Bumblefoot Hen Drinking Excessively

[HannahL]

Hi all. So I have a 4-year-old RIR hen named Ruby. She’s a really fantastic bird. I’m currently treating her for bumblefoot on both feet in tandem with my vet. She’s getting one-two epsom salt baths per day plus antiseptic cream on her feet which I am wrapping with vet wrap to keep clean. She’s for a follow-up appointment on Friday. She is active, talkative, and eating normally. I keep her in a dog crate at night to prevent her from roosting on her feet but let her out with the hens in the coop during the day. I’m in the northeast so they haven’t been able to go out in the pen the last couple days with all the snow. I leave the waterer outside of the dog crate at night since she spills it otherwise, but I offer her food and water about 2x a night before bed. I just went and gave her water and she drank for a solid 20 minutes. She ate a bit as well, but just seemed REALLY thirsty. She’d only gone without water for a couple of hours?? Again, she seems healthy otherwise but just her level of water intake took me aback. The top hen is a bit of a bully to her so I thought maybe she just didn’t get a chance to drink that much when she was out in the coop. I felt around and her abdomen doesn’t feel swollen, her breath is fine, crop feels normal, and she hasn’t laid an egg in years so I doubt it’s anything to do with that. Am I worrying for no reason? Should I just start to worry if her behavior changes or she loses weight? Thanks in advance for any replies! I’m a total worry wart when it comes to my chickens!

 

[MandS]

Poor little thing! Doing both feet is tough but often necessary.

They can get a bit over excited when they see clean water and haven't had access for a little while. They then over drink and, oftentimes, will spew it out as they stoop down to peck at something on the ground. This is, in my view at least, pretty normal.

If on the other hand, she has got an infection through whatever is going on with her feet, then she may be drinking because of that. If they get infections, they can go two different ways: one way is almost like a complete shutdown and you have to syringe liquids into them to keep them hydrated, or the other is that they just drink and drink.

I have one doing the latter at the moment and is on antibiotics for it, however it is a nasty internal thing that probably won't ever get cured, so it is different.

All the above is from my own experience, so don't take it as a definitive answer, just as one that comes from seeing it many times over the years. My advice would be to watch her carefully for the day. See if she is drinking far more than other birds or seems sensible. If she is, I'd let the vet know promptly.

Good luck!