Chicken Checkup

Chicken Checkup

October 17, 2021

(Eliza getting prepped for a chicken checkup!)

It's generally good practice to spend time with your flock on a regular basis (as if you don't already :), apart from the regular feeding and cleaning, but really observing them, so that you know what is "normal" behavior and appearance and immediately notice any changes in appearance or behavior. The faster you can identify a health issue and treat it, the better. Chickens, being the ultimate prey animal, are masters at hiding symptoms and often by the time you notice something is wrong, it's too late. 

So, I've put together this guide for you so you can easily identify any health issues you notice in your flock. Keep reading!

Comb and Wattles

You want to see a nicely-colored rosy comb with no black spots, which may indicate frostbite in the cold weather (or if the tips are black or grayish), pecking by other hens, or the more serious fowl pox in the warm months, which is transmitted by mosquitoes.

There is no treatment for fowl pox but the affected bird should be separated, kept warm and given extra nutrients. If you suspect pecking, spray the comb with Blu-Kote to prevent further pecking.

Damp conditions can lead to frostbite, so even in the winter, your coop needs to be dry and well-ventilated, with airflow up high above the height of the roosts.

Coconut oil carefully slathered on the frostbitten comb can also help prevent further damage and aid healing. Be careful around the frostbitten tips because they help protect the comb underneath, however, sometimes infection can set in.

A purplish-colored comb can indicate respiratory or breathing problems, with not enough oxygen getting to the extremities, or can indicate a stroke or heart attack. A vet should be consulted immediately.

A pale comb can be a precursor to heat exhaustion or can also just mean your hen has just laid an egg. The act of laying draws all the blood to the vent area and away from the comb and wattles. The color should return momentarily in that case.

Eyes

You are looking for bright, clear eyes. If you notice excessive blinking, it could just mean there is dust or a particle in the eye and a twice daily flush with regular saline solution for a day or so should take care of it.

Cloudy eyes, watery eyes and beak or rubbing of the eyes can also mean conjunctivitis which can result from a build up of ammonia in the bedding. Again, flush the eyes with saline and change out all the bedding in your coop.

Swollen, pus-filled or watery eyes, or eyelids that are stuck together can be signs of eye worm. Sometimes the worms are even visible under the lids, swimming around. (Sparing you all the gross details, it's basically a worm contracted from cockroaches.) Your chicken will begin to scratch at its eye with the tip of its wing and could literally scratch their eyeball out. Eye worm treatment is easy with VetRx. Add 1 teaspoon of VetRx to a cup of warm water. Wet a cotton ball with the mixture and then liberally dab onto the roof of the chicken's mouth, holding the chicken almost upside down, so the pus will drain from the eyes. The water mixture should come out of both sides of the beak also. Repeat daily until the eye clears up.

Beak/Mouth/Nostrils

Wheezing, watery eyes and nose, squeaking noises, sneezing or coughing can be the signs of respiratory problems. Chickens are extremely susceptible to respiratory illnesses. Often times it is nothing more serious than dust or other debris in the eyes or sinus cavities, or something lodged in the throat. Try massaging the throat and giving the hen a drink of water or olive oil. Normally, antibiotics are recommended, but I prefer to try going the natural route first.

If the symptoms persist for more than a few days, it could be something more serious an antibiotics may be necessary.

Crop

In the morning the crop should be empty. If the crop feels hard and distended or full and mushy you may have a case of sour crop or an impacted or pendulous crop. Immediate treatment is necessary.

To treat impacted/pendulous crop, you want to measure two teaspoons of coconut oil for an adult chicken or one teaspoon for a baby chick. After getting the oil into your hen, you want to massage the crop gently in a circular and slightly upward motion. This will direct the contents toward the crop "drain". Massage for five to ten minutes. If the crop refuses to empty, repeat the oil and massage again in 30 minutes. If the crop still refuses to empty, then give a stool softener such as Dulcolax (docusate sodium). Wait 30 minutes and massage the crop. The crop should empty. Add more oil if it doesn't and massage again. This should do it.

To treat sour crop, Nystatin is the best treatment but it requires a prescription. Or you can try to locate medistatin which is for birds and doesn't require a prescription.

Chest/Abdomen

A featherless chest can mean that you have a broody hen. This also occurs in the heavier breeds from rubbing against the roost. If you do see a blister, you should drain the blister, treat it with some coconut oil to soften and heal the skin tissue and then wrap the roosts with soft cloth to prevent further blistering.

The abdomen should be fairly soft. If it is extended or you feel a hard spot, your hen could be egg bound if she also seems to be straining or her tail is down and pumping.

A bloated abdomen can be a sign that your chicken is suffering ascites or "water belly".

