When you are raising animals, it is always stressful and frightening when they get sick. Here are some common ailments that can strike backyard chickens, and tips for prevention and care.
Not all chicken deaths are caused by disease. Check outour article on chicken lifespansto find out more about how long a chicken lives and the threats they face from predation.
The Importance Of Biosecurity
Biosecurity means preventing diseases and pathogens from entering your chicken flock from the outside.
要保持鸡的健康和快乐，你可以采取的最重要的步骤是在一开始就限制它们接触病原体和寄生虫。预防永远是最好的(也是最便宜的)治疗。
When you buy new chickens, especially full grown birds, always quarantine them away from the rest of your flock for 10-14 days. This not only allows a period of social and territorial adjustment to a new home, but also allows time for disease symptoms to emerge in the new birds before you mix your flock. This is a great practice with any new animals you introduce to your home. The steps to biosecurity are discussed in the video below.
Dangers From Wild Birds
Wild migratory birds也会将病原体引入你的鸡群，但你可以通过在院子里不放喂鸟器或鸟浴来限制它们与鸡的接触。
If you live near a body of water that attracts geese and other migrating fowl, fence your chickens away from the water’s edge. Pathogen exchange usually happens through feces, so keep your chickens away from those areas even when there are no wild birds present.
Dangers From Mammals (Including Humans)
Rodents and their droppingscan also be disease vectors and potential predators. Discourage rodents by only feeding your chickens as much as they will eat in a day so that there is not extra food in their coop on a regular basis. Change their bedding frequently and keep an eye out forrat droppings.
另外要记住的是，你有可能通过自己的衣服和工具传播疾病。当你参观有牲畜的农场，甚至是别人的鸡舍时，穿一双不同的靴子，或计划在与鸡一起工作之前洗你的靴子。和往常一样，接触任何动物后都要洗手，特别是如果你认为其中一个可能生病了。
Internal Parasites: Worms
A common cause of lethargy, weight loss, reduced egg production, and diarrhea in chickens is parasitic worms. This includes bothroundwormsandtapeworms.
Roundworms are spread through contact with infected feces, so cleanliness and separation from wild animals and unfamiliar chickens are the best preventative measures. Tapeworms, on the other hand, are transmitted by host creatures, including slugs and insects.
Danger From Pets
Domestic cats and dogs carry some of the same varieties of worms that live in chickens, and can transmit these parasites to your home. Always monitor your house pets for signs of worms and treat any infestations. If you suspect worms, either in your chickens or household pets, it doesn’t hurt to go ahead and treat them. If you want a definitive diagnosis, seek out any small-animal veterinarian.
Treating Worms
If you suspect worms, quarantine the affected chickens, and thoroughly clean the coop. If possible, rotate your chickens to a new area. Feed your chickensoral dewormers它们每三个星期就会撤退一次，以打破蠕虫的繁殖周期，因为它们可以在鸟的身体内外生活。
Most farm and garden stores carry at least one brand of dewormer suitable for poultry. Ask the staff at the store for advice on what they recommend.
Diatomaceous earth(DE) as a feed additive has beenshown to be moderately effectivein controlling internal parasites, especially as a preventative measure. Some people try to use garlic and onion as dewormers, but there is evidence that alliums have no effect in worm control.
如果你的羊群处于危险中——如果你的地区有大量的候鸟或野猫和野狗——葱属植物是值得尝试的预防措施。However, keep in mind that feeding chickens alliums can make their eggs taste “garlicy.”
External Parasites—Lice and Mites
Like many animals, chickens can play host to parasites that live on their skin and in their feathers, such aspoultry lice and various mites. External parasites can cause lesions and scabbing, lethargy, and reduced egg production.
Catching parasite infestations early is essential since they grow and develop quickly. Once a population of parasites is well established, they are much harder to eradicate.
Treating Parasites
Before any treatment begins, make sure to quarantine affected chickens away from the rest of the flock. A number ofpesticide productsare designed to treat parasitic infestations, both on the chicken’s body and in their coop, including organically-certified pesticides likepyrethrum.
