Kidney problems?

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Beano

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Kidney problems?
« on: September 24, 2012, 10:33 »
I have a young pullet (this years) that is ill. She stopped laying around 3 weeks ago and I should have been suspicious then. I came back from a weekend away and noticed that her comb had shrunk and that she had very watery poos. So much so that there was hardly any solids in it at all. I took her to the vet. who said she had a temperature and that she must have been ill for a while because she had hardly any flesh on her. She was prescribed anti-biotics which I have been giving her for the last three days. Last evening she was looking much better and eating well and even did a half decent poo with no water in it.
Every morning she goes straight for the water and drinks like a mad. She then goes to graze and the water is pouring from her beak, probably because of the volume she has drunk.
This morning she did the same and I'm worried that she will just get weaker and weaker.
I have been putting tonic in the water to at least get some goodness down her. The miserable weather doesn't help today because they're all looking miserable.
Sorry for the long winded story but is there anything else I could be doing to help her?
Does anyone else think that it might be kidney failure and if so is there any cure?
El.

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compostqueen

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Re: Kidney problems?
« Reply #1 on: September 24, 2012, 10:42 »
When my hen started to drink like mad I was concerned and I think you're right to be. She sounds an ill girl but she's young, has been having treatment so she might well be ok.  It could be kidney or sour crop, or something else entirely. It's not always easy to tell.  She might need bringing indoors for a bit to warm up.  If you're still concerned you could go back to your vet who might suggest further treatment or putting her to sleep.

I wouldn't delay seeking help as they can quickly go down hill


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Beano

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Re: Kidney problems?
« Reply #2 on: September 24, 2012, 11:17 »
Thank you for your swift reply compostqueen. I have enough anti-biotics to last until wednesday and if there is no improvement I'll take her back. When I asked the vet what to do if she's no better I was told "we'll cross that bridge when we come to it".
When the vet checked her crop she was not too concerned and said that if anything it was a little on the hard side. Whenever I've checked her crop it seems squidgy but it's usually when she's been drinking lots of water. The water drinking only seems to happen first thing as if she wants to fill her crop full of water. Later on in the day she doesn't drink so much. She's pretty good at finding worms and will eat chard or any greens with gusto.
I'm at work at the moment but it will be a short day so that I can make sure she's alright this afternoon. I separated her from the others yesterday for a while but she wore a path along the fence with her pacing back and forth.
Do you think that getting her to eat anything even if it is rice, pasta or sultanas is better than nothing? Or am I making her worse by feeding her rubbish?

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compostqueen

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Re: Kidney problems?
« Reply #3 on: September 24, 2012, 11:25 »
Don't feed her rubbish or stuff she shouldn't have. If she wants to be with her friends then let her.  You can keep an eye on her.  If she's disinterested and huddled up in a corner then you know all is not right.  If she's scratting for worms then you know she's feeling better.  Rice, pasta and sultanas are not hen food so I'd leave off with those.  Meal worms (dried from Wilko or the pet shop) are a good source of protein and she might take those from your hand. 
These are only a treat though but might encourage her to eat.  Have you got layer pellets for her?  I shall assume you have

I am not a hen expert but there are some hereabouts who can advise you better than I.

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Beano

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Re: Kidney problems?
« Reply #4 on: September 24, 2012, 11:37 »
She wont eat the layers pellets or mixed corn. She picks at layers mash mixed with water and tonic but not much. She does however eat greens. I give her the sultanas stuffed with the anti-biotics which is an easy way of getting her to take them.
I'll lay off the pasta and rice then and get some meal worms for her.

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helens-hens

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Re: Kidney problems?
« Reply #5 on: September 24, 2012, 12:25 »
Hi Beano

What is happening to your hen sounds almost like a carbon copy of what happened to one of mine back in August. Ours had already stopped laying (she is about 2 1/2 and a hybrid).

The first thing she would do in the morning is drink loads of water, she refused pellets (not even that interested in pellet porridge) preferring to forage when outside the run for grass, bugs etc or if inside would peck at corn on the cob, or veg hung up as entertainment. Her droppings were the same as your hen's.

