How do you know your chickens are healthy?

[Somshine]

Thank you for that! I wish I could shut my brain off sometimes but such is ADD. I can never hear cool it a little bit in a kind way enough... I grew up with chickens but I didn't manage them, I was a kid. And I've had a handful of egg laying hens for 15 plus years. But this is my first time flocking. My gosh!?!?

 

[TooCheep]

My opinions: specifically about bird flu. Take them for what they are worth. I've included a bunch of links (mostly from the CDC and USDA) to support my points. If they make sense to you, you might get some real value:
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If you are worried about the sudden rise in government/media hyperventilating about HPAI/H5N1/Highly pathogenic avian flu, the single best answer is to turn off the TV. All of the scaremongering is based on one person who got bird flu... from a cow. His primary symptom... pink eye.

Want to know how you recognize it in your flock? Most of your flock will be dead within 48 hours, often with very visible symptoms pre-death. It doesn't get any easier than that. Want to be sure your eggs are safe? Put them on a rotation and don't eat them until they are several days or a week old. Any laid several days ago and your birds aren't dying cannot have any traces of HPAI in them.

HPAI is a real thing, but the current media scaremongering sounds exactly like 4 years ago. Remember when they said Covid had a 3.4% fatality rate, but it turned out to be well under 1%? Be afraid! You have no control. Be afraid! Be afraid!

So take control. Use appropriate measures to protect yourself and your flock. Even if your birds end up sick, the odds of you getting sick as a result are very low (but not 0%). HPAI has been detected a number of times in the wild, in backyard flocks and in commercial operations in the US, but only one human has contracted it that way to date. There is no absolute protection, but living in fear and depression is definitely not the right answer.

Here is another way to look at it:
-Average deaths per year from bee/hornet/wasp stings in the US: about 70.
-Average deaths per year from HPAI in the US: 0.00 (2 infections in 3 years)

The USDA has some good info on how to recognize the disease and protect your flock.

 

[BDutch]

Make sure you check out how long you have to toss your eggs if you use Aquasol. I can't remember but I know that I read that on here a while back.

Deworming medicines are only recommended to use with serious infestations by the organic farming institute in my country (Louis Bolk). A chicken can handle the common worms as long as she is not sick. Deworming medicines are not good for a chickens health unless you really need to bc of a severe infestation. After deworming the worms always return if they have established themselves in the coop/run/environment.

I have chickens for 10 years now and after an unlucky start with sick chicks, I only had two hens that died of somekind of illness. One got a waterbelly after laying soft shell eggs, and the other died suddenly during the night (possible heart attack or a stroke). I had chicks that got some kind of cold, but they all cured without medicines after several weeks.

Many wild birds like sparrows come into the run and my chickens free range several hours on most days. It makes them happy and healthy. I did have red mites in the coop last year, but I managed to battle them.

All in all, I believe you have to learn to accept that things can go wrong. Chickens just don’t live forever. Giving a good space, fresh air, clean water and healthy food is most important imho. I never went to a vet with my chickens and don’t plan to do so for as long as possible. I also prefer to buy hatchery eggs over chicks to lower the risk of transmitting diseases.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

Deworming medicines are not good for a chickens health unless you really need to bc of a severe infestation.

Agree! Precisely why I wouldn't know about Aqua whatever it or anything else. 20years of chickens and I do not worm them.

 

[CloneFly]

I mean what if you had your flock tested and everybody was good but two months later wild birds bring it in. The more you read about this stuff and things that can be passed through the egg and things that can live in the ground for years or in the birds with no symptoms the more it feels overwhelming. If these things are so contagious and long-lasting and there are wild birds everywhere seems like all birds would have it. Then even if you tested your flock and they were fine could they not pick it up a week later? Seems impossible to know unless birds start dying. And then the Mareks vaccination doesn't do anything but suppress symptoms which seems adverse to keeping spread down...Maybe I just need to stop reading about this stuff lol

It's a very valid fear. And as some pointed out on this thread you can do everything you can to protect them and they'll still get sick. I've only had chickens for 3yrs and have done everything I can to ensure their safety and health (100% predator safe coop, avc in water, oregano, cayenne, basil, etc in the feed, immunity boosters, weekly cleanings, lots of stimulation, attention and love.) And still I've had over 8 birds die, all from a plethora of illnesses/causes and some within a week of each other...

Egg yolk peritonitis, digestive issues, heart attack, cannibalism, swallowed a random BB... and on top of that, it always seems like someone is sick or acting weird. I brought a hen to the vet a few weeks ago because she suddenly couldn't walk and the next day she was fine! Vet said all was well and unless I wanted to spend $300+ on labs, she seemed fit as a horse. Also currently have a bird that will literally starve herself to death uses she's on a steroid... fun fact: chickens dislike needles as much as I do.

Guess the hard lesson is, we can do all we can but it ultimately comes down to the cards handed to us. I'm not saying "fate determines all", but there will always be external factors involved that we have no knowledge of or no way of preventing. What we can do, is care for them in the best way we can, learning all we can, just in case, and not allowing ourselves to be discouraged when the occasional loss does occur... Chicken keeping is very rewarding, but just like anything in life it'll have it's ups and downs. If we always focus on the "what ifs" we'll never be able to enjoy what we have now


Having an mini arsenal of first aid and chicken safe meds on hand does help lower the anxiety factor though

 

[MrsEarthern]

My opinions: specifically about bird flu. Take them for what they are worth. I've included a bunch of links (mostly from the CDC and USDA) to support my points. If they make sense to you, you might get some real value:
------
If you are worried about the sudden rise in government/media hyperventilating about HPAI/H5N1/Highly pathogenic avian flu, the single best answer is to turn off the TV. All of the scaremongering is based on one person who got bird flu... from a cow. His primary symptom... pink eye.

