Chicken Diseases (Health Chicken Sign)

For chicken farm must be careful to chicken diseases, because chicken diseases is very often make the farmer become bankrupt. Chicken diseases are very easy to sent to other chicken, for this reason if there is an indication of sick better to relocated to other place and long distance to health chicken. Sometimes chicken dead not because of certain chicken diseases, dehydration because of sun light too hot also often make chicken die. 

Please make sure that your local vet will see chickens before there is a problem as many don't, especially in cities. If you can, look for a vet that specializes in birds as chickens share a lot of the same chicken diseases with other birds. We have to travel for over an hour just to see a chicken-friendly vet.If you can diagnose a chicken, or at least narrow down what you think it may be then this will often help your vet enormously, as many are not experienced in such things. A copy of 'The Chicken Health Handbook' by Gail Damerow is invaluable, as it has a wonderful diagnostics section, detailing diseases by what it affects, then age and precise symptoms. There is a list of poultry friendly vets in every issue of Practical Poultry, a UK magazine. However, there is only a very small number there so if you are not near one I suggest you look in your local yellow pages / phone book.

Signs of Chicken is Health

Signs of Health Physical

• Comb - correct size and colour, look for changes
• Eyes - bright and clear
• Gait - alert and upright
• Feathers - Smooth, shiny and in place
• Tail - carried correctly
• Legs - clean
• No fleas or lice
• Breathing - good, not rattling, no discharge
• Droppings - firm and dark with white tip
• Bodyweight - correct for age and breed. Weight loss is always a cause for concern.
• Smell - smells warm and pleasant (sniff nostrils and vent)
• Behavior
• Noises - calm, contented, not silent
• Feeding and drinking normally
• Laying if hen and of a suitable age
• Putting on weight if still growing (up to around 18 weeks of age, although some breeds, like the Jersey Giant, can take up to 6 months)
• Moving around
• Preening
• Perching
• Dust bathing or sunbathing
• Sparring or mock fighting - in young birds
• Chickens have a normal body temperature of 103 degrees Fahrenheit (39.4 degrees Celsius). This high body temperature means that a chicken can cope with most bacteria, which is important given that they are scavenger feeders. However, this should not be an excuse for poor hygiene or coop cleaning.

Disease Prevention

There are a few major things that you can do to reduce chicken disease:

1. Make sure your chickens get a balanced diet, taking into account their age.
2. Keep your coop fairly clean.
3. Make sure food is kept clean and dry and not used after the use-by date (generally 2-3 months after purchase for mash and pellets).
4. Make sure water is clean. Prevent feces from falling in by putting it at back height, and don't let anything else get in either. For example, rotting organic matter in the water causes botulism, which can kill.