I took her to the vet and he thought she may have a kidney infection and also noticed that her droppings had a large number of flagelets (thgink I spelled that right!) which are tiny amoeba like creatures. I asked what could cause that & he seemed to think the eating of sweet things like fruit could but doing research online I saw that drinking water that has been standing for a while (puddles etc which all hens seem to prefer!) can also be a cause.

He gave her ABs but they didn't seem to be that effective (though they were in tablet form and I don't think I managed to get much down her). He then gave her a different liquid broad spectrum AB for a week along with OREGO-STIM which is an oregon based herbal additive for their drinking water (I mentioned this to somebody else in a post a couple of days ago). This claims, amongs other things, to dry up their poos and it certainly seemed to help.

One other symptom my hen had was the colour of the poos - a very green colour. This may have been to do with her eating more vegetation but I am not so sure as some of her droppings in the last week or so have been a similar colour though nothing like as runny, even though her diet is more balanced now as she is back on her pellets.

I am just keeping an eye on her now and giving them the supplement from time to time. My gut feeling is that it is a kidney infection which possibly hasn't quite cleared up, that seems to at least partly answer the excessive drinking of water that happened initially (this has stopped now and if anything both hens seem to be drinking less).

In between vets visits she seemed to manage to maintain her weight and seemed otherwise well. I partly put this down to the fact that after the first visit he told me to give them the max dose of avipro (another additive) in their drinking water so that she at least was getting some nutrients in her (it was OK for my other hen to have this too).

I don't know if my post is of any help but your case sounded so familiar to mine I thought it may help to share! Hope your hen recovers soon.
 
Helen

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Beano

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Re: Kidney problems?
« Reply #6 on: September 24, 2012, 14:03 »
Thank you helens-hens. It certainly sounds very similar and I will be getting some avipro and orego-stim which I have heard of before.
I hope to god my hen will have the same outcome as yours. She's such a lovely little thing and I feel so helpless.
Hopefully I'll be able to the stuff on-line.

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joyfull

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Re: Kidney problems?
« Reply #7 on: September 24, 2012, 14:13 »
you could also try making her feed into a porridge by mixing it with hot water - many hens prefer this and it's a good way to get ill hens to eat their proper feed.
Avipro plus is a good idea when a hen is on antibiotics - it replenishes the gut bacteria that they lose. Hens have an intolerance to lactose so this is better than probiotics.
It might also be a good idea to ask your vet about worming your hens - assuming you haven't wormed them recently.
Staffies are softer than you think.

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Beano

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Re: Kidney problems?
« Reply #8 on: September 24, 2012, 14:28 »
Hi Joyfull.
They were wormed at the beginning of August with Fubenvet so I don't think it's worms.
The problem I do have is sparrows. The little blighters are all over the place. We've recently bought a feeder that they'll have to stand on to reveal the food (hopefully you know what I mean) because the wild birds carry so many diseases.
Last month a 2 year old hen went almost blind and completely deaf almost overnight. Took her to the vet., had a course of anti-biotics. She's still deaf and blind but coping well and she was the first one to suss out the new feeder. She became very aggressive when she first became blind but has calmed down now. I'm convinced that she picked something up from the wild birds to cause her blindness.

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Jomtie

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Re: Kidney problems?
« Reply #9 on: September 30, 2012, 19:06 »
Since being on ABs for a suspected gut infection in June, one of my hens has not laid at all. She is under a year old but since the ABs, apart for the lack of eggs, seems to have been perfectly happy and healthy. But today I noticed that she was very quiet and has a very dirty bum. Her poo is white and watery. Tonight she is, unusually, not at all interested in the corn that the others are tucking into. Could it be kidneys?
Hens - Clara (Bluebell) & little newbies Martha (Black Sussex) & Dora (Speckled Maran)
RIP Margot, Geraldine, Hettie,  Ruby & Tilly :(
Cats - Herbie (LH black moggy) Louie (Seal Point Ragdoll) Jazzi (Dilute Torbie) Peggy (g&w stray)
RIP Ollie (Seal Point Ragdoll) :(



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