Healthy chickens are active, alert, frequently eating/drinking, will take periods of dust bathing, sunbathing, and resting. It is considered abnormal, if a chicken looks lethargic, has a hunched stance, hides from the others, loss of appetite, pale comb or waddles, unusual droppings, decrease in egg production, lays abnormal eggs, or not active as normal. Immediately separate any member not appearing to behave normal from the rest of the flock for closer observation. Once separated offer a cup of warm water with 1 tablespoon molasses mixed in.

Health Check 1: Water Consumption.

Will the chicken drink on its’ own?

If so, continue with health check 2.

If not, gently dip the lower beak into the water to encourage taking a couple sips being careful not to drown upper nostrils. If successful in encouraging taking a ship, continue to Health Check 2. If not, the chicken may be too far gone to rescue. You can try to provide molasses water through a syringe being extremely careful to drip in beak and not drown. Continue encouraging taking a sip every hour. If successful, continue to Health Check 2. If not successful in drinking after 12 hours, consider humanly culling to end suffering.

Health Check 2: Do you notice a burst of energy even if short term?

If so, continue with Health Check 3: Digestive System Check.

If not, there is a significant risk of loss. Continue offering molasses water and ensure taking a sip every hour. Continue onto Health Check 3: Digestive System Check.

Health Check 3: Digestive System Check.

Take a moment to fully understand the chicken digestive system. Chickens do not have teeth. Thus, they consume their feed whole and require a free choice offering of grit/oyster shells to help digest their food. Food first flows into their crop which is a food pocket that resides on their right upper chest. A proper functioning crop will be empty first thing in the morning and fuller at night. When you feel/massage the crop it should feel pliable and feel like a rubber balloon in which you can feel each individual food item inside. If they crop is hard or abnormally enlarged, impacted crop or sour crop are high suspects for the declining health of your chicken. The gizzard is a powerful mussel that the crop empties into. The gizzard uses the grit/oyster shells/pebbles to crush the food and make it digestible. If droppings are less frequent it is another sign of impacted or sour crop. The breath of the chicken will stink if it has sour crop.

If the crop is functioning normally, feed an egg (hardboiled mashed or soft scrambled eggs) mix with 1 teaspoon Oregano (immune system booster), 1 teaspoon Cinnamon (circulation booster), and 1 teaspoon Cayenne pepper (natural de-wormer). Continue the egg diet until full recovery. If not lethargic, provide plain water. If lethargic, continue providing fresh molasses water daily.

If the crop is suspect, remove all food and only provide access to water. Every hour, dip the beak to accept water and massage the crop for 5 minutes to help loosen it. Once the crop empties completely, offer a scrambled egg only with water. After 3 days of a scrambled egg diet, offer a can of tuna fish with grit/oyster shells. If a full recovery is made, return to normal feeding habits. Normal feeding habits should be of a balanced diet with less than 10% of the diet containing treats. If feeding a high amount of veggies protein will be lacking and may need a can of tuna fish to increase selenium and protein intake to counter. If feeding a high amount of mealworms or protein treats, it can cause fatty liver disease.

Is there any droppings dried on their vent? Pasty butt is common in young chicks and their bottoms should be inspected daily and cleaned as needed. It is important to never pull the dried poop off them. Instead use warm soapy water to loosen and remove. If pulled to hard, it will result in a vent prolapse.

If there are still residual concerns, continue with Health Check 4 Dropping Inspection.

Health Check 4: Dropping Inspection.

Is the frequency of droppings normal? If not and crop is okay and is a hen at laying age, treat for egg bound. Provide a boost of calcium with plain yogurt and egg diet. If you can feel an egg help the chicken deliver the egg. If egg bound for more than 4 hours after giving calcium boost, take a needle and carefully poke the egg shell to remove the insides of the bound egg without cracking the shell. If the egg breaks inside, she can die from infection. By removing some of the egg yolk and white with a needed the egg should be easier to deliver. Most common cause for becoming egg bound is a lack of calcium. Ensure free choice oyster shells never run out and feed an egg and yogurt diet only until egg laying resumes to normal.

If dropping frequency is normal, are the droppings themselves normal? Refer to Chicken Poop Chart.

Treat for any problem discovered.

If droppings are normal, continue to Health Check 5.

Health Check 5: Respiratory Inspection.

Does the chicken sneeze, have a wet or clogged nostril?

