Common chicken ailments and their solutions

Egg Binding

Happens when, for whatever reason, an egg becomes stuck in the passage and cannot be laid by the chicken. Can often be treated from home, but in severe cases a trip to the vets is in order as chickens can and do die from this condition.

Symptoms

You can see the hen straining, pushing and looking uncomfortable
Hen goes to nest box frequently but doesn’t lay
Not moving much, may be laying down
Feathers ruffled, depressed, tail pointing towards ground
When you feel her belly towards her vent you can feel a hard lump

Things you can try

Firstly it’s important to keep the bird warm and calm, as it will make it easier for the egg to pass. For this reason a lot of people bring their egg bound hens inside (either in a dog crate or cardboard box) and keep them in a quiet darkened room – the darkness slows the egg laying process down so that hopefully a second egg won’t get stuck behind the first

Next, a warm bath can also be very helpful. Not too hot, and deep enough to cover the vent. It lubricates the vents and helps the hen relax her muscles. Hold the bird firmly so they can’t panic and splash or slip. Keep her in for 10+ minutes, and try repeat a few times throughout the day.

You can also try lubricating her vent using your finger and some vegetable oil – nice I know! This may help the egg slip out.

As I said before, if the egg is not passed within 24 hours maximum, get her to the vets ASAP. Likewise if the egg has passed but she is still acting unwell (there may be a second egg stuck) , if there is any blood or the egg was cracked, then she needs taking to the vets just to be sure she's okay.


Crop Impaction

As it sounds, an impacted crop is one that is blocked and therefore the chicken is unable to empty or digest the food in the crop. Much more common in free-range chickens that have access to long tough grass, which becomes knotted in the crop.

Symptoms

A hard, squishy or ‘doughy’ crop first thing in the morning (a healthy chicken’s crop should always be empty as they haven’t eaten all night)
Odd smelling breath, usually sour
Depressed behaviour, not eating, drinking or moving much

Things to try

One of the most helpful things you can do in this situation is massage the crop as often as possible; a minimum of twice a day (once in the morning and once at night) is a good starter. Chickens usually find this a pleasant experience, and it can help to unknot or budge whatever is stuck in there.

Add Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) to their water – one tablespoon per gallon, about. Not only is this great for chickens in general, but it can also help dissolve any blockages in the crop.

Also withhold all treats given, and add water and vegetable oil to the Layers Pellets to turn them into mash. In severe cases it may be worth restricting food for 24 hours and just offering plain yoghurt and water.

If there’s no improvement within a day or so, or if the chicken stops eating or drinking, a trip to the vets is in order. In extreme cases surgery can be performed that will rid the chicken of its impacted crop, although this should be a last resort.


Sour Crop

Coincides with the above condition, food in the crop begins to rot and turn sour. Symptoms and treatments are as above, but your vet may also flush your bird (using water and turning it upside down) and may be able to show you how to do it too. Only do it yourself after a vet has shown you, as it’s easy to accidentally flood the bird’s lungs which can result in death.


Worms

There are a variety of worms that your chickens can pick up, but a healthy worming regime will help keep infestations under control. There are plenty of worming products available, but we use Flubenvet, which is recommended by several other chicken keepers, vets and poultry magazines too. It’s good stuff!

You can also mix a little Diatomaceous Earth (DE) in with their food.

Symptoms

Irregular and odd poops; eg. worms in poo, constant runny poops
Loss of appetite
Weight loss
Drop in egg production
And in the case of gape worm; chickens stretching their necks and panting to breathe


Mites & Lice

External parasites that feed from your birds. Some live on your chucks 24/7, others like the much hated Red Mite feed on the birds in the night and hide in the woodwork of the coop in daylight hours. Nasty little things, and numbers can build up very quickly resulting in a full-blown infestation. In extreme cases the blood loss can result in anaemia and even death.

