This archive report was first published on 7 September 2019.
Published on September 7, 2019, a chicken farm in Ruiru, Kenya, presented a puzzling case of 'peeing' chickens. The farm's manager, Bonnie, reported that a batch of 1,800 layer chickens had been urinating for 35 days, despite various treatments.
Upon examination, the veterinarian, Dr. Joseph Mugachia, observed that the affected birds were generally happy, with good appetite and activity. However, the floor was completely wet, and water flowed from the sparse normal chicken droppings seen on the floor.
Dr. Mugachia noted that the birds were squatting and squirting almost clear fluid from their vents, unlike birds with regular diarrhea where the vent feathers are matted with soft or fluid droppings. The affected birds had come from one supplier, separate from the other batches, and had shown some diarrhea a week after arrival, which then progressed to the current watery discharge.
Despite treatment with antibiotics, electrolytes, and probiotics, the problem persisted. Some birds were sacrificed for postmortem, but no definitive diagnosis was made. The veterinarian suspected that the birds were drinking large amounts of water to replace the one lost in the diarrhea, leading to gross underweight and discharge of clear mucoid fluid through the mouth.
Dr. Mugachia contacted professional colleagues at the Veterinary Research Laboratories at Kabete and took samples for laboratory investigation. In the meantime, he put the birds on a strong broad-spectrum antibiotic for five days and continuous administration of electrolyte and vitamins in water. He also advised Bonnie to treat the drinking water with chlorine and administer a suitable yeast fermentation metabolite in their feed.