A simple foreign object in their nostril can cause an infection and quickly become more serious if not addressed immediately. If nostrils are not completely clear, use essential clove oil on a q-tip and wipe their nostrils and clean them out. If a cleaning was needed, continue to apply clove oil on nostrils for a week.

Use Vet-RX in water and on the bird per manufacture instructions.

If failure to respond positively to organic treatment methods after 3 days, you will need to determine if you want to incorporate robust commercial antibiotics. The decision is not one to be taken lightly. The antibiotics are designed for pet birds and not for food producers. Thus, there is not information on withdrawal periods and you would be using it off label. If the goal of the bird is pet only and not egg consumption, it can be robust enough to save a life. You may be faced with the need to humanely cull to protect the rest of the organic flock.

If no respiratory concerns, continue with Health Check 6.

Health Check 6: Parasite Check.

Lice and mites can cause anemia in chickens. If your chicken’s comb is pale rather than the normal bright red, it is possible that parasites are causing the chickens to be iron deficient. To check for parasites, separate the feathers to expose the skin and look for tiny bugs. Check for scaly leg mites by inspecting your chicken’s legs. The scales should be tight and not lifting up. If either is found, treat their coop, runs, nesting boxes, and every member for mites/lice. Feed an egg and can of tuna for the next week until comb color and health is fully recovered. If no parasites, continue to health check 7.

Health Check 7: Muscle Function.

If there the bird is unable to stand or unable to hold their neck up properly, adds a boost of selenium in their diet by offering a can of tuna. If sever selenium deficiency provide squirt a capsule of Vitamin E with selenium into their mouth 3x a day until improvement is seen.

If they are favoring a leg or are not walking right, complete a full inspection. Feel each leg from the thigh, high up under the feathers, down to the hock joint, then down the scaly part to the toes and the sole of the foot. Gently flex the leg out (if you can without causing pain). Compare the legs, including their temperature.

Is the amount of movement same for both?

Is there any ‘crunching” noise of bone ends in a joint when you move a leg?

Is there any swelling?

Is part of one leg hotter?

Are the soles of the feet soft and clean without any scabs or lumps?

Are there mud balls adhering to their claws or sole?

Are the toe nails overgrown?

The above should help you determine if the bird has a physical injury to a tendon or a joint, or if there is an infection in their skin (bumble foot most common).

Health Check 8: Egg Shape and Production.

If it is a hen at laying age their egg shapes and laying frequency can be a huge help in troubleshooting their health. Check out abnormal egg chart.

Health Check 9: Eye Inspection.

Does the eye appear irritated, red swollen, or have bubbles in them?

Look to see if there are worms in the eye which can occur if they ate a worm infected bug such as a beetle or cockroach. The worms would look like white short lines. They fill the esophagus and cause a chicken to have a gapping reaction. If so, treat for gap worms.

If no worms are found, it could be a foreign object that started the eye irritation. Chickens will use their wings and feet to scratch an eye irritation. Both methods cause more damage than the original irritation. In fact, they can scratch out their entire eye, cause blindness, or die from foot to eye bacterial infection. The main goal is to relieve their eye from the irritation to avoid further self-scratching. Wash the eye out 3x a day with colonial silver followed by application of Ophlalmic Gel for pets.

Health Check 10: Environmental Impact Health Checks.

Just like baby proofing your home when you have little humans visiting, considerations to ensure preventative measures are taken to reduce risk of loss in your flock requires maintaining an environment that promotes them to thrive.

Temperature

Temperature is extremely critical for baby chicks. When taking the temperature of their brooder, it should be done at floor level. The brooder should have a barrier of outside room are such as plastic or cardboard to prevent significant drafts.

Slowly acclimate your chicks to a cooler temperature by reducing each week:

95°F for chicks 0 - 1 week old

90°F for chicks 1 - 2 weeks old

85°F for chicks 2 - 3 weeks old

80°F for chicks 3- 4 weeks old

70°F - 75°F for chicks 4 - 5 weeks old

The ideal temperature for all pullets and hens is between 65°F - 70°F.

For pullets 5 - 7 weeks old, introduce to outside when temps are above 60°F.

For pullets 8 - 10 weeks old, allow to acclimate outside when temps are above 50°F

For pullets 11 - 15 weeks old, allow to acclimate outside when temps are above 40°F

For pullets 16 weeks to hen age, okay to be outside in all temps with adequate shelter provided.

