Disorders of the Reproductive System in Poultry

Cystic Right Oviduct in Poultry:

Fluid accumulation in the vestigial right oviduct is a common finding in hens.
The abdominal cyst is filled with clear fluid and is attached to the right side
of the cloacal wall. The cyst may vary in size from barely perceptible to 15
20 cm in diameter. An increased incidence has been seen in flocks after
infectious bronchitis virus outbreaks. Oviductal cysts are a necropsy finding
that rarely, if ever, affect flock performance.
Defective or Abnormal Eggs in Poultry:
Most ridged, sunburst, slab-sided, soft-shelled, or double-shelled eggs
are the result of eggs colliding in the shell gland region of the oviduct when
an ovum (yolk) is released too soon after the previous one. Necropsy
examinations have demonstrated that two full-sized eggs can be found in the
shell gland pouch. As the second egg comes in contact with the first,
pressure is exerted, disrupting the pattern of mineralization. The first egg
acquires a white band and chalky appearance, while the second egg is
flattened on its contiguous surface (ie, slab-sided). Pimpled or rough eggs
may have been retained too long in the shell gland. Blood spots result when
a follicle vessel along the stigma ruptures as the ovum is being released.
Meat spots occur when a piece of follicle membrane or residual albumen
from the previous day is incorporated into the developing egg.
Many abnormalities appear to have no specific cause, but the incidence is
much higher in hens subjected to stressful management conditions, rough
handling, or vaccination during production. A significant increase in the
number of soft-shelled eggs is also common as a result of viral diseases such
as infectious bronchitis, egg drop syndrome, and Newcastle disease.
Small eggs with no yolk form around a nidus of material (residual albumen)
in the magnum of the oviduct. Small eggs with reduced albumen and eggs
with defective shells may be the result of damage to the epithelium of the
magnum or shell gland.
Very rarely, foreign material that enters the oviduct through the vagina (eg,
a roundworm) may be incorporated into an egg.
Egg-Bound or Impacted Oviducts in Poultry:

A fully formed egg may lodge in the shell gland or vagina because the egg is
too big (eg, double-yolked) or because of hypocalcemia, calcium tetany, or
previous trauma (usually pecking) to the vent and/or vagina that obstructs
oviposition. This condition may be more prevalent in young hens that are
brought into production before body development is adequate or in hens that
are overweight or obese. It occurs more often during spring and summer
months because of overstimulation of birds by increasing light intensity and
day length, which can be compounded by rapid increases in the amount of
feed and/or excessive protein (lysine). This is a medical emergency in pet
birds but is usually recognized only during necropsy in commercial poultry.
When impaction occurs, eggs that continue to form create layers of albumen
and yolk material, and the oviduct becomes very large. Some eggs are
refluxed to the abdominal cavity (abdominal laying), and affected hens
assume a penguin-like posture.
Egg Peritonitis in Poultry:
Egg peritonitis is characterized by fibrin or albumen-like material with a
cooked appearance among the abdominal viscera. It is a common cause of
sporadic death in layers or breeder hens, but in some flocks may become the
major cause of death before or after reaching peak production and give the
appearance of a contagious disease. It is diagnosed at necropsy. Peritonitis
follows reverse movement of albumen and Escherichia coli bacteria from the
oviduct into the abdomen. If the incidence is high, culture should be done to
differentiate between Pasteurella (fowl cholera) or Salmonella infection.
Antibiotic treatment of peritonitis caused by E coli infections is usually
ineffective. Management of body weight and uniformity, reproductive
development (ovary follicle growth and maturation), and drinking water
sanitation are the best preventive strategies.
When hens have too many large ovarian follicles, a problem described as
erratic oviposition and defective egg syndrome (EODES) is seen in broiler
breeders. This condition is accompanied by a high incidence of double-yolked
eggs, prolapses of the oviduct, internal ovulation, and/or internal laying that
often results in egg peritonitis and mortality. EODES is prevented by avoiding
light stimulation of underweight pullets too early and by following guidelines
for body weight and uniformity, and lighting recommendations for each
breeder strain. Overweight hens may also have a higher incidence of erratic
ovulations and mortality associated with egg peritonitis.
False Layer (Poultry):