Wings

Check under the wings for mites, lice, ticks and other parasites. A soak in a tub of warm water, salt, white vinegar and dish detergent followed by a good dusting of food-grade diatomaceous earth is in order if you see anything creeping around under the wings.

Remove any ticks you find with tweezers and apply some Green Goo.

Adding fresh garlic to your hens' diet or garlic powder to their feed is thought to help make their blood less palatable to parasites. You can also spray the areas where you see the mites with garlic juice.

Check for raw skin or missing feathers, since an over-zealous rooster will often do damage as will pecking order issues, and the areas under the wings are generally hidden from view.

Any raw areas should be sprayed with Green Goo to prevent further pecking or cover with a hen saddle.

Feathers

Feathers should be glossy and unbroken. Broken or chewed feathers can signal a protein deficiency within the flock and added protein should be fed until you see the problem reverse. Good sources are scrambled eggs, mealworms and cooked meat scraps.

Broken feathers can also be a sign that rodents are getting into your coop and chewing on your birds while they sleep. The coop should be examined and any spaces larger than 1" should be covered up.

Broken, dull or missing feathers can also mean your hen is molting. Added protein is also beneficial in this case.

Vent

The vent should look pink and moist. A dry, pale vent indicates a non-laying hen. Any accumulated balls of poop should be removed with some warm water - or trimmed in extreme cases.

Adding probiotic powder to the feed can help alleviate future accumulations of feces.

Droppings with blood  or yellow foamy droppings could be coccidiosis which can be treated with amprolium/antibiotics or a holistic remedy called Kochi Free. Recent studies show that probiotics, green tea and plum powder can help combat coccidiosis as well. 

Greenish droppings might be worms (or indicate that the chicken has eaten a lot of greens, weed, grass or vegetables).

White, milky runny droppings could indicate worms or an infectious disease. Internal parasites (worms) can often be seen in the stool. Natural worming treatments can be used twice yearly as preventatives and remedies.

Brown runny droppings usually signals E. coli infection.

Clear or watery runny droppings could mean stress, infectious bronchitis or more than normal water intake (due to heat).

Grayish white droppings  and an odor around the vent usually indicates vent gleet (a chronic disease of the cloaca of domestic birds) which is a fungal infection or a side effect or a bacterial imbalance in the intestines.

A quick check for external parasites (mites, lice, ticks) is also important around the vent area. If you do see any parasites on any of your chickens, it is also imperative to do a thorough coop cleaning and dust the coop floor, roosts and nesting boxes with food-grade DE before adding new bedding.

Legs and Feet

Legs should be smooth and brightly colored (except on the black- and slate-colored leg breeds). Flaking or raised scales can mean scaly leg mites. Soak the legs in warm water, then scrub gently with an old toothbrush dipped in white vinegar or garlic juice. Then slather with olive oil or coconut oil with a few drops of orange essential oil mixed in.

Pale legs and feet usually indicates a good layer since all the xanthophyll that is in the corn, alfalfa and other foods they eat is being deposited in the egg yolk instead of stored in their beaks, legs and feet. Adding corn, marigold or alfalfa to their diet can help.

Obviously any limping should be further explored, but if not caused by a cut or other visible injury to the foot, is most likely due to a hard landing off a roost and will go away in a few days.

Puffy or warm foot pads can mean a splinter in the bottom of the foot that will need to be removed with tweezers. 

A black spot on the underside of the foot pad indicates a potentially fatal staph infection called Bumblefoot that needs to be treated immediately. Consult with a veterinarian for advice.

Body Weight

When you pick the chicken up, her weight should feel normal for her size. Neither skinny and scrawny nor too fat. Of course many breeds of chickens are mostly feathers, but once you get used to how much your chickens generally weigh, you should be able to gauge if one has lost or gained an abnormal amount of weight. 

You should be able to feel the chest bone, but it should not protrude. This is a good check of overall health/weight.

Weight loss can signal internal parasites, while weight gain usually means too many treats! :)

Overall Appearance

Your chicken should be active and alert. Her comb should be bright and rosy, her eyes clear, her tail up. She should move about normally. 

If you have a hen who is hunched over, inactive, weak, listless, coughing, sneezing or just looks terribly unhappy, it could be one of several serious infectious diseases and immediate treatment by a qualified vet should be sought. You will know when something is seriously wrong.

If you think a hen has eaten something toxic, you can try a laxative molasses flush. A pint of molasses added to a 5-gallon waterer full of clean water for 8 hours will help cleanse the stomach and intestines.

By taking a few minutes to complete this comb to toe chicken checkup every few weeks, you ensure that your flock stays in tip-top shape. Of course, as Ben Franklin said "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure"!