Patridge bantam chicken poorly foot?

[Fur 'n' Feathers]

Putting this on in the hope that it is a quick help to others.

 

We've had a bit of an ongoing saga with Krasi over a period of months. She is perfectly healthy,energetic, eating well, laying very well, but she had a persistently dirty vent due to white crusty urea drying round it and the associated feathers. We've kept her off greens, fed her with Bokashi bran and she has ACV in "Ooops, word censored!"er as they all do. She was the only one presenting this way. We washed her a couple of times but she was crusty again within a day. In addition it was her eggs that had white pooey bits on!

 

We read around on the symptoms of excess urea (it was quite plainly that as washing her increased the smell) and read that it can be a symptom of there not being enough good bacteria in the crop. This can be a result of worming, or of treatment for sour crop where the crop has had to be emptied, but not necessarily.

 

The suggested treatment was live yoghurt to increase good bacteria. We already make our own yoghurt so this was a ready answer to us.

 

We decided to put some yoghurt and Bokashi bran in a small bowl for the 3 of them to eat.....they yomped it in under 2 minutes! Not knowing how long the treatment should be, but recognising it would need to allow for the good bacteria to come up to a healthy level, we decided to give them the same amount for 5 days.

 

The result has been that Krasi is not longer makiong excess urea and her eggs are absolutely clean (not that was what we were looking for!). So.... the result as far as we are concerned was 100% successful!

 

We give them Vermex on a 4-weekly basis and have never been happy with top dressing as we felt it was inaccurate. We also felt that water-based had similar difficulties in that the dose received may not be accurate. We have now decided to give the Vermex crushed and mixed with a small amount of bran and yoghurt...it is eaten in less than 2 minutes and the hens are more likely to get a therapeutic dose. They get a bit of yoghurt tonic as well!

 

It would be interesting to find if anyone els has had similar success.

[jess]

Yes my battery hen has this problem!

I am going to try this immediately thank you for posting!

 

This is probably a stupid question but do you know if it is contagious or yno spreadable to other hens

[Fur 'n' Feathers]

The issue Krasi had was excess urea, which it appears was due to lack of good bacteria. This means an over-production of the secretions related to digestion - not an infection. Certainly the others haven't got symptoms. Otherwise we'd have been looking for an infectious cause & taken her to the vet.

[Christian]

Interesting reading Fur n' Feathers. Thanks for posting about it.

[Egluntyne]

Intriguing. I'd be interested to read a bit more about this but can find nothing on 'tinterweb.

 

Could you post a link?

 

Ta muchly.

[Fur 'n' Feathers]

Sorry. Egluntine. It was a couple of weeks back when we did the search & the web history has been deleted. Found the entry when searching for what the symptom might be. Did a lot of searching!! Seem to remember the thread it was on having a user called "cochin breeder", if that's any help. Think it was was that user who mentioned about low levels of good bacteria sometimes being a result of emptying the crop, as in treatment for sour crop.

 

Can anyone else help?

Edited October 11, 2008 by Guest

[Egluntyne]

Thanks. I'll have a hunt round.

[Fur 'n' Feathers]

Egluntine - just had another hunt around & this is the link we got the idea from:

 

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1571

 

Got round to wiping the last dregs away of the crustiness with a soaked cotton wool bud today and the vent area is lovely & fresh and there is no wetness or urea smell. The few feathers she'd lost just above are growing back well.

 

She seemed very happy with our treating her & sat still for us.

[jess]

How much of the stuff did you give them? I've been mixing one pot with some mash every day so far. I am using yakult

[Fur 'n' Feathers]

No scientific measure. Just a few desertspoons with Bokashi bran to make mash.

We make our own yoghurt so can't comment on commercial stuff. As long s it's live as the key is the good bacteria's presence.

 

Incidentally, here's another interesting post that references yoghurt after anti-biotics:

http://kelseyinfo.co.uk/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1211388985/11

[Chook n Boo Mum]

 

We give them Vermex on a 4-weekly basis and have never been happy with top dressing as we felt it was inaccurate. We also felt that water-based had similar difficulties in that the dose received may not be accurate. We have now decided to give the Vermex crushed and mixed with a small amount of bran and yoghurt...it is eaten in less than 2 minutes and the hens are more likely to get a therapeutic dose. They get a bit of yoghurt tonic as well!

 

I agree that the recommended method of dosing is extremely hit & miss - I use the liquid version & make up enough layers mash porridge that they will eat in a quick "sitting" at tea time (always far more interested in freeranging for bugs etc!), with the dose well mixed in & they snaffle the lot in nanoseconds - quicker than if the porridge is plain interestingly!

 

Am having similar thoughts about the dosing methods of Flubenvet 1%...but that's another thread!!

 

Glad your Krasi's better after your treatment, well worth keeping in mind should the matter ever arise. Anytime my girls have had antibiotics or after a tummy upset, I dose them with yoghurt - never seems to harm them & they love it! (but then they are labs & love anything..! )

 

Sha xx

[Fur 'n' Feathers]

Thanks Wild Mum (love the name by the way!). That confirms it for us.

 

Excess urea (or urates) is not something that's written about much - as opposed to "runny poo".

 

There's nothing much related to a hen that in all other ways appears healthy & lively.The only info we've found anything on in any detail seems to be related to chicks - and then it's potentially fatal!

 

Does anyone know why a hen can have excess urates and appear well?

[sandyhas3chucks]

very interesting. how much bran did you give for 3?

Also is it better 1st thing in the morning or last thing at night?

Or middle of day even

Anyone any thoughts?

[The Dogmother]

If the hen is otherwise healthy, I really wouldn't worry too much about it. Because of their eating habits, they will always have a low level of undesirables.

[Egluntyne]

I'm not sure that we have got the right end of the stick here re urates.

 

I think what is happening is that the hen has a squitty bum and the normal urates are just adhering to the mucky feathers....and they will smell horrible if you get up close enough.

 

The giving of probiotic yoghurt is very mainstream after a course of antibiotics, to re colonise the gut with friendly bacteria.

 

Avipro is another way of achieving this.

 

If there was a problem with her kidneys, she would have other symptoms, and would seem ill.

 

Good to hear that she seems on good form.

[sandyhas3chucks]

thanks for the exyra info, like to keep increasing my knowledge. Got Avipro. need the D3 supplement though. think I overdid the cod liver oil. Sure I could taste it in acouple eggs put me right off