Want to know how you recognize it in your flock? Most of your flock will be dead within 48 hours, often with very visible symptoms pre-death. It doesn't get any easier than that. Want to be sure your eggs are safe? Put them on a rotation and don't eat them until they are several days or a week old. Any laid several days ago and your birds aren't dying cannot have any traces of HPAI in them.

HPAI is a real thing, but the current media scaremongering sounds exactly like 4 years ago. Remember when they said Covid had a 3.4% fatality rate, but it turned out to be well under 1%? Be afraid! You have no control. Be afraid! Be afraid!

So take control. Use appropriate measures to protect yourself and your flock. Even if your birds end up sick, the odds of you getting sick as a result are very low (but not 0%). HPAI has been detected a number of times in the wild, in backyard flocks and in commercial operations in the US, but only one human has contracted it that way to date. There is no absolute protection, but living in fear and depression is definitely not the right answer.

Here is another way to look at it:
-Average deaths per year from bee/hornet/wasp stings in the US: about 70.
-Average deaths per year from HPAI in the US: 0.00 (2 infections in 3 years)

The USDA has some good info on how to recognize the disease and protect your flock.

My primary concern about Avian Flu is not about human transmission, I am concerned about the spread in and effect on wild bird populations and the policy of culling whole flocks based on a single positive result.
It's insane to me that billions, maybe trillions, were spent to figure out "Why pigs stink?" to find A: They don't if you provide them with their natural hygiene routine, access to space and a wallow.
Gotta cull 'em all though, 'cause those tests are worth a whole dollar each.
PSA- Wild bird populations are down by ~70% globally since the 1970's. If you feed the wild birds, keep a bird bath for them, hang hummingbird feeders, suet feeders, and/or birdhouses PLEASE maintain them and clean them periodically with a disinfectant.

 

[scyllarus]

I have quail. My flock likely has Mycoplasma Gallicum as I've had two birds get swollen sinuses and not recover for weeks (required culling). The rest of the flock of 20ish birds? As far as I can tell, healthy and producing endless eggs.

I've been conflicted about what to do as I've had a lot of poor hatches - which, to be fair, I know MG is passed onto the egg but I haven't heard of it impacting hatch rates - and I don't feel comfortable selling diseased eggs or birds (for hatching/breeding - MG doesn't affect edibility). But on the other hand - MG is a disease that is basically carried forever by birds and can only be symptomatically managed. It's known to be spread by wild birds as well, so I feel it would be a waste to cull my whole covey just for them to catch the disease again.

My solution is just to breed for birds that are resistant to the disease. But that's just what I've decided - I'm open to being told why I'm wrong, haha.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

mini arsenal of first aid and chicken safe meds

Like what? I have Corid incase a batch of babies needs it and that's it. I do have Vetricyn and Blu Kote but thats because of a dog hot spot. I'd use it on a chicken if I needed to. I always wonder if disease and worm build up is indicative of not enough space, chickens confined in small runs, no free-range...

 

[CloneFly]

I'd use it on a chicken if I needed to. I always wonder if disease and worm build up is indicative of not enough space, chickens confined in small runs, no free-range...

Surprisingly, I've never had an issue with worms outside a nasty case of cocci a year ago. We keep the girls in a 20ft×8ft run with a 7ft×5ft coop that they never use except to lay lol. They're free ranged several times a week under supervision as we have hawks and coyotes in our area. We also give them lots of veggies and greens from our garden.

Like what? I have Corid incase a batch of babies needs it and that's it. I do have Vetricyn and Blu Kote but thats because of a dog hot spot. I'd use it on a chicken if I needed to.

Corid is very good to keep on hand, and so is Vetrycin and BluKote. I've used the latter on my dogs, quail and duck as well. Sometime last year before the state made impossible to purchase livestock meds without a prescription, we bought Oxytetracycline, Tylan50, amoxicillin, enrofloxacin, B12 and so on... These are used under the direction of a veterinarian when they are needed, and have saved us quite the pretty penny. I also purchased a basic suturing kit on Amazon as well as some packing straps, beatadine, gauze and bandage wraps which, unfortunately, have also come in handy way too many times.

As I said, some of us do all we can and still stuff happens, so having these items on hand are a big source of relief. Do I need all of them? Probably not, but my family is the exact opposite of rich and we love our animals dearly, so we end up having to do a lot of DIY treatments and have even helped others who couldn't reach or afford a vet... it's a good thing we've been in the animal rescue field for over 20yrs! But not everyone has that advantage.

Having Amoxicillin, Corid and B12 on hand is a good idea, and so is having a basic "surgical" kit and wound dressing supplies. Nutri drench, bluekote, blood stop powder/cornstarch, vetrycin and colloidal silver should all be included in any chicken first aid kit, in my opinion. All of these items are fairly inexpensive and could possibly save a lot of heartache or money. If you never need to use them, that's great! But after being played too many unlucky cards, I've learned to live by "better safe than sorry".

 

[akroberts1085]

I don't care about what the government says, they are lying to keep the people scared. No I don't worry about the Avian bird flu, just like I said after 1 week of COVID I am so over it. That was so ignorant of so many people to go out and buy what? Hello they all bought toilet paper and paper towels, so we know they decided that if they died at least their dirty stinky back sides would be clean. Why wouldn't you be more concerned about food than toiletries