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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Sudden Death Month Old Chick
Question:
Sudden Death Month Old Chick: I found one of my 1 month old chicks dead in her cage this morning with no idea why, I have 2 one month old ...
Shaky Chicken
Question:
Shaky Chicken: We have a 5-6 week old Jersey Giant that started developing the shakes! She shakes standing up, lying down but is able to ...
Hen Looks Weak and Confused
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
Question:
Sudden Loss of power in Leg: 6 month old Barnevelde hen, one of our 3 free-range, penned in 300 square meters with electric netting, with ...
Floppy Neck Chickens
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.
I ...
Sick Red Star hen
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 Rhode island Red Hen
Question
Sick Rhode island Red Hen: Chicken found lethargic, eyes clear, no oozing, white liquid diarrhea and head bobbing, rolling listing...wanting ...
Swollen Stomach
Question:
I have a hen (Buff Orpington) who is not feeling well. She has a swollen stomach, it is hard to the touch and seems constipated. Also she ...
Sick Wheezing Chicken
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 ...
Orpington Red Face
Question:
Orpington Red Face : My 13 week old Buff Orpinton has been in a coop with five other hens. Temperatures have been as low as five below zero ...
What is wrong with my hen?
Question
What is wrong with my hen? 'Thelma' my Cotswold Leg-Barr who I think is around 2yrs old (maybe a little older), appears to be depressed. She ...
Whats wrong with my chicken?
Question
Whats wrong with my chicken? I got a chicken that is walking around with her chest in the air.
Answer
There really isn’t enough information ...
Rhode Island Red standing in a strange position
Question
Rhode Island Red standing in a strange position. We got 5 Rhode Island Red hens about 3 months ago. One of the hens has a very small comb ...
Chick Swollen Underside
Question:
Chick Swollen Underside: My Black Jersey Giant looked a little swollen when I got her home last weekend. The swelling on her underside has ...
Sick chickens in Thailand
Question:
Sick chickens in Thailand: I am living in Chiang Rai and have about 15 chickens of various ages. Last week a 5 week old chick started to ...
Whats wrong with my chicken
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Whats wrong with my chicken - Female chicken, 1.5yrs old, with three large growths on right side of her face - largest is behind the ear, size ...
Sick chick eyes closed
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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 ...
Foot Ailment
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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 it was ...
Poorly Chicken
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Poorly Chicken: I am completely new to keeping chickens and have had four pol for 2 weeks one a white star has become poorly today she is ...
Constant Quivering Tail Feathers
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Constant Quivering Tail Feathers: I have a black sex link female 6 week old chick who has developed a constant quivering in her tail feathers ...
Swollen Claw
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Swollen Claw: My 7 months old hen is limping. She has a swollen middle claw which she doesn't want to put weight on. What should i do?
Answer:...
Purple Runt
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Purple Runt: 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 about ...
Weak Chicken Legs
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Weak Chicken Legs: Our farm is located in Massachusetts and we have a flock of 50 Rhode Island Red layers. Recently I noticed 2 then 4 of ...
Sick Rhode Island Reds
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Sick Rhode Island Reds: I have 5 backyard Rhode Island Red hens. They are not quite a year old and all very tame. They eat all sorts of table ...
No Eggs Feet Turned Gray
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No Eggs Feet Turned Gray: I have a one year old Rhode Island Red hen. In the past month and a half she has stopped laying eggs and her feet ...
Please Help Percy
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Please Help Percy: My fiance raises Barred Rocks and recently the male, Percy, began acting irregular. We found him just sitting in the corner ...
Conjunctivitis
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Conjunctivitis: I think that some of our chickens might have this. We have had a 6 chickens die so far? Their eyes close up and turn kind ...
Enlargement of the organs
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Why are these organs enlarged so much? This doesn't match the signs and symptoms of any disease.
Answer
I will answer in less than 24 ...
What is going on?
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What is going on? She is acting normally and the rest of the flock is fine but this looks horrible!
Answer
This looks like it could be ...
What is wrong with my chicken
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What is wrong with my chicken? My chicken was fine until about a week ago. She was eating fine and running around doing her thing. I went ...
Rhode Island Red
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Rhode Island Red: I want to know some internal parasites that affect chickens and what are the treatments for those?
Answer
Round worms ...
Rhode Island sits down
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Rhode Island sits down: We bought 4 new chickens from the farm 2 days ago and all 4 are of different types. One of them is a Rhode Island ...
Sick Blue Wyandotte
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Sick blue Wyandotte: My blue Wyandotte is suddenly acting unusual. She is not eating or drinking just standing around or sitting in the middle ...
Turken Hen Sick
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Turken hen sick: 11 month old sick chicken (Turken hen). Nothing but bones. Seems to have this swollen sac near her neck. Has diarrhea ...
Poland hens
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I am in England and have 4 Poland hens of approx 20 weeks old
One seemed very lethargic and is stretching her neck upwards and gaping her ...
Two week old broilers
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I have two week old broilers and five days ago and found one chick dead. Another one followed two days later. Then today I noticed another ...
Rhode Island Red Hen
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White Rhode island red Hen like growls when I come near her. I picked her up and there are no eggs. She is not sitting, but the feathers ...
