What to feed hen with gout?

[Eggcessive]

Feeding layer feed is probably not the only possible cause. There are a number of reasons that chickens can get gout. Here is a good article with possible causes:
https://www.thepoultrysite.com/articles/gout-management-in-poultry

 

[Wyorp Rock]

She's gone. Today she was weak, falling asleep, vomiting any time she tipped her head down, having more diarrhea, and unable to even eat birdseed or tomatoes. Her vet euthanized her.

Thank you so much everyone for all your help. I appreciate it greatly. My sweet, strong Fleur....may she find peace.

I'm sorry

 

[theoldchick]

So sorry. I feed my old girls a mixture of wild bird seed and thawed frozen veggies and lots of natural forage such as clover that I pick for them. In the summer I add cantaloupe and other watery fruit. The key is to NOT OVER FEED them.

 

[sarahbobo]

Feeding layer feed is probably not the only possible cause. There are a number of reasons that chickens can get gout. Here is a good article with possible causes:
https://www.thepoultrysite.com/articles/gout-management-in-poultry

Indeed, I'm just not sure what more I can do besides change the feed. I will start giving them pumpkin every week or two, though, and maybe carrots, to get more vitamin A into them. My little bantam has a hard time eating whole pumpkin seeds, so I might give them shelled ones sometimes, too. I do also want to add another waterer. They've all been on antibiotics in the past so that could make them prone to it too

 

[sarahbobo]

So sorry. I feed my old girls a mixture of wild bird seed and thawed frozen veggies and lots of natural forage such as clover that I pick for them. In the summer I add cantaloupe and other watery fruit. The key is to NOT OVER FEED them.

Thank you

I'm surprised that works for them. I just read a post on how delicate chicken nutrition is and that not giving them just the right balance can be very harmful to them (here specifically: https://the-chicken-chick.com/how-homemade-feed-can-hurt-your-chickens/). I'm guessing your birds live pretty long lives?

 

[theoldchick]

I've got a 5 that are 12 years old. I don't normally feed my chickens like I do these old girls. My young chickens who are laying get Purina Layer feed plus a rare tidbits. When my old gals started to falter I put them in a senior pen and experimented on what to feed them. The key is to not feed them junk like bread, corn, yogurt and other processed food. My old timers seem to do well on wild bird seed that contains no corn-mostly millet and wheat with sunflower seed with various veggies occasionally sprinkled with Exact bird feeding formula. I found once my birds got to a certain age (Henopause) they just didn't do well on pelleted feed. At this age they don't really need calcium for egg production. I've also noticed the one hen who had chronic crop troubles on pelleted feed, has not had an issue since she entered the Senior pen. But to clarify: all my young gals in production get Layer feed.

 

[sarahbobo]

I've got a 5 that are 12 years old. I don't normally feed my chickens like I do these old girls. My young chickens who are laying get Purina Layer feed plus a rare tidbits. When my old gals started to falter I put them in a senior pen and experimented on what to feed them. The key is to not feed them junk like bread, corn, yogurt and other processed food. My old timers seem to do well on wild bird seed that contains no corn-mostly millet and wheat with sunflower seed with various veggies occasionally sprinkled with Exact bird feeding formula. I found once my birds got to a certain age (Henopause) they just didn't do well on pelleted feed. At this age they don't really need calcium for egg production. I've also noticed the one hen who had chronic crop troubles on pelleted feed, has not had an issue since she entered the Senior pen. But to clarify: all my young gals in production get Layer feed.

12, impressive! My oldest lived to 10. That is fascinating, at what age did the 12 year olds stop laying? My 10 year old was still laying the summer before she died, even though we don't do anything to encourage laying (and in fact try to discourage it here and there). It's so cool you figured out the best diet for them on your own. Chicken parents doing our own research on how to care for them the way they should be cared for

 

[theoldchick]

Well....I had one 12 year old lay 10 eggs this summer! I was a amazed! The others seemed to stop laying around 8-10 years old. Occasionally, they will lay a few eggs during the summer-they were smaller eggs but the shells were perfect. Remember, chickens weren't bred for long lives -they were bred for eggs and meat. So there is not much information on how to keep older birds healthy. I found the key is to be observant. Know your flock, do routine exams by getting your hands on them and looking them over from beak to butt. Don't be afraid to think outside the box but always remember: do not over feed them.