Poultry Healthcare Problems
If well managed, with clean, dry bedding, good ventilation in the house,good bio security, plenty of exercise during all daylight hours over a large range, good quality feed and above all without stress, most hens keep healthy throughout their lives.
Most poultry problems can be easily fixed, but with so many products on offer these days its not an easy choice to make!
We are not qualified vets but we do have alot of experience with poultry and we may be able to help.
We are passionate about our poultry and any problems that a new poultry keeper may have - we have probably had here! In fact we keep a chicken medicine box so that if any such occasion should arise we are fully prepared for it.
The following are common questions which have been asked by our customers which can be used as a useful guide. For serious problems, or if you are in doubt, we would always recommend that customers contact a specialist avian vet for advice.
COCCIDIOSIS - Diarrhoea, Loss of weight, Hen looks 'untidy'
This illness tends to effect chicks more than anything else, but is not unheard of in older flock members. The first signs are hens looking 'untidy' followed by huddling and Diarrhoea. In some cases blood maybe in the droppings. This is very easy to treat with Coxoid, There is a 28 day egg withdrawal on this product though. Hens will make a full recovery within 48 hours but treatment must continue for 7 days.
PECKING ORDER PROBLEMS
When introducing new birds to your existing flock you can sometimes get problems with a 'pecking order' this is perfectly natural and normally resolves its self within a few days. But... if the pecking continues or a hen is pecked so a little bit of blood is visable you must spray with an anit-pecking spray such as Gentian Violet Spray. This puts off the hens from pecking any further and also acts as a antiseptic so the hens wound heals quickly.
OPEN WOUNDS ON HENS (cuts and grazes)
You treat a hen with an open wound the same way you would if it was pecked - Gentian Violet. This has an immediate effect and straight away helps keeps any cuts from getting infected.
HENS LOSING FEATHERS
This is very common in late summer through to winter. Hens 'moult' once a year and can drop all their feathers. They will grow their feather back quite quickly and start laying again soon after. This is natures way of giving the hens a break for laying you all those eggs throughout the year!! There are a couple of 'tonics; available to help hens get through this time when their condition is down.We also use Poultry Spice as a 'tonic' for moulting. This is very effective and really helps the hens. Another reason for hens losing feathers around their 'back end' could be caused by mites. You must regularly 'dust' your hens with louse powder and red mite powder to ensure they don't get them. Treatments for lice is very easy.To check if your hens have lice hold them upside down and check their vent for lice eggs.These will gather at the bottom of the feathers.
DIARRHOEA and opening mouth quite a bit
Diarrhoea could be a sign of worms. Worms are an internal parasite that can easily transmitted bird to bird. Regular rotation of the ground they are on easily avoids them getting worms. But if your hen is in a fixed house and using the same ground throughout the year worming them is essential.
WORMS- Can you recommend a good wormer?
Flubenvet is an effective wormer with nil withdrawl for eggs with a dose of 12g for 10kg of feed for seven days. For tapeworms double the dose to 24g. To obtain an even mix with the feed, the powder is mixed with a handful, which is then mixed with a cupful, then a jugful and so on. Don’t mix Flubenvet with water because it isn’t soluble.
For a preventative wormer, use Diatom or Verm-X once a month, this is a herbal wormer and so there is nil egg withdrawal period.
CHICKEN SNEEZING, COUGHING, RUNNY NOSE
Hens get colds just like you and me. Always ensure you hens have access to perching and that you don't have too few hens in a huge house. Hens perch together at night to keep warm. If your hens has the sniffles just pop a few drops of Citricidal per litre into their drinking water. The cold will be gone in a few days.
CHICKEN SNEEZING, COUGHING, RUNNY NOSE, DIARRHOEA, RATTLING AND GASPING
This is a complicated one! If you hens have the above, they have Mycoplasma. This is very common in poultry and easily treated. Mycoplasma is an infection passed round hens thoughout the country. Hens with Mycoplasma need to have antibiotics. These antibiotics can be put in the drinking water or given straight to the hen orally. You can use High Stability Colloidal Silver which is a natural antibiotic - safe on humans and animals. You can either spray direct into the hens mouth twice a day or put a teaspoon in their drinking water
APPLE CIDER VINEGAR- What dose?
To boost the immune system and aid detoxification, use 1ml. per litre of water – double the dose during periods of stress such as moving house.
SCALY LEG MITE- How do you treat this?
This is caused by a mite which burrows under the scales of the leg and creates white crusty lesions. the legs are very itchy and can ulcerate. It is contagious. To treat use Panomec from the vet, applying 3 drops per hen, and repeat after 3 months. The egg withdrawl period is 2 weeks. Metholated Spirits is also effective but time consuming. The leg scales moult once a year which will determine how long you have to wait for new scales to grow.
GREEN DROPPINGS- What has caused this?
Green droppings can be causd by either; too much cabbage but in which case they would smell, or a bacterial liver disease which can be treated with Terramycin, or possibly some form of Coccidiosis which can be treated with Coxoid or Bacox.
CHOKING SOUND- What could be causing this?
This could be Gapeworms, which live in the trachea; treat by worming. or possibly a small piece of grain lodged in the syrinx (voice box) which can be removed with an endoscope.
HEN NOT LAYING
If you have hens not laying it could be for any number of reasons.
1. Fancy hens such a Polish and Silkies are not reliable for eggs in the 1st place
2. They could be moulting
3. They are too young. Hens start laying between 18 and 24 weeks. Although this must not be set in stone. Hybrids generally lay earlier and more often than pure breeds
4. Hens are too old. Hens lay for many years but there will come a time (after 3-5 years) when your 'egg a day' will reduce to just a couple a week
5. Lice, mites or another condition that would leave them down. To tell how far you hens is from laying again we have a process that you can use as an indicator please see below.
6. Stress, this could cause them to go off lay. A change in their surroundings, a loud noise etc
This is especially useful when you have new young hens in or your hens have been moulting:-
1. Turn you hen upside down so her 'vent' (where the eggs come out of!) is in the air
2. Place you hand directly over the vent and feel for two pelvic bones either side of the vent
3. See how many fingers you can get between the pelvic bones. I have average size hand for lady and this is how i work it..... One finger - weeks and weeks off laying Two fingers - 4-6 weeks off laying Two and a half fingers - couple of weeks off laying Three Fingers - Laying is VERY near - or she is laying! Good luck with this!