Is there such a thing as a 'well-chicken' exam?

[coltssuperbowl83]

You know, just a check up that looks for anything out of the ordinary? Blood tests and such? I called my vet and they said if one dies I can take it to the university to see what it died from. I feel like there should be something to do before it gets to that point.

I am asking because a few years ago we lost a bunch of chickens to a mystery disease. My husband now thinks that any chicken we get will end up with the same illness. None of my chickens have any signs of illness. They are currently living in the same barn the othr chickens were in though.

 

[sunflour]

Your Vet is correct. Even well check ups for cats and dogs do not include blood testing, just poop exams for parasites and immunizations.
And there is no one test for all illnesses for any species.

Sorry about your past losses, and hope this flock fares well.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

If you still have birds from that flock with mystery disease there is a chance they are carriers of it. Chickens don't get colds so to speak. Unfortunately illnesses that effect them are typically contagious. The other thing to note with chickens in particular is they are stead fast on showing the best front. By the time they are lethargic or obvious symptoms show they're full blown into it. Visual inspection for loss of comb color and listless eyes is your best bet for seeing there may soon be a problem.