Do you want to see chickens happily scratching around in your garden? Then, of course, good health is essential. But how can you tell if your chickens feel completely fit as a fiddle? The following external features tell you if your chickens are in optimal health.
1. Behaviour
The behaviour of your chickens quickly tells you whether they are in good health.
Your chickens' eating behaviour can already speak volumes. A healthy average-sized laying hen eats about 110 grams of feed per day. In addition, a chicken also drinks a lot of water. Water is also essential for laying eggs.
A healthy chicken is curious and is constantly looking for food. A chicken is by nature always scratching around. An unhealthy animal is less lively, will sit still and will more quickly isolate itself from the rest.
A healthy chicken regularly takes a dust bath. Chickens do this to keep their feathers clean and to prevent any parasites in their plumage.
Is your chicken showing any abnormal behaviour? Then maybe your chicken isn't feeling too well.
Isolde Mattart uses Oropharma VitalVital - https://www.instagram.com/imatsol/
2. Appearance
Your chickens shouldn't be too skinny. You can check that yourself. The sternum at the front is the easiest place for that. Weight loss can indicate many things, but none of these are positive.
A healthy chicken usually has a shiny plumage, except during the moulting period. The comb and wattles are deep red in most breeds. The legs should be evenly scaled and smooth.
3. Red mite: a common parasite
An important culprit for chickens is the red mite. These parasites cause unrest in the cage by sucking blood from the chickens at night. During the day the mite is hidden in cracks and crevices of the coop, for example under the perches. If your chickens don't want to sit on the perches anymore and stay upright at night in the hen-roost, that's a bad signal. Anaemia will cause chickens to lose weight and the comb will get a dull colour. Chances are the chicken won't lay any more eggs. You will also see that the feathers become rough and bedraggled. Did you detect any red mites in your loft? Then take quick action and look for a spray to fight these parasites.
4. What to do in case of a disease outbreak?
Are you convinced that your chicken has a certain disease? Do not hesitate and contact a veterinarian. Only after the advice of a vet you can be sure that you are doing the right thing against the specific disease.
5. But can I avoid diseases in chickens?
Of course! Good hygiene in the chicken run and in the coop is essential. Poor hygiene can lead to the accumulation of moulds and bad bacteria in the chicken's environment. That way you give free rein to diseases. It is therefore important to regularly clean and disinfect your chickens' coop, feed and drinking troughs.
In addition, sufficient clean drinking water and daily fresh chicken feed is crucial to keep your chickens in top condition.
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