If it is over 75 degrees outside, make sure the pullets/hens have a shaded area to retreat to that offer cooler temperatures.

Oxygen Saturation

Since bird’s respiratory systems are not as robust as humans, coal miners use to rely on the use of live canaries in coal mines to test for the presence of toxic gases, particularly carbon monoxide, the illness or death of the canaries served as an indication that such gases were present.

Control the controllable environment. While it might be tempting to place your brooder in a utility room next to a furnace or out in the garage, these locations offer a higher chance of loss. It is best to keep a brooder in a normal room in your home to ensure proper ventilation and to keep the little chicks as far way from chemicals (toxic cleaning supplies in a closet), gasoline (jugs stored in the garage, lawn mowers, motorcycles), carbon monoxide (cars pulling into the garage, leaky furnace, propane heaters, ect), or garden pesticides.

Cleanliness of the brooder can help chicks thrive. If using bedding, such as pine savings, their waste is absorbed but remains in their environment. Breathing in too much ammonia from their own waste can cause respiratory and other illnesses. If using this type of system make sure to clean it out frequently. Our brooders provide a easy pull out tray where droppings fall from the grate into the tray and makes daily changing of the papers simple.

High altitude is a factor in causing pulmonary hypertension in which the chick’s heart and lungs work furiously to deliver vital oxygen to the tissues and organs of the body. It helps that our chicks are hatched at 5280’ above sea level from parents that are acclimated to our altitude. While lower risk, developing ascites from higher elevations is still a factor.

Birds with ascites will often show symptoms of fatigue, reduced growth, respiratory distress, and what is referred to as ‘water belly”. Unfortunately, there is a high mortality rate for birds with ascites and humanly culling should be considered to avoid further suffering.

Studies have shown that diet can assist birds living in higher altitudes. Providing a fresh daily ration of fermented feed (we recommend Scratch and peck for baby chicks and sprouting mix for older birds) not only allows easier digestion of the nutrients in the whole foods, it also creates new B vitamins and probiotics from the fermentation process. Oregano is a proven immune system booster and can be fed fresh, dried, or with food grade essential oil. Vitamin C

Brewer’s yeast, flax oil and the herb eyebright have all been linked to helping.

Contaminants/ Toxins

Pesticides. If you are raising chickens, do not obtain free mulch and lawn clippings unless you know that they are absent of pesticides. The good news is chickens will be your natural way of controlling bugs. Pesticides are lethal to chickens and should not be sprayed on lawns or bushes in the same yard that your flock will be.

Dust. Depending on the manufacture, pine shavings can contain too much sawdust that results in respiratory concerns when the chicks scratch, peck, and play in their bedding.

While a dust bath is a great way for chickens to naturally clean themselves and to remove pests like lice and mites, caution should be used when adding DE.

Botulism. There are a lot of metal feed and water containers on the market. If I chicken drinks from a metal object that contains rust, botulism can occur which is often misdiagnosed as Mareks as it causes very similar symptoms. Typically, this poisoning occurs more often after a rain storm as chickens are curious nature has them drinking from everything but their designated drinking station. Rusty nails, scrap metal, and metal rain gutters offer a higher risk.

Can’t figure it out?

If you can’t identify what is happening, as long as the crop is not impacted, feed eggs and water until recovered. Eggs are the easiest for them to digest and offer the densest nutrients in small bites. It helps them focus their energy on recovery instead of finding food and digesting it. If health decline occurs, determine if it is best to humanely cull to avoid further suffering.

Raising chickens is not for the light hearted. While chickens are hardy in their own right, they attract many predators. As prey animals, chickens are highly skilled at hiding pain, discomfort and weakness. By the time something wrong is noticed, it is often too late. By spending time with your flock(s) you will be able to pick up on subtle clues that a member is not behaving as normal. Unfortunately, experiencing an occasional death from of a flock member is part of raising chickens.

Recovery.

Once fully recovered from an injury or known cause, wait a minimum of 2 weeks before placing back with the remaining members of the flock. If an illness was a suspect cause, wait 4 weeks. Then, at 4 weeks introduce one member of the flock to the recovered chicken. If after 2 weeks both show signs of full health, place back with other flock members.

What's in your Chicken First Aid Kit?

