{"id":3189,"date":"2020-06-09T11:24:30","date_gmt":"2020-06-09T16:24:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chikchikchicken.com\/?p=3189"},"modified":"2020-06-09T11:24:36","modified_gmt":"2020-06-09T16:24:36","slug":"how-to-recognize-a-sick-chicken","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chikchikchicken.com\/index.php\/2020\/06\/09\/how-to-recognize-a-sick-chicken\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Recognize a Sick Chicken"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/span><\/div>\n
\"how<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, every chicken keeper eventually has to deal with a sick chicken. Chickens get sick. Not very often but they do. Of course, baby chicks are more susceptible to illness with their immature immune system but even adult birds get sick. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to recognize a sick chicken? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The main thing I look for is how they are acting. Are they doing normal chicken things? Scratching, foraging? Or have they isolated themselves from the flock? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Withdrawn from the flock <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes sick birds will be in the general vicinity as the rest of the flock but not really interacting. They don\u2019t want to stand out to a predator so they will stay close to the rest of the flock for protection. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Predators may watch your flock for a few days to look for the weaker, older, or even sick bird. Your bird will try and hide their illness as long as possible so if they are standing off to the side, it\u2019s time to do some further investigating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tail Down<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If a chickens tail is down, it’s usually a sign of just feeling bad or maybe in pain. This can be for a number of reasons. If your hen is egg-laying age, it could be a softshell egg or maybe egg bound. Are they overheated? Mites or lice? Possible injury?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abnormalities with the comb <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A chicken\u2019s comb is a great indicator of how they are doing. Comb color and size can vary depending on the breed. You need to be concerned if it is different than normal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A blue or purplish color comb can indicate heart or circulatory issues. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A pale comb (pink if normally red) could be anemia, caused by mites, lice or worms but maybe coccidiosi<\/a>s. Birds that are overheated or dehydrated will also have a pale comb. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"sick<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Black spots could be the beginning of fowl pox but also could be from pecking or bumping into something. Black on the tips is usually frostbite. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Combs come in all shapes and sizes. I always check to see if it\u2019s flat, shrunken or flopped over. Trudy\u2019s, our Leghorn, is always a little floppy so if it\u2019s flat or shrunken, I start to worry. Just know what is normal for your bird then you\u2019ll know if something looks off. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I feed the chickens or let them out in the morning, these are the first three things I look for. It\u2019s something I do automatically and has become second nature. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What else do I look for in a sick chicken? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n