What is the cause of fatty chicken?

We have had some more mysterious chicken deaths. The most recent is one of the Marans that came to us in the early spring..February... She was a good size hen, just went off one day, then was down the next, dead the next. I had just wormed with Piperazine, and wondered if she had a large worm load and so asked the hubby to do a small autopsy... What we found was amazing amounts of fat everywhere. She probably had a layer an inch thick throughout her whole abdomen...is this a disease?
I have no idea how old she was...was told 2..but she could have been as old as the hills for all i know..
any thoughts here...i don't even know where to start looking

After experiencing something similar when I processed an older blue Andalusian hen, I'm beginning to suspect some chickens are more prone to over eating than others, especially if their feed is left out free choice. Fat hens don't lay well, so not a good thing. Also watch how many 'treats' are given. I was over doing the kitchen scraps for awhile myself, which I think might have lead to a picking issue with a few birds. Thankfully that's been corrected.  

As a side note, I've recently started fermenting my birds layer pellets (increases the protein level and makes nutrients easier to digest) as well as whole grains. They get a set amount of 'mash' per day and eat every last kernel with glee. I still have dry layer ration free choice as well, but it hardly gets touched now.

Figuring out how to best care for these lovely creatures is half the battle.  

thank you bhf
We do free feed, but treats are twice a day scratch and vegis only..
scratch is one scoop for about 70 birds, so each bird doesn't get much...good to know it wasn't some disease other than obesity

Just perusing the list here and saw your reference to "fermenting" the pellets.  Have more info?   Possible this is discussed elsewhere on this forum?
Thanks
Michael

Was is fat in even layer or fatty chunks like possible tumours? Chickens are funny they like to die in unexplained ways and for unexplained reasons!

islandhogan wrote:Just perusing the list here and saw your reference to "fermenting" the pellets.  Have more info?   Possible this is discussed elsewhere on this forum?
Thanks
Michael

Hi Michael,
Everything you want to know about fermented feed can be found here.   There are also some great fermenting threads on BYC.
https://scratchcradle.wordpress.com/category/chickens/management/fermented-feed-management/

I've only been fermenting my chicken's food (both pellets and whole grains) for a little over a month now, but wow, what a difference already! Droppings are noticeably smaller and harder, and there is less smell too. The chickens don't waste a morsel, and are happier and healthier than ever. And the best part is it only takes me ten minutes extra a day to mix everything up.

Fermentation gets two thumbs up from me so far!  

fuzzylittlefriend wrote:Was is fat in even layer or fatty chunks like possible tumours?

My hen had an even layer of yellow fat throughout her insides. No visible tumors on any organs, just fat.

Thanks for the info about the fermented foods. I will read it all and will probably try it. When the hens waste the food it drives me nuts! I've been making feeders that prevent waste to some degree but it isn't perfected yet.
Michael