One of my Buckeye hens has not been doing that well. I've been monitoring this large "blister" thing on her bum for a few weeks, and it was growing. To top it off she's broody so her behaviour is out of whack anyway. Her abdomen looked loose and droopy, and it felt pretty squishy. I read up on possible things (I thought it was ascites and her belly was full of fluid)and her future looked grim, I did not want it to get to the point where she would die on her own suffering the whole time so I did the deed, and figured I should at least do an autopsy.
Here's the blister, the skin looked like it was thinning and it might burst. Her vent is to the left, the blister is under the vent, this picture is sideways. It is about an inch in diameter and sticks out about an inch as well. Feathers were trimmed earlier, she had been
ing on it.
She is alive at this point being held upside down, the thing sunk back in when she was being held like this.
Here's what it looks like when she's held horizontally
Here she is, dry plucked in a big tray. I took precautions with latex gloves and saftety glasses, I did not want to risk infection or disease because I knew the hen wasn't healthy but not sure why.
You can see the abnormal abdominal bulge.
