I don't get too attached, but she had earned her place in the retirement/layer/yard art pen.
Maybe this info will be of use in the future to someone seeing the same signs.
Tailfeathers:
I'd like to see those pics if John will post them as I've never seen a tumor. In fact, I think I'll go Google "tumor" now just so I can see one. But it would still be informational to see what you experienced.
I have done a necropsy on a couple of birds that "mysteriously" died and when I opened them up they had livers that almost completely filled the abdomen. Each lobe of the liver was about 5" long and 2-3" wide. That's EACH lobe! From what I was told by the vet at the State Extensioner's office, it was Lymphoid Leucosis.
God Bless,
Royce
Mike Gilbert:
I have heard it said that Avian Leucosis or Marek's will kill most birds if they live long enough. These diseases can cause internal tumors, and sometimes the birds die having exhibited no external symptoms.
dak:
--- Quote from: Tailfeathers on May 31, 2013, 04:29:46 AM ---I'd like to see those pics if John will post them as I've never seen a tumor. In fact, I think I'll go Google "tumor" now just so I can see one. But it would still be informational to see what you experienced.
--- End quote ---
Thank you for posting the picture John. The sheer size of it and her relatively normal behavior is what I find unusual.
A recent pathology article in JAVMA (Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Assn.) cited the incidence of ovarian tumors in commercial layers to be as high as 50% by age 4 years. Not that they are usually kept in production that long.
Also, at a recent necropsy session at the NM state vet diagnostic lab we discussed common signs at necropsy of Marek's, and infiltration of the liver was one.
I am trying to necropsy every bird that dies of unknown causes here, and slowly self-teach myself poultry medicine. There was minimal poultry medicine covered at my vet school, but the basics apply to any species.
On another topic, my state (New Mexico) is now doing some surveillance testing for avian influenza. I have been recruited to participate in procuring samples. It sounds like this will be a nationwide effort likely due to recent outbreaks of new pathogenic strains of AI.
Clare
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