Four Preventable Illnesses in Backyard Chickens

By Dr. Day Kenny

Spring is quickly approaching, and with it comes baby chicken fever! It’s a great time to refresh our knowledge about keeping backyard chickens to help improve their day-to-day care. 

Pikes Peak Vet now sees so many unique and rare breeds as backyard chicken popularity increases. It really is an exciting time to be a hobbyist and to work in the veterinary field. Here are the four most common management-related illnesses that can be decreased or alleviated by fine tuning our husbandry.

Trauma: A majority of the cases we see are related to trauma. Predators, pets, and even other chickens can cause damage. The best defense is a well-designed coop and run. When you are planning, here are some issues to keep in mind:

1. Space: You will need a minimum of 3 to 4 square feet per hen in the coop and 10 square feet per hen in the yard.
2. Building a run and coop that are sealed against predators is very important. In the Colorado Springs area, predators will vary based on where you live. They can include domestic pets as well as birds of prey (hawks, falcons, owls), bears, bobcats, foxes, cougars, and raccoons, the last one being the most common offender. Raccoons are very smart and can get through surprisingly small places as well as being excellent climbers. Burying hardware cloth a minimum of 12-inches deep around your run’s perimeter and using it in place of screens, which are easily ripped, over windows is key. Latching and applying a locking carabiner has worked well for most entrances to the coop. Some clients in very rural areas have had to install electric fences. There are online plans for fully-enclosed coops/runs, which gives you an added layer of security.

Obesity: A lot of people consider their backyard chickens as pets and treat them like it.

Many of our patients are overweight, which leads to joint and feet issues as well as laying and egg binding problems. We’ve even seen fatty liver problems! Nutrition is our key defense against this. The majority of a chicken’s diet should come from high-quality pellets or crumbles, whatever your flock prefers. We have the ability to consider and be careful about the quantity and quality of any treats we give them. For example, the average chicken can have no more than: 10-12 mealworms per day plus a little less than a tablespoon of scratch per day. Scratch is a mixture of whole grains, seeds and legumes, and chickens will eat this unchecked, given the opportunity. Please don’t feed your chickens cookies, doughnuts, and other highly processed treats. All treats combined should not exceed 10% of their daily food intake.

You can also help your chickens maintain a healthy weight and better conditioning by providing slopes, play places, and elevated platforms/perches to increase their exercise. One family created a “tetherball” from a head of cabbage. Get creative and look online. There are tons of fun resources.

Lameness: Sadly, many times when a chicken becomes lame, this is the result of an infectious agent.

Commonly we see birds paralyzed or weak from the infamous, non-treatable Marek’s viral disease. According to Colorado State University, avoid this highly-contagious disease by only purchasing poultry that you know has been vaccinated and keep chicks away from other birds for a minimum of two weeks, until immunity has developed. (The vaccine is not always readily available for small flocks, but Pikes Peak Vet has it as of this writing.) As with any infectious disease, sanitation and ventilation are critical. Isolate any chicken that shows odd behavior or physical changes.

Some bacterial diseases can cause joint swelling and lameness so it is important to minimize contact with wild birds, especially waterfowl. It is recommended to quarantine new birds for 4-6 weeks to monitor for illness prior to introducing them to your flock and always take care of young chickens before the older ones to limit disease being spread. Having clothes and shoes specific to the flock is essential to help prevent cross-contamination from diseases we may pick up outside of our home.

Parasites: Parasites include mites, lice and intestinal worms.

These creepy critters can be kept to a minimum by making sure the coop’s bedding and run’s substrate are cleaned regularly. The material you pull out is great to include in your compost bin. Whether you use wood shavings, hemp, straw, shredded paper, leaves, or hay, the more often you clean, the easier it will be to prevent infection and decrease the parasite burden. Creating a dust-bath area that includes diatomaceous earth (DE) can combat mites and is also great for enrichment. Nesting boxes can be the epicenter for transmission of some diseases and egg contamination, so it is recommended to inspect them daily when gathering eggs. Keep roosts clear of the boxes and promptly remove any soiled bedding in a nesting box. This may be needed weekly in some crowded flocks. Deep cleaning water and feed containers regularly also helps limit spread of fecal parasites and other diseases.

The most common concerns with our feathered friends can be prevented with the right management and environment. All birds are individuals, so physically checking your birds monthly can help with early detection of illness. Handling them more often when they are little will help them get accustomed to you and make it easier to do these checks. Palpate their breast bone and check their feet. Knowing what is normal for your hen and what has been successful for other flocks in your neighborhood can also help with the success of your chickens. You can also take photos each month so that you have something to compare. If you have any serious concerns about your husbandry practices, make a log of what you are finding and take videos of the symptoms you see. This may help your veterinarian at Pikes Peak Veterinary Clinic identify the problem and advise you on the next steps. Being a backyard chicken hobbyist is a very rewarding endeavor and we wish you the best!