Visceral gout in chickens is one of the common syndromes in livestock farming, causing serious kidney damage and affecting the growth performance of chicken flocks. The disease is often not easy to detect early, but by the time it is detected, there is already damage to the accumulation of urate in the heart, liver and kidneys, causing chickens to weaken rapidly. If not treated promptly, the economic loss is huge. This article will help you identify the signs early, understand the causes of the disease and effective treatment methods. In particular, Fivevet shares practical solutions that have been successfully applied in many farms, to minimize the risk of disease and support the liver and kidney function of chickens to the maximum. Explore the details to protect your chicken flock today.

1. Characteristics of visceral gout in chickens

Visceral gout is a syndrome that damages kidney function, reducing uric acid excretion, causing urate deposition in internal organs such as the heart, lungs, liver, bile etc.
The cause is due to excess calcium and vitamin D in the diet, lack of phosphorus and vitamin A, or an unbalanced diet of calcium and phosphorus. High protein food, poor quality drinking water because it contains heavy metals, or chickens are not provided with enough drinking water. Due to mycotoxins in food and some insecticides. In addition, due to the use of antibiotics excreted through the kidneys at high doses for a long time, such as Sulfamide or Aminoglycoside antibiotics, it can affect kidney function, reducing uric acid excretion.

2. Symptoms of visceral gout in chickens

Chickens are lethargic, have ruffled feathers, diarrhea with white stools, and dry feet.

3. Lesions when chickens have visceral gout

Typical lesions are urate accumulation in muscle tissue and internal organs such as: heart, liver, spleen, kidney, lung, intestine, gallbladder, and swollen kidney.    

4. How to diagnose visceral gout in chickens

Based on autopsy findings: urate accumulation in muscles and internal organs. Differential diagnosis is needed with IB and Gumboro.

5. Prevention of visceral gout in chickens

Provide a balanced diet for chickens according to each stage of development. Store food well, avoid feeding moldy food, and add mold toxin adsorbents such as Five-Anti Toxin. Provide enough clean water for chickens to drink freely all day. Check if the drinking nipples are clogged and adjust the water line height to suit each stage of the chicken's development. Clean the pipes periodically. Take samples to check water quality twice a year for timely correction. Do not use chemicals and antibiotics that affect the kidneys for a long time.

6. Treatment

Reduce the amount of food and divide the amount of food, feed many meals a day, give chickens enough clean water. Clean the water pipes.
Use liver and kidney detoxifiers such as: Five-Acemin.B12, Five-Orgamin, Five-Phosric, Five-Bogama continuously for 3-5 days.
Use organic acid Five-Orgacid or Five-Vitamin C continuously for 3-5 days to help reduce urate accumulation. Visceral gout in chickens is a serious health problem but can still be controlled if detected early and treated properly. Adjusting the diet appropriately, ensuring clean water sources and limiting antibiotic abuse are key factors for effective disease prevention. In addition, adding products that help detoxify, protect the liver and kidneys and enhance resistance will help the chicken flock stay healthy and develop stably. Proactive prevention is always more effective and economical than late treatment. Apply the knowledge we have shared to build a sustainable farming model, reduce risks and improve long-term economic efficiency. If you are having problems with visceral gout in chickens, please leave a comment below or contact the Fivevet technical team for quick and effective support.