Reading time: 5 minutes
With so much talk about chicken diseases this year, it's good to know what a sick chicken looks like so we can try to get our feathered pets better quickly. We've all been unsure about it at times, but there are certain criteria you can use to judge whether your bird has sick chicken symptoms. First, let's see what a healthy chicken looks and behaves like.
How does the chicken look and behave?
A healthy chicken is a busy chicken. He is aware of what the other chickens are doing. The healthy chicken pecks at the ground, scratches the ground and scares others away from a tasty piece. When you first open the coop in the morning, the chickens should be eager to get out of the building and excited to start a new day. They should be happy when food is added to the bowls or feeders and start eating. Any chickens that remain in the living room, or worse, hide in a dark corner, should be checked immediately and carefully.
When you look at a healthy chicken, it looks healthy! The feathers are shiny and in place, the crest and crest are waxy and full of color, and the eyes are clear and bright.
Healthy chickens communicate
Chickens talk to each other during the day and some chickens talk a lot! As you spend more time with your chickens, you will begin to recognize certain sounds that are made repeatedly. While my chickens roam free, I often do cleaning work in the stable. But sometimes I hear a certain sound from my chickens and I just know it's some kind of alarm. Whether they saw a predator, noticed a hawk in the sky, or were injured by another pack member, the sound is undeniably alarming. It's very different from the normal cackling and honking that they do. Another alarming sound is any breathing sound. Coughing, labored breathing sounds, and grating sounds are signs of a serious illness and should be assessed quickly. Now that the current wave of bird flu is sweeping the country, it would be good to catch upsymptoms of bird flu. Always isolate the bird with sick chicken symptoms and reduce the risk of a contagious disease spreading through the flock.
Healthy chickens have healthy manure
Some may think this is going a bit too far, but watch the chicken droppings. There are two basic types of feces that are excreted daily. One type is often seen first thing in the morning. It is firmer and covered with white urine salts. Less often, the chicken will emit a more brown or green stool. Although both droppings have a faint odor, consider whether the odor is extremely bad or if the appearance is truly outside the normal range for your flock. Keep in mind that certain vegetables, such as beet greens, can temporarily change the manure without making the chicken look sick.
Healthy chickens have a healthy appetite
Chickens that don't feel well don't eat much. Sometimes they stop eating completely. This is another reason why it is good to observe your flock while feeding. If a chicken does not come to eat, stays to itself and does not peck the ground looking for insects or bites, something may definitely be wrong. What follows next is weight loss, another sign of illness. Young chicks grow and mature continuously. A young chick that doesn't eat enough won't gain weight like the rest of the flock. The young birds continue to grow larger during the first 6 months. Even after ovulation has begun, there may still be some growth and weight gain. Older hens and roosters must be able to support their weight. The older chicken that begins to look thin and small may be suffering from an undiscovered disease. Some of my chickens prefer to eat from the feeder and some prefer to roam freely while I supervise. Knowing what is normal for them is also a good indication of how their health is going.
Healthy young chickens lay eggs
There are many factors that can affect egg laying, including age, molting, weather, stressful environment and location of nest boxes. If you reliably get an egg a day from a good laying hen, and then she stops laying, you might wonderWhy have my chickens stopped laying?? Eggshell quality can also be a sign of trouble. Thin, weak shells can be caused by inadequate nutrition or inadequate mineral absorption. Knowthat chickens should be fed withwill help you avoid diseases due to inadequate nutrition.
View symptoms of infectious diseases in chickens HERE!
Diseases and illnesses in chickens can be caused by a number of things. Viruses, bacteria, fungi, mold and parasites are the contagious type of disease. If one of these cases occurs, often more than one bird will be affected. Some symptoms of sick chickens are mild, leading to a day or two of feeling unwell and showing a low appetite. Other diseases, such as bird flu, can and will wipe out the flock within days. My recommendation is not to panic if symptoms of sick chickens are observed. Assess the bird's general health based on the symptoms of sick chickens listed here. First, isolate the sick chicken to prevent the spread of possible infectious diseases.
View symptoms of non-communicable diseases in chickens HERE!
Sick Chicken Symptoms
- Is the bird active or lethargic?
- Is the bird groomed or is it unkempt with ruffled feathers?
- Is the bird interested in food?
- Is the bird coughing or expelling fluid?
- Can the bird stand independently?
- Does the chicken still lay eggs?
- Does the bird pass normal or abnormal feces?
Prevention of diseases
As is the case with all types of animals, prevention and a healthy lifestyle will go a long way toward preventing serious illness. Feeding an appropriate healthy diet, supplementing with herbs and treating the chickens with food rich in probiotics will help them ward off many minor diseases.Fermented foodApple cider vinegar (2 tablespoons in a quart of water) and garlic powder added to the feed (sprinkled on top) will all help build a strong immune system in your flock. Clean and hygienic conditions are also important. Removing droppings that attract flies, keeping the coop dry and well ventilated, and promptly replacing contaminated wet bedding will help birds stay healthy.
Originally published in 2015 and regularly reviewed for accuracy.
