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What's Wrong with my Chickens?

So something is going around your flock and you don't know what it is or what to do?  Assess your flock by asking doing this health inventory and get your flock back to their perky selves.  

  • Lethargic - Do your birds seem to huddle, hang out on the roosting bar all day or just lack energy?
  • Ruffled Feathers - Do their feathers look rumpled and rough, like they just rolled out of bed and forgot to comb their hair?  Do they look especially dull when they are usually shiny?
  • Respiratory - Are they sneezing, have a swollen face, rattled breathing, nasal discharge or bubbly eyes?
  • Limping/Lameness -Are they having trouble walking or do they have an awkward limp?  
  • Pale Comb/Face - Is their face and comb a pale pink instead of a nice, bright red? 
  • Weight Loss - Are your birds looking smaller than usual, lacking their usual plumpness?
  • Drop in Egg Production - Did your egg production drop unexpectedly? 
  • Lesions/Sores - Do you see any sores or scabs on their unfeathered parts or in their mouth? 
  • Diarrhea - Are your birds' stools loose instead of firm with a nice, white cap or are they an unusual color?
  • Decreased Appetite - Do they seem uninterested in food when it is offered, even if you throw out some scratch?
  • Swollen Face/Eyes - Does it seem like the area around their eyes and face are puffy or even warm to the touch?
  • Discoloration - Is their head discolored in any way, not just pale but with a bluish or darkened look?

    • So what could it be?

    Sudden Drop in Egg Production:

  • Mites 
  • Dry Pox 
  • Lice 
  • Infectious Laryngotracheitis 
  • Coryza
  • Coccidiosis
  • Chronic Respiratory Disease
  • Worms
  • Infectious Bronchitis
  • Molting
  • Avian Flu (low path)

    • Pale Comb:

    •  Mites 
    • Worms
    • Marek's Disease
    • Coccidiosis

    Weight Loss:

    • Mites 
    • Chronic Respiratory Disease
    • Marek's Disease
    • Coccidiosis
    • Worms
    • Fowl Cholera
    • Ulcerataive Enteritis

    Decreased Appetite:

    • Worms
    • Chronic Respiratory Disease
    • Coccidiosis
    • Fowl Cholera

    Ruffled Feathers

    • Lice
    • Coccidiosis
    • Chronic Respiratory Disease
    • Fowl Cholora 
    • Botulism
    • Avian Flu (low path)

    Lethargic or Sluggish:

    • Mites 
    • Worms
    • Dry Pox 
    • Coccidiosis
    • Avian Influenza
    • Marek's Disease
    • Botulism
    • Ulcerative Enteritis

    Loose Stools/Diarrhea:

    • Worms
    • Coryza
    • Avian Influenza
    • Botulism
    • Marek's Disease
    • Ulcerative Enteritis

    Lameness/Paralysis:

    • Botulism
    • Bumblefoot
    • Coccidiosis
    • Fowl Cholera
    • Marek's Disease
    • Osteopetrosis

    Lesions or Bumps on the Skin or in the Mouth:

    • Wet Pox
    • Dry Pox 

    Rattled Breathing:

    • Marek's Disease
    • Wet Pox
    • Chronic Respiratory Disease
    • Infectious Bronchitis

    Nasal Discharge/Bubbly Eyes:

    • Coryza
    • Chronic Respiratory Disease
    • Infectious Laryngotracheitis 
    • Infectious Bronchitis

    General Respiratory Distress:

    • Fowl Cholera
    • Fowl Pox - (Wet and Dry)
    • Infectious Coryza
    • Infectious Laryngotracheitis
    • Mycoplasma Gallicepticum/Chronic Respiratory Disease
    • Infectious Bronchitis
    • Infectious Coryza
    • Avian Influenza

    Swollen Face or Eyes:

    • Coryza
    • Laryngotracheitis
    • Wet Pox
    • Infectious Bronchitis
    • Avian Influenza (high path)

    Sneezing:

    • Wet Pox
    • Coryza
    • LT
    • Chronic Respiratory Disease
    • Infectious Bronchitis

    Coughing:

    • Infectious Laryngotracheitis 
    • Chronic Respiratory Disease
    • Infectious Bronchitis

    Discolored Face:

    • Avian Influenza (high path)
    • Fowl Cholera
    • Chronic Respiratory Disease

    Want to Learn more about these problems?  

    There are many great poultry health resources available online.  Check them out for more in-depth reading on the various poultry ailments & their treatments or schedule a consultation (see information below, please don't contact us, we are not the experts!):

    • Ask the Chicken Doctor - Peter Brown has been consulting with backyard & exhibition poultry owners for many years and is a wealth of information & can provide a treatment regimen & the necessary medication as well.  Schedule a consultation & get some answers!
    • The Poultry Site - Comprehensive listing of poultry diseases & includes many pictures to help with diagnosis 
    • Merck Manual Veterinary Manual - The ultimate manual for all the technical information on poultry diseases, used by avian vets but available for free online for us novices as well
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