What to do for an unwell Chicken
My DMs are full with people asking advice about chicken who are dealing with ailments. It is hard for me to know what exactly is wrong with your chicken for a few reasons. One is that I am not a veterinarian and therefor I am not trained in animal wellness. I have not dealt with every sickness and sometimes cultures must be done to properly diagnose. Two, I am not with your chicken and there is only so much I can tell from a photo or video. And three, the list of things that can ail a chicken is endless! One disease can look like another especially if I don’t have all the facts. For all of these reason, I find it difficult to give clear answers to help heal or save your chickens. In this article I will give you my best advice and what I would do if I had a sick chicken.
First Things First
If you are a backyard chicken keeper, it is a great idea to find a vet (even if you have to drive an hour) who can help you treat and diagnose your chickens. Here is a link for a list of avian vets http://www.poultrydvm.com/poultry-vets.php . If you cannot find one on that list that is reasonably close to you, call around to all other vets and ask if they treat chickens. If not, they may have knowledge of one who does.
Create a chicken first aid kit! Here is a link to my chicken first aid supplies that I keep on hand: FIRST AID KIT
Locate and join a chicken keeping group on Facebook or other forum. Sometimes you’ll find someone who is experienced with what you are dealing with who will have suggestions.
Grab this book! The Chicken Health Handbook It is very informative and will guide you when things come up.
Have a designated place for sick chickens to heal away from the flock. It will help prevent the spread of whatever it is, and allow them to heal in peace away from pecking and fighting for food.
Things to Watch For
It is important to keep an eye on your chickens so you can get ahead of things before they become severe or spread to other flock members. Here is a list of symptoms to keep an eye out for…
Posture changes (Fluffed up, necks tucked in, body appears more compact drooping wings, tail tucked down)
Backends caked with droppings.
Chickens who aren’t active, stay hidden or away from the group, or move around slowly.
Red or inflamed skin
Loss of feathers (not including the fall molt)
Feather picking (self or others)
Pale comb and wattles
Chickens who don’t grow at the same rate as others of the same breed
Spots on the comb and wattles
Respiratory difficulty (panting, open mouth breathing, wheezing, coughing, sneezing, gasping)
Lethargic/less active chickens
Chickens who don’t eat and drink as usual
Eye/nose discharge or bubbles
Closed eyes
Egg issues including watery egg whites, blood on the shell often, misshaped eggs, thin shells or no shell
Abnormal droppings (article on that coming soon!)
Limping, spinning, neck arching back or looking under the legs, shaking
What To Do
When you have a chicken who appears ill, the first thing you should do is isolate it. Put it somewhere that is at least 12 yards away from your main flock. Be careful to follow biosecurity guidelines so you don’t transfer germs from the sick chicken to the flock. Keep the chicken isolated while you determine what is going on and while they are healing. The place you keep them should be safe & warm (not hot). Give the chicken the option of a roosting bar or a soft place to lay. Unless instructed otherwise, provide food and water.
Call the vet. I highly suggest this. Some things take hold and will cause death quickly. It is best to have a vet help.
Start researching! I love the symptom checker found here: www.poultrydvm.com .
Check out tips and recipes in my essential oils for chickens article.
Remember that chickens can be resilient. Don’t panic! If you are treating on your own, it may take some trial and error.
Have a plan in place if the chicken needs to be euthanized. Some chicken keepers do this own their own and others will ask a vet to help.