Chicken Diseases: Prevention and Diagnosis

When raising chickens, just like with having any animal, we eventually will face chicken diseases with these birds of some sort. There are many chicken diseases that can effect your flock.

We can prevent some, but some may be connected to genetics or exposures prior to your owning them. Purchasing vaccinated stock can possibly help you avoid troubles.

Although vaccinating may destroy the organic value of home raised chickens for food. Good animal husbandry, providing the best possible food, water, and environment is the best prevention for much disease.

Over crowding chickens in unnatural and stressful conditions is a breeding ground for disease, which is why some farmed chickens live their whole lives with a certain amount of antibiotic in their systems.

Some of the basic questions that you should ask are:

• What is disease?
  
• How do my chickens get sick?
  
• What are some of the main causes for illness?
  
• How can I prevent as many of these diseases as possible?
  
• How can I identify what is wrong with a chicken?
  

Take egg drop syndrome for example it is a problem that has occurred over much of the world, but the more we learn about this problem the better we are at managing it.

Today there are many vaccines that can be very helpful and good preventative maintenance practice.

When you start thinking about chicken health you must ask yourself why you want to raise chickens? Many people have started raising their own birds today because they want to assure that they are getting quality fresh eggs and meat for their family.

If this is the case, you need to be an expert on prevention of chicken diseases. Why would you want to raise healthy birds to eat and then fill them with medications and chemicals that you are trying to avoid when you buy chickens from large processing plants? You don't necessarily have to fill your birds full of drugs to prevent chicken diseases.

You've heard the old saying, "you are what we eat." This isn't just the case for humans. Diet and nutrition has a lot to do with your chickens as well.

Some people these days just buy whatever looks good to them in the supermarket, not caring what man-made products have went into their food, while others are very cautious about what they eat and search for the most natural, fresh, and organic foods they can find. Some chicken diseases can be prevented by focusing on health.

So what about your chickens? If they are locked up in a confined area without access to the natural things chickens want to eat, living on top of feces, having little fresh air and sunlight, you’ve just recreated a commercial chicken farm on a small scale.

Please be sure that your chickens are eating quality 

chicken feed that will keep them healthy and at the maximum you will want to make sure that they are eating organically and naturally.

Just like with what you eat, all of us are individuals and make our own choices. The choice is yours since your chickens are totally dependent on you for all their needs. 

To understand chicken diseases, you’ll want to understand a great deal about the chicken and how it should live. You don't need to be a biologist, but a basic understanding of the anatomy of a chicken will help as well as knowing the history of our modern day domesticated chickens. The sizes and colors and shapes of chickens have changed since they were domesticated nearly 8000 years ago, but their basic needs haven’t. Once healthy immune systems can no longer protect them from environmental changes and seasonal challenges.

When you understand how a chicken is put together you can better understand how to avoid many of the chicken diseases out there.

One of the most annoying risks that our chickens face are the dreaded parasites.

These annoying bugs can come in many different forms, both external and internal. Learning more about them and how to prevent them from annoying and damaging your flock is very important.

Unless you are a poultry veterinarian, you probably don't know every bird disease out there. Heck, most vets probably don't know chickens, unless they specialize in birds. We can take a quick tour of the common ailments that can affect your flock. From air-sac disease to ulcerative enteritis, we try to give you a quick reference guide.

If you have questions that you would like to ask a vet, use the service below. Ask a Vet has qualified doctors that can answer questions about chicken health.

Questions Other People Have Asked.

Click below to see recently answered questions.

ONE LETHARGIC CHICK OUT OF 15 
Hi, I ordered 15 1 day old chicks from a hatchery they all come in doing good. A week later I found one chick isolated and laying around she was able at …

ABSCESS ABOVE EYE 
She has a abscess above her right eye that keeps rupturing. She looks a bloody mess. I've been giving her antibiotics. What else to do

COULD RAT POISON CAUSE THESE SYMPTOMS? 
I have a flock of 12 chickens of many various breeds, one rooster and the rest are hens. They live in a large pen, weekly going out to forage. They have …

WHY WOULD 8-10 YEAR CHICKEN BE UNWELL? 
I have an older chicken she has suddenly become lethargic, walking stiffly and slowly. Also have noticed a messy back end and she's a bit smelly. All …

WHAT'S WRONG WITH MY HEN? 
My hen is not feeling good and she vomitted up some yellowish liquid when I picked her up.