Are you prepared to respond to a chicken emergency? Raising healthy chickens is typically easy with good husbandry, such as organic feed, clean water, appropriate temperature range, and shelter. As a responsible chicken parent, being prepared to administer first aid when needed can determine life or death. Having these supplies on hand, removes the delay of making a trip to the store, during an emotional time when an emergency strikes. Based on my personal experiences, research, love for chickens, and information from other families, I compiled a recommended Chicken First Aid Kit inventory. Chickens are animals of prey and signs of illness are apparent when it is crucial to act. They can go from happy, healthy, active, to droopy, puffed out, and fatally ill quickly. Understanding what to look for and best treatment options may save your chicken’s life. Most vets do not treat poultry and specialty products are not locally sourced making it more critical to keep your first aid kit stocked. Chicken Hospital. The key to saving members of your flock is having an area to isolate injured or suspected ill birds. If injured, other flock members can be cruel in pecking and eating the injured bird. Most illnesses are spread quickly through feather dander, contaminated water, and feces. Thus, immediate isolation assists with reducing the risk of spreading illnesses. Take into consideration the age of the chickens. If you are raising chicks in a brooder, you will need the same supplies to regulate proper temperature. If everyone in your flock is already outside, having a kennel indoors or another coop far away from the others is an option. A kennel works to help monitor eating, drinking, droppings while keeping her safe. Organic or Conventional. Under good management, disease will be rare. One of the hardest decisions to make is if you are willing to cull a member that is a threat to your flock should organic natural methods not work. Alternately, there are conventional medications if you want to forfeit having an all organic flock and save your pet. Organic flocks cull diseased individuals as their immunity hasn’t developed like the rest of the healthy flock. Culling rids the genetic trait that is undesired on the homestead. Basic First Aid Kit $11.99 Gauze pads $10.97 Tweezers $2.99 Cotton Balls $7.50 Wooden Popsicle Sticks $4.59 Q-Tips $8.49 Pliers $6.55 Toothbrushes $12.68 Bulk Dawn Dish Detergent $8.86 Nitrile Disposable gloves $10.99 Oral Syringes with Cover A syringe helps in administering fluids if your chicken needs to take medication or need assistance in being fed a liquid diet. A dropper may be used for this purpose as well. $8.75 Scalpel If you notice webbed feet or bumble feet, this will be a handy tool for precise incisions. $8.62 Bag Balm. It is a thick slave that helps with chickens that are growing their feathers back or have wounds. It can be rubbed on combs, waddles, and feet to act as a moisture barrier to prevent frostbite in the winter. While it is recommended to keep injured birds isolated, bag balm can be mixed with blue food coloring to help avoid flock pecking. $5.22 Vetrap Bandaging This bandaging is self-adhering and does not get stuck on fur and feathers reducing the pain and damage of removal. $3.29 Scissors. Scissors are useful in cutting bandage sizes and trimming wing feathers should the need arise. $16.35 Pet Nail Trimmer When chickens have lots of space and a rock/cinder block, they can usually care for their nails and hone their beak naturally. If confined, they may need their nails or spur trimmed. If suffering a beak injury or scissor beak birth defect, the pet nail trimmer can be used to help shape the beak. $8.49 Saline Solution To help wash out eye injuries or cleaning out dirt from the eye area, use saline solution. $6.56 Vaseline Has many uses such as helping with treating scaly leg mites and egg binding. $6.85 Cornstarch Apply to small wounds to help stop bleeding. $14.99 Betadine is a first aid antiseptic that helps prevent infection. The active ingredient is Povidone-iodine. Excellent for killing germs. $8.99 Epsom Salts use to soak feet that have splinters or bumblefoot. Use orally to neutralize and help flush toxins, help with intestinal tract blockage, reduce diarrhea and treat vent gleet. Natural First Aid & Prevention I prefer natural remedies whenever possible as maintaining an organic flock is important to us considering we consume and hatch the eggs our hens lay. Essential Oils: $27.95 Oregano can be added to warm water or administered orally direct to help with immune system and has been proven to be a natural antibiotic. It is also used to spray on eggs as they incubate to improve chick hatch rates and health. $14.99 3 Pack: Tea Tree, Eucalyptus, Lavender $8.57 Clove $10.90 Food Grade Mineral Oil is used as a carrier oil. $29.95 Colloidal Silver. Bacteria