Probable gout on older chicken not laying any longer - how to handle?

[Dawn S]

I have two older chickens from a batch of six we bought around five years ago. The black star is still laying eggs, but my 1/2 frizz gened barred rock no longer lays eggs. They are together, so they both still get layer feed. The barred rock appears to have gout as of a month ago (happened all of a sudden). It has affected both of her feet, there are no sores on her feet, and it's apparent it hurts her. She was fine up until then. They get DuMOR Poultry Layer 16% Crumble from Tractor Supply.

My husband has gout, so he takes concentrated sour cherry supplements when he gets a flare up and the gout gets under control. Around 10 days ago I started giving both of the girls a separate bowl of wetted crumble feed with a capsule of the cherry supplement powder added to it. Both of the girls LOVE it (although it doesn't appear to taste like cherries to me), but the gout does not appear to be much better.

Does a cherry supplement not work on gout in chickens, should I be using something else, or is there no *real* treatment for it? I have done some research suggesting 3 - 5 days of ground corn and things that have a lot of DL-methionine in them like fish meal, or safflower, sesame, or sunflower meal. However, I can't afford to try multiple things and not get any benefit from them

.

Can anyone inform me of what this might be if not gout, suggest a solution, or level set me about her prognosis?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Kathy Golla]

These are a couple of good threads if you haven’t read them already. One of them does pertain to a rooster, not a hen but is informative.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/gout-or-mycoplasma-synoviae.1282929/#post-20711425

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/articular-gout.1300114/#post-21171154

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/is-this-gout.1223982/#post-19611035

 

[Ebony Rose]

Would quit feeding layer, instead feed 'all flock' or 'grower' with calcium supplement/oyster shell in a separate dish. Your layers will use the supplements, the others typically avoid it. Chickens seem to know that too much calcium in their diet isn't good for them. It can cause organ failure and other health issues, like gout.

 

[cottagecheese]

I've only checked the first thread recommended and I don't think it's what you are looking for OP, here is an excellent thread, please read the exchange between the OP and me, please read the links I provided there, the cause of the gout is the layer feed = too much calcium.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/big-swollen-foot.1309111/#post-21341207

 

[Dawn S]

Also, it seems like her feet have gotten less red and maybe a little less swollen since we started giving her sour cherry concentrate, but it has not been nearly as dramatic as the when my husband takes the sour cherry concentrate capsules for his gout.

 

[cottagecheese]

OK, I've looked at all the threads provided by @Kathy Golla and none of them are what I would recommend, sorry. I saw blood work for a hen who had not been laying for months and was being fed layer, the uric acid was out of control and this got my wheels turning, as I saw case after case of elderly hens who didn't lay daily but were being fed layer. Layer has four times as much calcium as all flock.

My last case again: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/big-swollen-foot.1309111/#post-21341207

My first case: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/what’s-wrong-with-my-elderly-hen’s-feet.1304880/

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry that your hen appears to be suffering from articular gout. Some chickens may inherit a tendency for gout, and it can be caused by feeding too much salt, calcium, protein, and exposure to some fungi in grains, a lack of water, and many more causes. I am not sure that there is any real treatment for gout in poultry, but if the cherry concentrate seems to help, it probably won’t hurt. If you lose her at some point, I would get a necropsy to find out if she had gout. Drugs that affect the kidney should probably be avoided. Here is a good read about gout:
https://thepoultrysite.com/articles/gout-management-in-poultry

 

[Eggcessive]

No need to criticize links people give here trying to be helpful. Just give your opinion, and let the person asking for help decide what they want to do.

 

[gtaus]

I know a local lady that raises laying hens. She gets eggs to sell from the hens, but when the hens get older she has decided to "retire" them as free range chickens on her farm. So they more or less have to fend for themselves and avoid predators. My plan is to harvest my chickens at 2 or 3 years. I don't know which option is better, but in any case, my chickens are not my pets. Sounds like your 5 year old gouty hen is more of a pet, so the options I mentioned may not be considered.

From what I have learned, it sounds like you should be offering different feed to your laying hen and non laying hen. Perhaps you could separate the birds for a period of time and see if the hen with gout improves with a less rich diet. I hope your hen gets better. Please update the thread and let us know if anything you tried works.