8 Signs of unhealthy chickens

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Though I am a veterinarian, but for the past few years I have be playing with chickens on daily basis. I have study them more than any other animals, they are playful and enjoyable when you know what to do and how to do them.

On a good condition, when they are not sick, you will be happy of been with them. Mind you, they cannot speak, explain to you if they are not in good order.

As they are very difficult to diagnose in case of any issue, yet you can know they are not well ok. That is the main reason you should treat them like a young baby that knows nothing.

Despite all these, millions of people around the world are still keeping chickens for one purpose or the other.

The easiest way to identify if something is wrong is to observe your chickens closely each day and make a point of checking your chickens often so you know what a healthy chickens looks and feels like.

That way you will know when something is wrong, long before your chicken tries to tell you. These simple tips will guide you and know what to do on time, there:

1. Change in color of the comb ti identify unhealthy chickens .

This is a noticeable sign that everyone must understand, why? This part of our chicken are seen, so when anything happen to the chicken, the comb color changes.

Normally, comb color are bright and reddish in color, so when what you  are seen is different from this, definitely your chickens are sick, meaning you are having unhealthy chickens.

Comb color may change to any of these, pale bluish color, pale comb, limb without shine and many more color. So, when you see something like this, inform your vet. doctor.

2. Unhealthy chickens will not eat properly

The next thing in this category is the reaction of your chicken to feed, on a good condition, chicken should rush toward feed when you feed them.

So if you notice that some are not rushing toward feed when you make feed available for them, then something is wrong somewhere.

This behavior is highly noticed in a healthy flock. Therefore checkouts for this as a means of identify unhealthy chickens in the flock.

3. Unhealthy chickens drinking more water than expected.

You may be noticed this, and think is a normal thing for the chickens. It is good for them to drink water as this enhance the digestion process, but when you discover that they drink more water than necessary that call for your attention.

Then something is wrong, the best answer to this situation is to inform your veterinary doctor.

4.Unhealthy chickens show ruffled feathers.

Your chicken’s feathers should look strong, glossy and sleek. Unless they are molting, in which case patchy feathers is perfectly normal, and will pave the way for a shiny new coat!

When you notice ruffled feather in the flock, critically check for lice or mites in the feathers. This is a great sign that the chickens are not in right condition, keep eye on them at all time.

5. Chicken eyes.

The eyes should be alert and shiny. Unhealthy chickens eyes will usually pale and have a glazed look. Some you might see fluid come out of the eye, or mucus around the eye area.

You may also notice that they eye are dull, then this call for your attention. These showcase that they are not in good condition, please check out for any of this.

6. Sign of any injury.

Injury is another sign you need to look out for in the flock, so many thing may cause this in the flock. Injury may occur as a result fight in the flock or there is predator in the house. You must properly check out for any causes of the injury.

7. Weight lost is a sign of unhealthy chickens

To identify this issue might be a bit difficult, how will you identify this? The best answer is to carry them one after the other, how long will it take you for a very big farm.

So that is why you need not to joke with the sign listed above and the remaining in this article. Loss in weight is a good sign of illness in the flock

8. Lack of interest in the surrounding.

The last but not the least sign of unhealthy chickens is the isolation of any chicken from the flock. Chicken will isolate themselves from the flock when they lack interest in the surrounding environment.

Though on like lost of weight, you can easily identify any one that are not associate with rest of the flock. When this are noticed in the flock, something is wrong somewhere and need your attention on time before it too late.

Many of the above symptoms can be a sign of Bacterial or Viral infections.  Bacteria multiply very quickly and can spread like wild fire. 

So it is always recommended to keep your chickens in a clean environment, with clean water and feeding facilities to help prevent bacterial infestation.

Heavy infestation of internal or external parasites can cause some of the above symptoms.  This can be managed with appropriate treatments. However depending on the age of your chicken, it may just plain be getting old.

Egg machines like Isla Browns don’t seem to live as long as other breeds. This is possibly due to the nature of the breed to continually lay. 

Although life expectancy varies from breed to breed, Isla browns will go down quickly, and can sometimes almost seem paralysed before they pass. 

In addition other factors like exercise, diet, coop cleanliness can contribute to the lifespan of your hens.

All the above are just general indications of bad health, some are obviously more visual and if you suspect anything Our friendly team are here to help with any questions you may have. 

If you are uncertain as to the health of your hens, then please seek Veterinarian advice.