is not able to grow in colloidal silver. It is used as an eye wash and can be taken orally. $13.33 Vet RX is camphor-based. Used to treat respiratory illnesses and eye worm. Give orally or dab on nostrils Vet Rx, or placed under the chicken’s wing before bed to use like vapor rub. $5 Dust Bath Herbs. Prevents lice and mite infestations. $5 Nesting box Herbs. Provides calming aromas, prevents mites and lice, and is Essential Oils. DE won’t work for Scaly Leg Mites Use a mix of mineral oil, tree oil and oil of oregano. Use an old tooth-brush and wear disposable latex glove. $12.99 Nutri-Drench is a molasses-based liquid packed with nutrients, helps resistance to disease, boosts immune systems, corrects vitamin deficiencies, helps with heat stress, improves appetites in sick birds and increases the body's response to other treatments. Give to chicks to ease the stress of traveling. $13.85 Honey Apply to wounds to aid in healing, it's a natural antibacterial and anti-fungal. $29.97 Kocci Free is an natural anti-parasitic remedy for coccidiosis. Also kills other viruses, bacteria and fungus. $16.97 Green Goo An antibacterial/anti-fungal topical salve for abrasions, cuts, scrapes and use as a first aid dressing. A natural alternative to Neosporin. $8.49 Blackstrap molasses can be used as a flush in the case of accidental poisoning or botulism. Mix a tablespoon in a cup of water anytime a chicken is in distress. If a chicken looks droopy, mix in their water and dip their beak in it to help give them a surge of energy to help them eat. Helps with a chick that is in shock from predator attack, after traveling, exhibiting failure to thrive, and recovering in chicken hospital. $44.99 Verm-X An all natural wormer/preventive that helps control and flush internal parasites. $19.99 Garlic Juice A 10% garlic juice/90% water mixture is an effective remedy for mites and lice. $6.99 Activated Charcoal Powder In the case of suspected poisoning, Activated Charcoal can help remove toxins $15.16 Coconut Oil Smearing coconut oil on combs and wattles can help prevent and/or treat frostbite, and smeared on the legs can help treat scaly leg mites. It is also a natural sunscreen and can protect rooster favorite hens from sunburn. Conventional Medications $21.15 Vetericyn Poultry Care Spray. It is safe antibacterial gel spray for almost all animals and is used to clean wounds and treat infections. $8.49 Preparation H (regular without pain relief). If a young hen prolapses her vent, clean the area gently and apply Preparation H to reduce swelling. The goal is to carefully press the oviduct back into the vent. Keeping the hen isolated in chicken hospital is important until fully healed. Spray Vetericyn a few times a day to help the healing process. Prolapse is typically caused by trying to pass an egg that is too large. Make sure she lays a successful egg prior to placing her back with her flock buddies. $9 Sav-A-Chick Electrolytes. Sav-A-Chick can be administered anytime a chicken is in distress. If a chicken looks droopy, mix in their water and dip their beak in it to help give them a surge of energy to help them eat. Helps with a chick that is in shock from predator attack, after traveling, exhibiting failure to thrive, and recovering in chicken hospital. $5.70 Triple Antibiotic Ointment. Something without added pain relief, for treating deep wounds and bumblefoot infections. $17.75 Ivomec Eprinex. Eprinex is marketed for cattle, but can be used on chickens to control external parasites such as mites. Apply topically on the back between wings. Use 0.5 cc per treatment. Mites feed on the chicken’s blood and can cause anorexia quickly. Mites are small and close inspection by parting feathers and looking at skin is often necessary to find. Mites look like a translucent red tiny flea. Birds with a heavy infestation will have pale combs and might be lethargic and can lead to death. The coop and living area will need to be sanitized and it is highly recommended to use a DE herb mix in your chicken’s dust bath and nesting box areas. Clean bedding is a must. $23.85 Corid. Amprolium is the main ingredient and it is used to treat coccidiosis and can be used as preventative treatment for the rest of the flock if illness is suspected. $12.56 MicrocynAH is an ophthalmic gel used to clean nd relieve eyes affected by burning, stinging, inching, pollutants, contaminants, and irritations in animals. Birds will use their wings to scratch their eyes if irritated which can cause blindness. $39.97 Liquid Calcium In a case of suspected egg binding, 1 cc of liquid calcium administered with an eye dropper can help to boost the calcium levels in the chicken's body to allow her to contract and push the egg out. $15.75 Theracyn Wound and Skin Care Spray can be used to treat cuts, scratches, sores and minor injuries as well as eye infections and bumblefoot.