WHAT SHOULD I DO FOR MY SICK CHICKEN?  
My chicken won't eat nor drink water she's can't walk. Her legs seems fine. So I wouldn't say they are broke. She's very weak. I gave her a few baths. …

Pullet Sick for a Month, Should I Put Her Down?  
I have 3 dark Brahma pullets. For a month now 1 of the pullets has been really sick. She's thin, lethargic, and keeps her eyes closed no matter …

What to do for a sick chick? 
I have a 2 week old chick. He seemed very healthy then one morning he was laying in the coop and other chicks were stepping on him. I separated him from …

Rash on Beak & Comb 
Hen's beak has brown raised spots and area around comb has the same. Her head is looking grey now.

Lump on Ear 
My Golden Wyandotte has a large bump on her ear. What is it? It just started yesterday and is even larger today. She seems to feel fine.

Can chickens have warts? 
I have a game hen chicken with what I think might be warts but it also looks like possible bites that are getting worse. Are warts curable and what is …

Swollen eyes and dry swollen comb 
Why are my chicken's eyes suddenly swollen? The comb also looks cracked, dry and swollen.

Comb pale, black spots and drooping, lethargic and only thirsty 
My chicken has become lethargic, not interested in treats like other chickens in flock. She also has a sagging comb that has gone pale and has developed …

dark floppy comb seems lathargic 
I have a white tailed brown hen, she has a dark comb which is flopping to one side, she seems lathargic and her eyes keep opening and closing. For a while …

Tumor 
My 10 week old Golden Commet has a large tumor in the breast area or possibly the breast muscle detached from the breast bone.

Chicken Foot Ailment

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Question: Chicken Foot Ailment: My hen has dark roundish hard balls on the ends of her toes on the right foot. I've put her foot in water thinking …

Hen Looks Weak and Confused

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Question: Hen Looks Weak and Confused: My hen this morning doesn't appear normal. She came out of her house with the other hens and didn't seem herself. …

Sudden Loss of power in Leg

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Question: 6 month old Barnevelde hen, one of our 3 free-range, penned in 300 square meters with electric netting, with free access to water and layers' …

Conjunctivitis in Chickens

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Question: Conjunctivitis in Chickens: I think that some of our chickens might have this. We have had a 6 chickens die so far? Their eyes close up …

Sick Red Star hen

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Question Sick Red Star hen: I have a Red Star hen that is approximately 3 years old. She lives in a 3 acre free-range area with a rooster and two …

Sick Wheezing Chicken

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Question Can you tell me what's going on with my sick wheezing chicken: Her comb has turned dark red, which makes me think she isn't getting enough …

Why has my hen lost her appetite?

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Question: Why has my hen lost her appetite? I have a Bluebelle hen, Dorothy, who is about 18 months old. She hasn't been well for quite a while now. …

Sick three year old hen

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Question Sick three year old hen: My hen has very little use of her legs. No mucus discharge or swollen joints. Some broken feathers around tail area …

Sick chick eyes closed

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Question Sick chick eyes closed: My sick chick is just a few days shy of 1 month. I woke up this morning and found one hen with her eyes closed and …

Chick Swollen Underside

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Question: Chick Swollen Underside: My Black Jersey Giant looked a little swollen when I got her home last weekend. The swelling on her underside …

Floppy Neck Chickens

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Question: Floppy Neck Chickens: I have about 25 free range hens of mixed breeding age and sex, although mostly young. There are no new additions. …

Sick Rhode island Red Hen

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Question Sick Rhode island Red Hen: Chicken found lethargic, eyes clear, no oozing, white liquid diarrhea and head bobbing, rolling listing...wanting …

Purple Runt Chicken

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Question: Purple Runt Chicken: Like many I see, I am new to raising chickens and am coming to you for help. I have had 2 die this week and have questions …

Sick Hen Very Tame

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Question: Sick Hen Very Tame: I have a hen 2 - 3 yrs old. She is very tame, active regular layer who free ranges with a Speckled Sussex and a young …

Sick bantam

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Question: My sick bantam has a lump in the front of her neck. I felt around and it seems to be her neck is all tucked up and kind of bent. I don’t …

Rhode Islands Reds not eating

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Question Rhode Islands Reds not eating: I have two RIR I acquired those 3 weeks ago. They are POL, but have not laid for me yet. I have put this down …

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