Symptoms

Check at the bases of feathers, particularly around the vent and under the wings, for scurrying bugs and white clusters (the eggs)
Run your fingers under the perches in the coop; in severe cases your fingers will come away bloody, a sure sign you have a big infestation that needs treating
A sudden drop in egg production
Depressed, motionless chickens with little appetite
Comb loses it’s bright red and is paler than normal

Things to try

One magical product that I recommend to everybody: Diatomaceous Earth! A natural product formed from fossilised algae, parasites are killed when they walk across it as it punctures them and drains them of fluid. It’s really good stuff; simply sprinkle it where your chickens sleep, lay and dust bathe, dust the birds’ feathers with it, and you can even add a little to their food.

We had quite a few serious mite infestations before using DE; we haven’t had one since!


Scaly Leg Mite

Slightly different in that this affects the bird’s legs, with mites burying right under the scales. Again it’s quite easy to treat from home, but should be done quickly (and to all birds, even if they show no symptoms) as in extreme cases it can cause lameness.

Symptoms

Raised scales on the legs, sometimes with the scales actually falling off
Affected birds limping
Visible white dots moving on the legs
Legs appear thick and lumpy

Things to try

Firstly you need to gently wash the legs using a toothbrush and warm slightly soapy water. Try not to remove any scales. Repeat daily.

After they’ve been cleaned smother the legs in Vaseline…this will suffocate the mites and help soothe any irritation the chicken is experiencing. Repeat as many times a day as possible, and continue for a week even after the problem seems to have disappeared. As I already said, treat all the birds in the flock and not just the ones that have symptoms.

As with the others, in severe cases a trip to the vet may be in order.

To be continued...

Getting on to the more severe illnesses now, and if your chicken is showing signs of these it needs to go to the vet immediately…

Infectious Bronchitis

This disease has no cure, although there are antibiotics that can lessen the symptoms. As the name suggests it is highly contagious, and if one chicken is showing symptoms you can expect them all to have it. Sometimes no other symptoms will be present apart from the huge decrease in egg production.

Symptoms

- Nasal discharge and gungy eyes
- Noisy breathing; gasping, wheezing, gurgling
- Massive drop in egg production
- Eating and drinking less

Things to try

There is a vaccination available, but if IB strikes you can't get rid of it. Antibiotics can decrease symptoms, and increasing the temperature of where the sick chicken/s live is believed to be helpful too.


Marek’s

Marek’s is a horrible disease and it’s really not good news if your chicken has this. It is spread through feather dander carried on the wind, so easily travels from one chicken keeper’s back garden to another. The disease causes lameness and for tumours to erupt on the chickens’ organs. There is no cure, and although there is a vaccine it must be administered when the chick is a day old.

Symptoms

Paralysis of the legs or wings – paralysis may disappear for a few days but this does not mean the chicken is cured
The chickens’ iris changes from the usual colour to grey
Inability to stand or walk
Weight loss and a drop in egg production

Things to try

As I said there is no actual treatment to this disease, so see what your vet recommends. A lot of people will tell you that the best option is to have the chicken humanely euthanized.

However I have read that Hypericum tablets (sold in health food shops) can be beneficial for them. It’s unknown whether Hypericum tablets help the chicken recover from the illness or merely allow them to live with the disease (in which case they are a carrier for life). You can mix one tablespoon of distilled water (it must be distilled) with one of the Hypericum tablets. You should mix it in a glass or plastic bowl, as metal will react with the water and herb. Use a dropper syringe to give bantams around 5 – 10 drops of the fluid and standard sized birds 10 – 15 drops of the liquid; be sure to drop it on their tongue and make sure they rub their beak together, it has to hit the top of their mouth (where their sinuses are) to work.


Bird Flu

Contrary to what the media seems to want us to believe (or at least that’s how it felt a few years ago!) this is incredibly, incredible rare. However it does carry with it a very high mortality rate and there is no known cure.

Symptoms

Sudden deaths in the flock
Birds appear lethargic
Drop in egg production
Difficulty breathing
Comb and wattles may turn purple or blue, and sometimes white spots develop on legs and combs


Red

Not an 'ailment', but people often mistake it for one: THE BROODY HEN!

