Hello from me and Pachita! This is the last of our three-part series on keeping chickens happy: health care. Chickens mostly look after themselves, but keeping them means watching over them.
A health check with Kin-chan
Healthy feathers are glossy and neat. Chickens molt (shed and regrow feathers), often in fall. When Kin-chan first molted here, so many feathers fell out that I wondered if this chicken was dying! For a heavy molt, high-protein food helps. Tiny rice-like dots under the wings are little bugs; a few are fine, since dust baths keep them down, as Marshmallow demonstrates.
Feet matter most: scales should lie flat, with no odd lumps. Nails and beaks usually wear down naturally, but low-ranking birds who rarely come down to the ground, like this nameless little one, may need them clipped — never into the blood vessels. Big, short-necked hens like Echiseana can’t reach to clean their bottoms, where flies can lay eggs, so I trim the feathers there.
Parasite patrol, heat and cold
Basil the duck was weak at a pet shop and I wanted to help, but I’d also planned to keep ducks all along: their jagged-edged beaks pick parasites off chickens, and many parasites dislike the smell of duck feather oil. Deworming medicine means a waiting period before you can eat the eggs, so I make my own wormwood capsules — Cho kindly demonstrates.
If you’re hot, they’re hot: give shade and airflow. Overheated chickens pant and hold their wings away from their bodies; Pen-chan and the others get a little crushed ice. Cold is easier — Luna, an Australorp, is built for snow — but wet feathers and frostbitten combs are dangerous. I’d skip heat lamps (fire risk) and chicken clothes.
Illness and first aid
Watch for colds, parasites, crop infections, bumblefoot, poisoning — and mold, which can damage nerves much later. Find a vet before you need one. Chickens hide illness, so learn their normal: sitting puffed up with eyes closed, eating less, or a bad smell means trouble. First aid: rest somewhere warm, offer food and water by hand, and stay close and reassure them — many of ours pulled through that way. For bleeding, press hard (Shiratama helped me show how); styptic powder or flour helps.
Frankie’s comb died after a terrible fight back when he lived wild. We kept feeding him, and one day the dead part fell off. Now Frankie has a funky head! Fight wounds between chickens usually stop bleeding and heal on their own.
Chickens are fairly sturdy: give them a good home and food, look at them daily, and you’ll be fine. Thank you for following all three parts!