Chicken Health Maintenance

Chickens are quite a hardy species, but there are a number of diseases common to them.  Throughout the nearly 25 years I’ve been raising chickens I’ve been very fortunate and lost very few of my pets.

Though my future goals include an education in poultry science, I won’t pass myself off as an expert in health issues. There are other excellent resources for you to learn about the diseases. The American Poultry Association is one, and many of the books recommended on this site cover the subject in detail, too.

Since I’ve had relatively few problems I must be doing something right, though, so I’ll pass on a few tips and guidelines for you to try.  I guess the most important thing I’d stress is to be attentive every day to how each of your chickens is doing.

This isn’t hard if you spend quite a lot of time with your birds. When you pick them up a lot to pet them you’ll be able to tell if they’re maintaining a healthy weight. Just as a matter of course, I check mine out pretty much every day, as though judging them for show. I lift up the wings and check their legs to make sure they’re smooth, check under their tails to make sure the vent is free of mites or matted droppings, check the eyes, combs, and wattles.

If there are any abnormalities in their appearance or behavior, or if they sneeze or cough I immediately separate them from the rest of the flock by putting them in a clean carrier or pen with fresh litter (out of drafts and in a quiet location). Then I start giving them special nursing care. I’ve brought quite a few chickens back to good health (though I can’t claim a perfect record) and they’ve thrived for many years afterward. So, don’t give up, often they either have something similar to the human flu or cold. An illness called Coccidiosis is quite common.

My version of nursing care involves adding a cap full of apple cider vinegar to their water and giving them a little cottage cheese or yogurt (helps their digestive system, good bacteria). I’ll also add just a little cayenne pepper to their food or water. Of course, if the illness has gotten to the point that they aren’t eating or drinking this won’t help a lot. That’s why it’s so important to monitor daily and catch illnesses right away.

In addition to the natural remedies, I keep a product called Vetrx on hand. Jeffers has it, and I’d advise anyone starting out raising chickens to get some to have available.

If you ever end up with a lice problem, a product called Permictrin, diluted with water, works well. Lice are parasites and you’ll need to keep a watchful eye out for them.

Keeping your coop clean and scrubbing with a mixture of water and Clorox bleach periodically is a good preventive measure. Always monitor the underside of the roosts in your coop and check under the wings and around the vent of your chickens. Vigilance and cleanliness are the best preventive measures. If your chicken gets leg mites, apply a little mineral oil to them.

In the winter, I add a few alfalfa pellets or hay to my hens’ diet. It helps them to lay better. Keeping a light on for a couple of hours every day also helps to even out the egg production.

When my hens are in molt, I give them a little kitty kibble every day, in addition to their regular food. The nutrients help the growth of new and shiny feathers.

With close attention to detail, there’s no reason you can’t enjoy your chicken flock relatively free of worry over health problems. Read about the diseases so you’ll be aware of symptoms and normal outcomes, but you can likely expect to enjoy most of your pets for 10, 15, or even close to 20 years.  I’ve lost a couple of chickens to what appeared to be a heart attack, but they were ones I’d had for years.