These hens ovulate normally, but the yolk is dropped into the abdominal
cavity rather than being collected by the oviduct because of inflammation
and resulting obstruction of the oviduct after infection with Escherichia coli
or Mycoplasma gallisepticum. The yolk is absorbed from the abdominal
cavity. The hen looks like a normal layer but does not produce eggs.
Hypoplasia of the ovary and oviduct has been associated with infectious
bronchitis virus infections (see Infectious Bronchitis) at an early age (12
wk). Atresia or even atrophy of the ovary are caused by severe stress,
chronic infections, insufficient feed intake, inadequate feeder space, and
feed refusal due to mycotoxins in the feed.
Hypocalcemia, Sudden Death, Osteoporosis, or Cage Layer Fatigue
(Poultry):
Pullets or hens with insufficient dietary calcium, phosphorus, or vitamin D3
may die suddenly or be found paralyzed from hypocalcemia while shelling an
egg. This may be associated with high production and withdrawal of calcium
from bones for egg shell production, in which case the main lesion may be
osteoporosis. At necropsy, there is an egg in the shell gland and the ova are
active and fully developed. There are no other lesions, although medullary
bone may be lacking. Paralyzed hens respond to calcium IV, and this
response may be useful in diagnosis.
Osteoporosis is a major cause of death in high-production flocks. Hens with
osteoporosis may show similar signs at necropsy, or the ova may be
regressing with no egg in the oviduct. The femur is always fragile, and
medullary bone is always absent in osteoporosis. These hens may also
respond to calcium IV if there are no fractures of the legs or vertebrae. The
use of large particle size calcium (limestone, oyster shell) in the diet may be
beneficial. High rates of mortality due to fractures are common in birds
affected with osteoporosis. This situation is more common in broiler breeder
hens in slatted houses due to the trauma caused by jumping on and off the
slats. Ruptured egg follicles indicating trauma can be found during necropsy
examination of these birds.
A condition known as hypocalcemia or calcium tetany (paralysis) has been
seen in modern or high-yielding broiler breeder hens. Signs such as panting,
spread wings, and prostration may be seen in the early morning hours
preceding paralysis and death by asphyxia. Careful postmortem examination
reveals a fully active ovary and the presence of a partially or fully formed
egg in the shell gland in the absence of other lesions. This indicates that the

hen used all available calcium from the bloodstream in an effort to complete
the egg shell. The condition is common in flocks with poor body weight
uniformity that are fed high-calcium diets in the weeks before the onset of
lay and brought into production by drastic increases in day length and feed
allocation. Hypocalcemia can be prevented by management practices that
promote body weight uniformity and avoid excessive/premature allocation of
high-calcium diets and light stimulation. Mortality can be reduced by the
administration (topping of the feed) of 5 g of oyster shell per hen for 3
consecutive days, and addition of vitamin D3 to the drinking water. This
treatment should be suspended for 3 days and then repeated. Severe cases
will require continual treatment for 23 wk (3 days of treatment followed by 3
days without). Feeding of recommended levels of calcium, using largeparticle-size calcium, and providing adequate ventilation and cooling are
helpful to prevent or reduce the incidence of this condition.
Mortality and the presence of an egg in the shell gland also can be caused
by a condition referred to as sudden death syndrome, first reported in
Australia. This is believed to be caused by marginal levels of potassium and
phosphorus in the diet, resulting in cardiomyopathy.
Internal Layer (Poultry):
In these hens, partially or fully formed eggs are found in the abdominal
cavity. Such eggs reach the cavity by reverse peristalsis of the oviduct. If
they have no shell, they are often misshapen because of partial or complete
absorption of the contents. Frequently, only empty shell membranes are
present. No control or treatment is known. This condition is related to erratic
ovulation and defective egg syndrome (see Defective or Abnormal Eggs in
Poultry).
Infertility in Poultry:
Infertility caused by male management problems is common. Problems may
be caused by an inadequate number of healthy males or because males
have reduced sperm production resulting from chronic disease, inadequate
feed intake, or starvation (harsh feed restriction). However, obese females
may be less efficient in transporting sperm to the infundibulum, resulting in
reduced fertilization of the ovum as it is released from the ovary. The male
must be dominant to the females, or mating will not occur. Commercial
turkey hens are inseminated artificially with semen collected from the toms
and used the same day (see Artificial Insemination). Parthenogenesis is
responsible for some infertility in turkeys. There are host sperm glands in the