Sick Hens Eyes Crusty
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Sick Hens Eyes Crusty: Noticed I had what looked like a blind hen. When I picked her up her nose and eyes were crusty (Like she had pecked ...
Tetracycline dosage
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Tetracycline dosage: What is the dosage for a roughly 10 lb rooster, I have a 250 mg capsule. how much do I give after I empty the capsule?...
Sick Hen Very Tame
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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 Sussex Chicken
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Sick Sussex chicken: I have a chicken (Sussex white) and it became sick about 3 days ago. I have separated her from others and would like ...
Why has my hen lost her appetite?
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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 bantam
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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’...
Top of the chicken coop
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My chicken went up to the top of the chicken coop where she normally lays her eggs. She has been up there for about 6 to 7 hours straight I ...
Sick chickens unexplained
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Sick chickens unexplained: I have lost 8 chickens in the past 2 months and I don’t understand what’s wrong? They lose all their body weight ...
Ex Barn Hens
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I have 4 ex barn hens who have all been healthy and happy for the last year. 2 weeks ago I noticed that one looked 'pale' with a grey pink ...
What does it look like inside the pancreas
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What does it look like inside the pancreas? We did an at home necropsy and this kernel type stuff came out of the pancreas. Is that normal?...
Open wound/ulcer
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Open wound/ulcer: I discovered an open, non-draining nickle sized ulcer type wound on the back of the head of one of my young birds... aprox ...
My yard Chickens
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My yard Chickens, 2 to 3 year old Rhode Island Red. Yesterday, she looked normal and she laid but by dark she was just nesting on the ground....
Sick unhealthy Hen
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Sick unhealthy Hen: My hen is not quite a year old and has always appeared healthy, lays eggs and is active. I went to the hen house tonight ...
Rhode Islands Reds not eating
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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 ...
Sick Chicken Stopped Crowing
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Questions
Sick chicken stopped crowing: Several months ago all our chickens stopped laying at the same time ages very from 1-3 yrs and the rooster ...
Rhode Island Reds developed fuzz on ears
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One of my Rhode Island Reds developed fuzz on ears feathers, which I'm quite sure is recent. Is this a parasite or something that needs treatment?...
Unsteady chicken
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Unsteady chicken: My 12 week old Orpington Cockerel had fleas when he was donated to me. I treated this immediately with flea powder as well ...
New Hampshire Red Sick
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New Hampshire red sick: I think she is a New Hampshire red she separates herself from all the others
And usually isn't scared when I come ...
Sick Barnevelder
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I have a sick Barnevelder that is about 6 months old. She has not started laying yet. I bought her with her sister about one month ago from ...
Swelling in hens crop
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Swelling in hens crop? She has a gaseous swelling either in her crop, or below her crop. Crop is empty: she hasn't eaten all day. She is perching....
Two sick hens
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Two sick hens: We are new to raising chickens and have 5 28-week-old Australorp hens. About 2 months ago when our birds were beginning to ...
Sick Really Chicken
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Sick really chicken: My chicken was fine 5 days ago. Then one morning I went to the coop and she was laying down on the floor really sick....
Very pale goblets
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I have four chickens. All seem very healthy, except one. When I got her she had very pale goblets, and not to be mean but just an ugly face....
Chicken Ailment
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Chicken Ailment: I have a chicken that seems to have diarrhea and an extended cloaca. What do you think is wrong and what chicken ailment ...
Sick three year old hen
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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 ...
What's wrong with my chicken?
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What's wrong with my chicken? My chicken has blood red eyes that's watery and he seems very tired, he also is not balancing very well. What'...
Unknown illness in my hen
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Unknown illness in my hen: I have a 1 1/2 yr. old hen who has been acting lethargic. Her eyes are clear & bright, she has no respiratory problems,...
What is wrong with my chickens?
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What is wrong with my chickens? Two of my chickens are listless, not eating and their combs are floppy and a bit purple. Can you tell me what'...
Think my chicken has a cold
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Questions
I think my chicken has a cold. She has been sneezing lately and seems to be breathing through her mouth. Will she need vet treatment or is ...
Protrusion on Chest
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Protrusion on Chest : I have a hen with a large protrusion on its breast. Is it contagious to the other chickens?
Answer
Do you feel the ...
Pale Faced Chickens
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Pale faced chickens: I have about 100 chickens. Some I raised and some were left to me by a dying friend. Lately I've been losing about one ...
Our Polish hen has droopy head
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Our Polish hen has droopy head and lethargic behavior. This all happened in one day and just yesterday she was herself - out to pasture - laid ...
What is Wrong With My Hen?
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My hen is showing these symptoms and I do not know what is wrong with my hen: Drooping comb, droppings stuck to feathers around vent, very ...
Stumbling Hen
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Skin disease: One of my young hens has progressively started to stumble around and have great trouble walking properly. It seems she has lost ...
Sickly Chickens
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Sickly Chickens: I've had 4 of my chickens die in about 3 months. Their combs become a pale pink color and they start getting weak. What ...
chicken feed
that will keep them healthy and at the maximum you will want make sure that they are eating
organically and naturally.
