A Chicken Check-up

Julie Moore shows you how to give your birds a very thorough check to ensure they are in good health

Whether you’re just about to buy some hens for the first time or are adding to your existing flock, it’s important that you inspect your potential purchases for good health. By visiting your chosen breeder in person, you’ll get to see the conditions they’ve been reared in and the health of the flock they come from rather than someone else selecting your chickens for you and having them delivered to your door.

Once you have your chickens, it’s essential to carry out regular physical examinations to ensure their continuing good health and longevity. As prey animals, chickens are highly skilled at hiding pain, discomfort and weakness so by the time you notice that something is wrong it is often too late. By spending time amongst your flock, you’ll be able to pick up the subtle clues they offer when they’re under the weather.

A healthy bird is alert and active, eating and drinking throughout the day with periods of dust bathing, sunbathing / resting in the afternoon. By really observing your flock, you’ll know what is ‘normal’ and any changes in behaviour should be investigated further.

Common indications of a sick chicken include: a hunched stance, lethargy, inactivity, hiding, loss of appetite, pale comb or wattles, unusual droppings or a decrease in egg production. If you see any of these signals or changes from ‘normal’ behaviour, closer observation is needed. Follow our comb to toe checklist of what to look out for when either buying birds or as part of your routine examination.

COMB AND WATTLES

The comb and wattles should be red and correct for the breed — if a breed’s comb is upright, it shouldn’t be flopped over or shrivelled if it’s supposed to be plump looking.