A broody hen is one that wishes to hatch chicks. She will sit on the nest for the vast majority of the day - and don't be fooled, infertile eggs will not stop her attempts to hatch them! In fact the majority of broodies will remain on the nest brooding even with nothing underneath them! Broodies will not just attempt to hatch eggs either, they will try hatch plastic eggs, eggs of other species (many broody hens are used as surrogate mothers for ducks!), rocks and even golf balls

Being broody does not damage a hens' health. She will get off the nest at least once a day to eat, drink and do the infamous 'broody poop' - this is huge, steaming and stinking! However some hens are very determined, and whereas most hens "snap out" of broodiness after about 21 days (the time it takes fertile eggs to hatch), some will remain broody for weeks, if not months. Tilly, my darling hen who recently passed away aged a splendid 9 years, was one such hen. She once stayed on the eggs for 2 months until we managed to snap her out of it!

To prevent broodiness, collect the eggs from the nest box as often as possible. Some breeds have a tendency towards broodiness; Silkies and Orpingtons for example are well known for spending more time broody than laying!! To try incite broodiness in a hen place fake (eg. plastic or clay) eggs in the nest box.

If a hen has gone broody, you will know. She wills stay on the nest all day and if you approach her or try move her she will make little growling / trilling noises. If she is particularly maternal she may give you a nasty peck! She will also stop laying eggs. If you take a broody off the nest, she will most likely trot right back up there with an indignant look on her face

To break a broody (stop her being broody) you should try remove her off the nest as often as possible. I believe with Tilly we actually had to close the trapdoor so she physically couldn't get back to the nest box. Many owners say you should put ice cubes under the broody's belly, or keep her in a cage with wire sides so the air circulates, but I don't like those methods - I can't imagine the chickens do either!

Also not always an ailment but a question often asked: WHY AREN'T MY CHICKENS LAYING EGGS???

Okay, there could be many many reasons for this, so we'll cover the basics and, if there are still no eggs appearing, it's probably best to take your hen to a chicken friendly & experienced vet for a check up...

First off, you need to take into account the age and breed of your hen. Some breeds lay very few eggs a year, especially 'broodier' breeds and generally bantams tend to lay less too, although there are exceptions. Breeds such as Warrens / ISA Browns, Sussex's and Rhode Island Reds have been bred to lay lots of eggs, and can easily lay upwards of 300 eggs a year.

As for the age a hen will stop / significantly lay less eggs, this differs from hen to hen. Chickens generally lay the most eggs in their first year laying, and then it gradually decreases as they get older. Some chickens stop laying, full stop, when they are as young as 3...my two girls were / are still laying and they are 9 years old!! (Penny is still laying at 9 years, Tilly unfortunately passed away just over a week ago )

Next, you need to think about the time of year and temperature. Chickens need between 12 - 14 hours sunlight a day to process an egg. If it's winter where you live and it gets dark early, this is probably why you're not getting eggs. You can add artificial light to 'force' them to lay, but it's healthiest for your chickens to have a rest from laying.

Temperature extremes can also affect lying. Very hot weather can cause a sudden drop in egg production. Also, if your chickens are approaching or ending their moult (where they lose all their feathers to grow new ones) they will stop laying and put all their energy into growing new feathers.

Then we move onto dietary issues. Are they getting enough calcium? Do you provide them with a source of calcium such as oyster grit / shell, crushed egg shells etc? You can add high calcium treats to their food, such as grated cheese, yoghurt, cottage cheese etc. This should be fed with their usual food, which should be Layers Pellets.

How is the hen acting in herself? Is her tail tucked down? If she eating / drinking / pooping as normal? Is her comb nice and bright red, or pale? At this point you want to read all the posts above - mites, being egg bound, having an impacted crop, and infecttious bronchitis can all have an effect on egg production.

If you're still non the wiser and you still have a hen/s not laying - take her to a friendly experienced vet!