Curious about chicken health..what do you do to maintain their health?

[Zyxthior]

we feed them layer crumbles, make sure they have water, we let them free range when its not winter so they can eat ticks, bugs, grass etc...we clean the coop, replace the wood chips, hay in the laying area etc etc. Question is do you do anything else like to keep them mite, bug free...do you give them any suppeiments other than some scratch once in a while, anything else you do to keep them happy and healthy?

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

Chickens are pretty low maintenance. As long as you practice good animal husbandry, they're pretty much good to go. As long as they're taking dust bathes as they should you shouldn't have to worry about mites too much. The only time I really have a problem with them is when I have sitting hens (they don't dust themselves regularly, so...mites).

 

[donrae]

Have you read the sticky on Speckledhen's 10 commandments of flock management? At the top of the section.

Space is crucial, in my experience. Folks who try to crowd the absolute maximum number of birds into their space are just asking for trouble. Behavioral issues, and stressed birds who aren't as healthy and have more issues with parasites and diseases. Happy healthy birds as a rule have lots of space.

I do put out ashes from the woodstove for the hens to dust bathe in, I've read it's a natural repellent for mites. Other than that, I'm low key. Space, water, I feed commercial feed and all my food scraps, I add new shavings as needed and use the deep liter method, that's about it.