Is this blood in urine?

[frankenchick]

One of my whites did her thing, and the urine part is sort of orange. Is this blood in her urine? What protocol is called for here?

 

[lacyloo]

ummm chickens can pee? maby its just stress

 

[nccountrygirl]

chickens can pee?

Thats a new one on me.

 

[silkiechicken]

Did her thing? What was that? Well, if it is what I am thinking, the thing you see on top is urates and it should not be orangie. It should be snow capped mountain white.... If you see any more of this or any signs of blood colored or they become listless, I would suspect coccidosis.

 

[3peeps]

I think the liquid and solid wastes are combined...perhaps what you are seeing is a change in color in a more liquid part of the waste? Is it runnier than usual? Not sure about orange...

 

[silkiechicken]

The urine in birds is not liquid. The urates form crystals and are the white stuff on the top of the droppings. Liquid poo is basically their diarrhea in the solid droppings and not urine per se.

 

[dlhunicorn]

how old is the bird? Cocci rarely occurs in adult birds that have always lived on the same property... When was the last time she was wormed? (cappillaria can cause intestinal damage )
A pic might be helpful.

 

[frankenchick]

Sorry, everyone -- I just think of the white stuff on top of the Pile as pee. It's those urates that are orangish.

The girls just started laying, so they're about 20 weeks. I've had them here since Day 2.

 

[lacyloo]

Quote:
oh ....... ok thats what i thought lol

 

[pricem11]

Actually there are three components to bird waste. There's the most solid part which is feces, the whitish creamy-colored pasty part which are the urates, and a bit of clear or yellowish fluid which is urine. In fact, all birds HAVE to have urine because it serves the crucial role of flushing the urates out of the kidneys and into the cloaca. To some extent, the three components are mixed before exiting the cloaca, but if your chicken were to 'go' on a white piece of paper, you'd normally be able to distinguish all three components. It's easy not to notice the urine in a coop or on the ground.

A change of color from white in urates to orange can indicate a health issue (such as coccidiosis, giardia, Marek's or other types of avian herpes, etc.), or it may be as simple as the bird eating a lot of red and orange matter. I'd be inclined to keep a close watch, if possible, quarantine your white, and see if it continues. If it repeats much, it'd be best to have the poo analyzed by a vet. If it isn't possible to do that, I'd go to the feed store and have them recommend a soluble broad spectrum antibiotic to go in the waterer. If you do that, follow the directions carefully, and don't eat eggs from treated hens until after the recommended waiting period.


Mark