You’ve set up the coop, chosen your breeds, and your chooks are happily scratching away. But here’s the reality check: chickens get sick. And when one bird goes down, the whole flock can quickly follow. The good news? With sharp eyes and good husbandry, most problems can be avoided—or spotted before they spiral.

Let’s get into the nitty-gritty of what you should actually look out for, how disease spreads, and how to keep your flock thriving without pumping them full of chemicals.

Early Warning Signs: What’s Normal vs What’s Trouble

Healthy chickens are busy little workers—scratching, pecking, dust-bathing, and gossiping with each other. Here’s when to worry:

• Normal: Occasional sneezes (dusty bedding), moulting, a broody hen sitting tight on a nest.
• Trouble:
• Drooping wings or tails
• Lethargy (sitting fluffed up in a corner)
• Loss of appetite
• Pale combs or wattles (a big red flag for anaemia, parasites, or general poor health)
• Laboured breathing or wheezing
• Runny eyes, nasal discharge, or swollen face
• Diarrhoea (persistent, not a one-off odd dropping)
• Sudden drop in egg production

👉 Bottom line: If a chicken looks “off” compared to the rest of the flock, investigate.

Common Problems in Backyard Flocks

🕷️ Mites & Lice

• Signs: Reluctance to roost, pale combs, decreased egg production, feather loss.
• Natural care: Fresh bedding, dust-bathing areas (wood ash + diatomaceous earth), scrub perches.

🪱 Worms

• Signs: Thin birds despite good appetite, dirty vents, “spaghetti” in droppings.
• Natural care: Rotate pasture, clean up droppings, add garlic, pumpkin seeds, and oregano to feed.

😮💨 Respiratory Issues

• Signs: Wheezing, coughing, bubbly eyes, nasal discharge.
• Natural care: Improve ventilation, dry bedding, thyme/oregano in diet.

🦠 Marek’s Disease

• Signs: Lameness, twisted necks, weight loss, tumours.
• Note: Hatchery vaccines don’t prevent infection, only mask symptoms (and may shorten lifespan). Prevention = good hygiene + strong natural immunity.

🐓 Coccidiosis

• Signs: Bloody droppings, hunched posture, lethargy, sudden chick deaths.
• Natural care: Keep brooders clean/dry, avoid overcrowding, add ACV (5–10 mL per litre of water).

🐔 Fowl Pox

• Signs: Wart-like scabs on combs, wattles, or around eyes/beak.
• Natural care: Supportive only—boost immunity with garlic/oregano, reduce stress, limit mosquitoes.

How Disease Spreads: Stress, Overcrowding & Dirty Coops

Here’s the ugly truth: most backyard chicken illnesses aren’t “bad luck.” They’re preventable.

• Overcrowding = stress, fighting, feather pecking, and faster spread of disease.
• Dirty coops = breeding grounds for worms, mites, bacteria, and viruses.
• Poor diet = weak immunity, poor laying, higher parasite load.

👉 Chickens are tough—but not invincible. A little neglect quickly turns into a big flock problem.

Food: The Foundation of Health

We’ll dive deep into feed in a dedicated blog, but it needs a mention here—because diet underpins everything.

• Good basics: Grain mixes, pellets (read labels for hidden nasties), fresh greens, and garden scraps.
• Safe kitchen scraps: Veggie offcuts, fruits (not citrus in excess), whole grains.
• Avoid: Onions, garlic skins, chocolate, avocado, mouldy food, salty/processed leftovers, and anything with additives.
• Prepared foods: Always check ingredients—many contain preservatives or chemicals your birds don’t need.

👉 A bird on scraps alone is a bird headed for health problems. Balanced nutrition matters.

Biosecurity Basics: Protecting Your Flock

• Quarantine new birds for at least two weeks.
• Wash hands and boots before/after handling.
• Don’t share equipment between flocks without disinfecting.
• Keep visitor traffic in chicken runs minimal.

It sounds over-the-top, but one sick bird can wipe out your whole flock.

Natural Management: Building Resilience

• Clean environment: Fresh bedding, dry floors, no damp corners.
• Apple cider vinegar (ACV): 5–10 mL per litre of drinking water, a few days per week, supports gut health and immunity.
• Herbal dust baths: Wood ash, sand, dried herbs like lavender, mint, and wormwood.
• Stress-free living: Room to roam, roost, dust-bathe, and act like chickens.

📝 Quick-Check Health Chart

Sign	Possible Cause	Natural Response
Pale combs/wattles	Anaemia, parasites, poor diet	Check for mites/lice, boost diet with greens, garlic, oregano
Fluffed up, lethargic	Worms, coccidiosis, respiratory issue	Inspect droppings, add ACV to water, ensure ventilation
Sudden drop in eggs	Stress, overcrowding, parasites	Reduce stress, check coop space, parasite check
Wheezing/coughing	Damp coop, poor ventilation	Clean/dry bedding, add herbs like thyme/oregano to diet
Dirty vent	Worms or diarrhoea	Rotate pasture, boost gut health, add garlic/ACV
Bald patches/pecking	Mites, lice, overcrowding	Dust bath with ash/herbs, check stocking density

Final Thoughts: Prevention Beats Cure

Chickens don’t come with a vet-on-call, and most backyard owners won’t fork out for one anyway. Your real power lies in prevention—clean, spacious housing, natural support, and paying attention to early signs before they spiral.

And remember: vaccines, feeds, and chemical “fixes” may look like an easy answer, but they’re not the same as true health. Strong natural immunity, solid husbandry, and a watchful keeper? That’s the real secret to a thriving flock.

✨ Majella’s no-fluff verdict: Most chicken deaths in backyards are preventable. Overcrowd them, slack off on hygiene, or ignore the warning signs—and you’ll pay for it. Care properly, and your flock will reward you with years of eggs, antics, and endless entertainment.

 

#ChickenHealth, #BackyardChickens, #NaturalChickenCare, #HappyHens, #ChickenKeeping, #HealthyFlock, #HomesteadLife, #OrganicLiving, #ChickenCoop, #PoultryCare

 

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Backyard Chickens Caring for Chickens Chicken Care chicken diseases Chicken Keeping Chickens as Pets healthy chickens Homestead Life Poultry care

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