Fatty Liver ...Can mushrooms cause this??

[Cloverleaf Farm]

Ok, so the quick back story is that I lost 2 of my 2 year old black bantam Ameraucana hens last week. They died within 24 hours of each other - that's the weird part. NO signs of any illness or injury. They were COMPLETELY normal and then DROPPED DEAD within a few hours of being seen and being 100% normal.

I just got preliminary necropsy results back, and they both died of the same thing - acute hemorrhage caused by Fatty Liver syndrome. BOTH of them.

After the second one died I carefully inspected the coop, and what I found was 3 small white hairy mushrooms growing in the corner of the same nest box that I found the first hen in. This is actually a tractor that has 6 nest boxes built into one wall with doors that open on the outside. When it rains hard (sideways like it has been) they leak in the corners, I am guessing this is how/why this happened. Also, it was one of the higher nest boxes that is hard to see into the corner of, so I didn't see the mushrooms until they grew tall enough to peek over the edge.

If it wasn't the mushrooms (I'm thinking they could've caused the bleed itself, but maybe not the fatty liver??) I don't know what to do about the others. These particular birds get no fatty treats AT ALL. They get a combo of Flock Raiser and Layena crumble, and veggie scraps. No corn, no BOSS, no seeds. HOW is this diet too fatty??

Oh, and they have 24/7 access to the ground, but this "tractor" is too heavy to move so it's all barkdust and dirt in their run.

 

[Erica]

How bizarre (and upsetting). Could some of the feed possibly have been mouldy? Some mould toxins cause pale bloated livers (though not sure if they're truly 'fatty').

Is either of the feed a high protein one? DL methionine has been associated with fatty liver syndrome, and more is added to high protein feed to meet the amino acid requirements of growers.

Sorry I can't help — those are two little factoids I came across, but they're probably 2 among dozens of possible causes...

 

[f8thnjc]

Do they get a lot of corn?

 

[AussieAcres]

Mushrooms won't cause it.

FLD is usually noticed in inactive chickens more than free rangers. It is likely due to to either excessive calorie intake, lack of exercise, or heredity causing issues with metabolism. It can also be caused by stress, usually among your best laying hens. Some hens in the height of their laying tend to over stress and fatigue. This will tend to lead to metabolism issues.

 

[AussieAcres]

If I had to guess a culprit (with not much info on your hens) , it would likely be the Flock raiser feed in conjunction with low activity or inactive birds. Just because the feed is low or no animal fats does not mean the end result is low fat. When consuming high energy feed, and not burning said energy. That energy has to go somewhere. your hens will deposit excess energy as fat deposits, especially in the liver.

As a side note, Flock Raiser is intended for larger chickens of the meat breeds to support putting on weight fast.

 

[Cloverleaf Farm]

Thanks. These girls are pretty active, they are CONSTANTLY scratching around looking for things - very rarely just sitting. Oddly enough, the one hen in that coop that DOES just sit around was not affected (or at least not yet). I do not feed any additional corn beyond what is in their feed, unless it is below freezing, and then only a handful for them to scratch around for.

A friend thought of the possibility of toxins in the feed, but none of the birds in any of my other coops have been affected, all of that food is gone now, though maybe because they were my smallest birds?? I have fed Flock Raiser in conjunction with layer feed for 2 years with no previous problems. I feed the higher protein through moults, and whenever they aren't laying (these girls had just started laying again after 11 months off).

 

[AussieAcres]

I wouldn't dismiss heredity then. Some hens are just susceptible because of their genes.

 

[Cloverleaf Farm]

Quote:
That's a good point. I hatched a bunch this year from different lines, because I was having some other issues due to too close of breeding (unfortunately I didn't know how closely they had been bred until some issues popped up this year, I bought all of these as either started birds or chicks, but they all came from the same source).

 

[tdgill]

odd even still that MY vet recommended Purina Flock Raiser for my rooster that was diagnosed with fatty liver disease....he said I needed to get him off layer and on a more appropriate feed for him.

 

[Cloverleaf Farm]

Quote:
Yeah, I don't think it was the flock raiser. It's an "all purpose" feed, and the protein is only 4% higher than the layer.

The final report came back that only the second one was fatty liver, and that the first one that died was egg yolk peritonitis. I guess it was just coincidence that they died so close together...,