Just like with any pets, backyard chickens need a lot of work to keep them healthy! When they aren’t given a healthy environment to live in or an appropriate and nutritious diet, they can experience a number of health issues.
A Great Home For Your Backyard Chickens
Assuming your chickens already have a place to live, some important things to ensure your chickens have in their coop are proper litter, good air circulation, an ideal temperature, and plenty of room.
Proper Litter
Litter should be absorbent and kept clean and dry. Some good choices for litter are pine and aspen shavings, sand, and nut hulls.
Litter shouldn’t get too wet, because wet litter allows bacteria and fungi to grow. On the other hand, litter shouldn’t be too dry, since too dry of an environment can irritate chickens’ respiratory tracts. The ideal litter should contain around 20-25% moisture.
Keeping litter clean is also a must, as droppings contain ammonia and high ammonia levels are very unhealthy for both animals and humans.
Ventilation
Ventilation can help with ammonia levels in addition to helping keep humidity at the ideal under 40%. Windows should be on at least one side of the coop (just not the north side because of winter winds), and fans can both help air circulation and keep chickens cool in the summer.
Overcrowding can cause chickens stress, which then affects their egg-laying ability. Inside the coop, there should be at least 2 square feet of space per bird. Outside the coop, there should be at least 8 square feet per bird.
Temperature
Chickens can start to become heat stressed when the outside temperature is greater than 75 degrees F; misters along with fans help keep the heat at a tolerable level.
The coop should also be well-insulated to keep chickens warm in the winter; they like it no colder than 60 degrees F.
Nutrition For Backyard Chickens
Despite the saying “that’s chicken feed,” high-quality chicken food is not cheap. It is, however, very important. A good quality food will have the proper vitamins and minerals in the appropriate amounts.
“Scratch,” supplemental feed, and human food are not good for chickens. Feed should be given for whatever stage of life your chickens are (age, etc.) and should be stored in a cool, dark, dry place so that it does not lose its nutrients. Note the expiration date of your feed; it may expire within 3 months.
Chickens need approximately 2-3 parts of water per amount of feed, and it needs to remain clean and fresh to ensure that bacteria are kept to a minimum.
Signs of Illness
Since birds are prey animals, they tend to hide illness. As a chicken owner, check your chickens every day for signs of illness and take a sick bird to an experienced poultry veterinarian if you see any of the following early signs of illness or any of the conditions listed below.
Early signs include:
dirty feathers on their face or shoulders
eye or nasal discharge
swelling around the eyes
behavior changes
decrease in activity
abnormal movement or lameness
discolored droppings
Trauma in Backyard Chickens
Trauma is a fairly common condition in backyard chickens. It includes limb injuries from becoming trapped in cages or doors or being stepped on, fight injuries, self-mutilation, and unfortunately attacks from predators.
If a wound seems fairly minor, antibiotic ointment and oral antibiotics are usually sufficient. Sometimes, however, supportive therapy such as force-feeding, hydrating, and providing warmth are necessary.
If a wound is open to the chest or abdomen or you notice something penetrating deep into the skin, the chicken should be seen by a veterinarian asap.
Pododermatitis (foot sores) can be the result of trauma or from inappropriate litter or nesting areas and depending on the extent can be very painful. If you notice a bird having difficulty walking or not behaving normally, check its feet. A veterinarian may have to clean and bandage a sore foot and do this a number of times until the wound is healed.
Osteoporosis
Just like humans, backyard chickens can get osteoporosis. This is a result of vitamin D, calcium, and/or phosphorous deficiency and is especially an issue in chickens who tend to lay more eggs than others.
With osteoporosis, bones become brittle or broken and chickens become unable to stand. If spinal bones are fractured birds can become paralyzed. Vitamin D deficiency can also cause misshapen bones, lameness due to soft bones, and weakness.
Egg Binding
Egg binding is when an egg or parts of an egg become impacted as the chicken is attempting to lay an egg. It is more common in obese hens. I
f you notice a chicken who has an odd posture or a swollen abdomen, appears weak or uncomfortable, is vocalizing more, or has abnormal droppings, she may be egg-bound. A veterinarian needs to diagnose and treat this as soon as possible.
Cloacal Prolapse
Cloacal prolapse is when the chicken’s vent does not retract back into its body after laying an egg. This can be caused by obesity or by muscle weakness.
If it’s a mild case, the chicken can be isolated from other birds, and its vent kept clean until the prolapse is resolved. If the prolapse doesn’t resolve soon, a veterinarian needs to manually retract the cloaca.
Fatty Liver
One reason backyard chickens should not be fed a scratch diet in lieu of nutritious feed is because of fatty liver disease. A diet high in fat leads to more fat deposition in the liver, which leads to liver hemorrhage and rupture.
Signs of fatty liver include a sudden drop in egg production, pale combs, and “dandruff.” Prevention is key. Of course, a proper diet should be fed, but adequate outdoor room and access to exercise are also important.
Aspergillosis
When coops – including feeders, waterers, nesting areas, and equipment such as fans – are not kept clean, backyard chickens can become infected with a fungus that causes a kind of pneumonia, called aspergillosis.
Signs in affected chickens include difficulty breathing, weakness, a drop in egg production, bright green and watery droppings, inappetence, and incoordination. Since other diseases cause similar signs, it is important that the chickens be diagnosed by a veterinarian so that the correct treatment can be given.
Copyright 2024 Amy “Brem” Bremers, DVM
