Here are some common chicken health issues I have encountered while raising chickens and how they can be addressed.
Chickens can be tricky, and every once in a while, their health problems leave me scratching my head.
If you are new to raising chickens or interested in starting your own flock, this is a good place to start.
Raising chickens for beginners
I find this information at McMurray Hatchery helpful for specifics on starting chicks.
Murray McMurray Hatchery – Frequently Asked Questions
The following information addresses the health issues I have found while raising chickens during the last few years.
Bumblefoot.
Bumblefoot is a bacterial infection caused by a scratch or laceration on the foot. The foot becomes infected with bacteria that the bird walks through or comes in contact with.
You will see that a chicken has bumblefoot if it is limping and has a large swollen area on the bottom of its foot. This is often your first sign that they are ill.
Preventing bumblefoot is the best option.
Spend time walking through the chicken run or coop and picking up pieces of wire or sharp objects that can pierce the chicken’s skin.
For more information on this, please consider this article from PoultryDVM.
Bumblefoot in Chickens: Signs, Treatment & Prevention
Egg-bound issues are another health issue for chickens.
Different situations can cause a chicken to be egg-bound. These issues include older chickens, young hens, poor nutrition, or stressful situations.
If a chicken sits there longer than normal or stands differently, this may be a sign that it is egg-bound.
Sometimes, you can help a chicken pass an egg. But they will often die before you know there is a problem.
You may not always have time to contact a veterinarian when this happens.
I soaked the chicken in a warm Epsom bath to relax the muscles for egg laying. Then, I lubricated the chicken’s vent with coconut oil. I placed the chicken in a quiet area and let her pass the egg.
Some advice includes giving the chicken crushed Tums to increase the power of the contraction, but it is important to contact a veterinarian for dosage.
Here is how one woman dealt with this situation.
Be very careful when trying to help a hen pass the egg.
Veterinarian assistance is often needed.
For more information, www.talkinghens.com has an excellent article on this subject!
Frostbite on combs and wattles.
Prevention is vital in this area regarding severe cold and protecting your chickens.
A few years ago, it dipped to below forty degrees below zero.
I thought we had done a good job protecting our chickens from severe cold, but I noticed white and black spots on our roosters’ combs.
I felt terrible about it, and we added more insulation and heating to our chicken coop.
Frostbite does heal, but it will take a few weeks.
Roosters’ Spurs.
One of my oldest and prettiest roosters has had unbelievably long rooster spurs. They were almost to the point that he was having trouble walking.
I told a seasoned bird owner this and she reassured me that removing long spurs was a reasonably easy thing to do.
Turns out that this gave me the encouragement to address this issue.
I watched the following video off of YouTube and it worked great!
Chicken lice or mites.
One night I came in from working with the chickens. Propped my feet up on the bed (yes, I know it was a terrible idea) and panicked.
There on my leg was a creepy bug. After doing some research, I found out that it was a chicken mite. Oh, so gross!
Apparently, chickens can get them from wild birds or when an infected bird joins your flock.
I’m not a terribly squeamish person, but bugs on chickens put me into crazy cleaning chicken woman mode.
The coop was cleaned, and diatomaceous earth was placed outside the coop and inside the coop.
A mixture of vegetable oil and essential oils was sprayed on their backsides.
Garlic powder was added to their drinking water.
And an area to dust bathe in wood ash was created.
I have not seen another mite, but I am vigilant about this matter!
I love my chickens! And these are the things I wish I had known about going into raising chickens. I hope they help you!
