Chicken Illness and Injury

Raising chickens can be a fun and rewarding activity. Be sure to know about chicken illness and injury and the best preventative measures and treatments.

You may be just getting started with building a chicken coop and starting a backyard chicken farm, or have owned chickens for some time but never experienced illness or injuries.

Click here for a DIY guide to keeping chickens

Here are some quick tips for preventing chicken illness and injury.

Keep it clean:

Have a chicken coop cleaning schedule daily, monthly and bi-yearly. Clean cages, floors, food and water equipment and tools. Keep chicken feed in small batches and don’t let it get damp or moldy.

Remove all manure from the chicken coop with soap, water and a scrub brush before you disinfect. Disinfectant won’t work on the surface unless it’s totally clean.

Clean your rakes, picks and brooms with disinfectant often.

Separating chickens:

Separate new birds from the flock for 30 days before introducing them together. It’s best to have chickens of the same maturity in the flock as they can gang up on chicks and young birds.

Check for signs of illness in new chickens often. When you know what to look for you can treat the chicken quickly and sometimes avoid the flock becoming sick.

Common signs of illness:

Paralysis
Drooping of the head and neck
Wattles, combs and legs discolored purple
Swelling of tissues in neck or eyes
Diarrhea
Sudden death
Muscle tremors
Drooping wings
Sneezing
Eggs misshapen or drop in egg production

These signs can include illnesses ranging from minor to very serious. Have a good avian vet in your contacts and a transport cage in your supplies. Create a supply kit of medications and first-aid products.

Chicken injuries:

Common injuries can occur in chickens through pecking, fighting, injury from lose metal, nails or wood in the pen, predator attacks and accidents. Chickens will peck a younger or weaker bird and can cause grave injuries.

For wounds have a tar balm in your supplies that will seal the wound and help it heal. Separate aggressive chickens from the rest of the flock. Also, be sure to introduce new chickens only when they are mature size.

Below is a quick list of treatments used for chickens:

Electrolyte powder- mix in water to treat dehydration. Do not use human products like Gatorade as these have too much sugar for chickens.

 Antibiotic Cream- for use with cuts, scratches or infection of the eyes

 Antibiotic powder- bacterial infection

 Styptic powder- contracts the blood vessels to stop bleeding,

 Ivomec- treatment for parasites, used annually or as prescribed by vet

 Pine tar- seals wounds with a thick seal to help healing and desist more pecking

Use these tips for chicken illness and injury to keep your flock healthy and producing quality eggs. Check with your veterinarian for inoculations and annual health practices you need to do for your chickens.

Chickens are a hardy animal and usually don’t become ill. However, by using good cleaning habits and being conscientious with feed storage and chicken husbandry you will prevent many illnesses and injuries.

These are the plans I settled on:

They really worked for me and I got the chicken coop I wanted within my budget and my building skills. I highly recommend you check out Building a Chicken Coop.

Easy planning and building guide for a coop in your backyard. In includes drafts of plans, dimensions, materials lists and sources to everything you need to build a sustainable chicken coop.