oviduct of females, and live sperm can be retained for 34 wk. Waterfowl
have a rudimentary penis, and prolapse of the penis is occasionally reported
in drakes. There is no treatment.
Neoplasia of the Reproductive System in Poultry:
The most frequent tumor of the reproductive system is adenocarcinoma of
the oviduct. Neoplastic cells are shed from tumors in the oviduct into the
abdominal cavity. They implant on the ovary, pancreas, and other viscera
and produce multiple, hard, yellow nodules. They may block lymph return
and result in ascites. The incidence increases with age, and this tumor may
be a frequent cause of death after 2 yr. Affected hens are condemned at
processing.
Leiomyoma of the broad ligament is an estrogen-induced hypertrophy of the
smooth muscle of the broad ligament. It is benign and is an incidental finding
at necropsy or processing.
A variety of ovarian and testicular tumors has been described. Marek's
disease (see Marek's Disease in Poultry) is a common cause of tumors of the
ovary.
Oophoritis and Ovary Regression in Poultry:
Regression of the ovary may result in leakage of free yolk into the abdomen
(yolk peritonitis); this rarely causes death except when yolk material
migrates through the air sacs to the lung and causes foreign body
pneumonia. Free yolk is seen in many cases of acute illness, injury, or forced
molt. Regression of the ovary is frequently caused by low body weight,
deliberate reduction of feed, overcrowding, or lack of feeder space. Infectious
diseases such as Newcastle disease, fowl cholera, pullorum disease, and
avian influenza are known to cause this condition. It can also result from
severe stress, which is often accompanied by feather molt, emaciation, and
dehydration.
Prolapse of the Oviduct in Poultry:
When an egg is laid, the vagina everts through the cloaca to deliver the egg.
If there has been injury to the vagina, such as from a large or double-yolk
egg, or if the hen is fat, the vagina may not retract immediately, leaving it
exposed for a short time. This may result in cannibalism (see Cannibalism in
Poultry). When the protruding organ is pecked by other hens, the complete
oviduct and parts of the adjacent intestinal tract may be pulled from the

abdominal cavity (peckout). Bleeding from the vent is observed as a result

of pecking. Alternatively, the vagina swells, cannot retract, and remains
prolapsed (blowout). The hen dies from shock. Prolapse has been
associated with excessive/premature photostimulation, poor body weight
uniformity, early laying (inadequate body size), large eggs, double-yolked
eggs, and obesity. Cannibalism may be prevented by beak trimming,
managing light intensity, maintaining appropriate stocking density, and
avoiding nutritional deficiencies.
Salpingitis in Poultry:
Salpingitis is an inflammation of the oviduct, which may contain liquid or
caseous exudate. In young pullets, it is often due to Mycoplasma
gallisepticum, Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp, or Pasteurella multocida (fowl
cholera) infection and can result in reduced egg production. It is a frequent
lesion in female broilers and ducks at processing. On gross examination,
salpingitis may be difficult to differentiate from impacted oviduct in adults.
As the oviduct becomes nonfunctional, the ovaries are usually atrophied.
Unless associated with an infectious problem, this condition tends to be
found sporadically during necropsy of cull hens.
Sex Reversal in Poultry:
If the normal left ovary of a hen is destroyed by infection, the vestigial right
organ may develop as a testicle and the hen may develop male
characteristics. Neoplasia in the adrenal glands or ovary that result in the
production of testosterone could also cause the development of male
secondary sexual characteristics (comb and wattles) in affected females.