Thirsty Hen

[vblivenml]

I have 1 lady who drinks a ton. She is always at the waterer and even gets up in the middle of the night to drink. If I lock them up at night she is the first to come out and goes straight for the waterer. They are about 5 months old and she has always been like this. She seems very healthy otherwise but I was wondering if anyone has experienced a chicken like this? Should I be concerned?

 

[aart]

What do her droppings look like?
Is it hot where you are?

Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
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[vblivenml]

Thanks! Just updated. I am in Missouri. Her droppings are completely normal. Her habits didn’t change during our first freeze or this week when it has been a bit warmer. She just loves water.

 

[jodievaughan]

It might not be a sign of anything, she might just enjoy her water excessive drinking can be a sign of worms, so it may be worth getting a worm count test done. Other issues such as infections can cause excessive drinking too, but these issues would tend to occur with other symptoms such as a pale comb, lethargy, weight loss, a drop in egg production, abnormal droppings etc.

 

[aldarita]

The 3 times I had hens drinking a lot of water, they had crop problems.
Check her crop to see if it is healthy. It should be empty every morning and it should not feel like a balloon filled with water. If the crop is not functioning normally, her poop is not normal either, so look at her droppings throughout the day.
Hopefully it is just the heat that is making her drink a lot of water.

 

[vblivenml]

I checked her crop and her poop. She has always been like this and her health has never changed. She is very active and a bit demanding. I was worried it could be diabetes but she doesn’t have other symptoms.

 

[jodievaughan]

I checked her crop and her poop. She has always been like this and her health has never changed. She is very active and a bit demanding. I was worried it could be diabetes but she doesn’t have other symptoms.

If she's more active than the others, that could be another explanation for her drinking habits. I'm not experiences with diabetes in chickens so I won't say much, but I do know that water is very important for a hen's metabolism.