If you want to avoid chemicals of all kind, trying using DE to treat parasites. The downside of DE is that it needs to be applied both heavily and repeatedly, externally. Always wear respiratory protection when applying pesticides of any kind, including DE.
Of course, thoroughly cleaning their coop is necessary, and if possible, rotating them to a new part of your yard is best. Chickens will need to be treated regularly for several weeks as eggs continue to hatch on their bodies.
Infectious Diseases
传染性疾病是由病毒或细菌引起的，这些病毒或细菌可以通过环境、其他鸡、候鸟、昆虫、寄生虫或啮齿动物传播给你的鸡。鸡的疾病主要分为呼吸、消化和生殖三大类。
Signs of respiratory illness may include sneezing, wheezing, heavy breathing, and frothing or foaming at the eyes and beak. Respiratory illnesses have bothviral and bacterial causes. One owner has captured their chicken with sinusitis in the video below.
Viral diseases cannot be cured, they are only managed with quarantine, clean surroundings, plenty of water, and dry, warm shelter. Chickens are particularly susceptible to respiratory diseases in the winter, so be sure your chicken coop is not drafty or damp, and give your chickens a heat lamp for the cold months.
Digestive Problems
Chickens can contract digestive complications, not all of which are contagious. The most common problem is diarrhea, which can cause fatal dehydration, especially in young chicks. Like respiratory illnesses,diarrhea can be caused by both viruses and bacteria, and not all the causes are treatable.
这是很重要的支持你的鸡肉的电解质在腹泻发作。你可以在任何农场和花园商店的柜台上购买家禽电解质，商店老板会建议你使用。家禽益生菌也可用于治疗细菌性腹泻。
Other digestive problems include:
- Oral sores. These are treatable by a vet.
- 酸作物，一种酵母感染的作物。治疗与处方抗真菌药物和益生菌。
- Impacted, or blocked crop. Caused by a muscle paralysis or ingesting a foreign object which blocks the crop.
Using Antibiotics
Antibiotics are not effective against viral illness, but viruses can weaken a chicken’s immune system and make them vulnerable to secondary bacterial infections.E. coli is a common culpritof these infections, and it can quickly cause fatal blood poisoning.
Secondary infections and septicemia are treatable with antibiotics. Talk to a veterinarian to be sure you are treating your birds the best way possible. Below is a video on how to give your chicken antibiotics from The HenCam.
Diagnosing Unknown Killers
Typically by the time you know something is seriously wrong, chances are a chicken will already be dead or too sick to treat. It can be hard, even impossible, to know for sure what pathogen killed your bird, especially if you haven’t seen clear symptoms developing. If you don’t know what kind of illness your chicken has or how to treat it, you can try to find a place that will perform a necropsy, or a post-mortem diagnosis, on the animal.
Manyuniversity extensionsoffer this service affordably and if they do not, they will likely know where to refer you. A necropsy can tell you what your chicken died of, giving you the knowledge needed to treat or vaccinate the other birds in your flock to prevent more losses.
Even if one chicken succumbs to an illness, it doesn’t necessarily mean that your whole flock will die of an epidemic. Chickens can die ofheatstroke、脱水、寒冷、衰老、器官衰竭和其他非传染性健康问题，更不用说捕食了。
一只鸟死后，你要密切关注你的鸟群，给它们淡水和被褥。如果在短时间内有一只以上的母鸡死亡，这些死亡更有可能是由疾病引起的。
Clean Coop, Healthy Chickens
不要太担心疾病会破坏你后院的鸡群。基本护理可使禽鸟保持健康并将患病风险降到最低。Every coop andchicken tractorare designed differently, so keeping a hygienic environment for your birds may not look the same as your neighbor’s cleaning routine.
清洁总是很重要的，但当你有一只生病的鸡时，清洁就更加重要了。在隔离有症状的鸡后，暂时把鸡转移到其他地方清洁鸡舍。
请记住，巢箱和窝下积聚粪便的速度最快。铲掉鸡舍和盒子里的稻草或锯末，用肥皂水擦洗或冲洗表面。
If you are worried about pathogens, you can sterilize with vinegar or bleach. Allow the coop to air dry before adding clean bedding. Check out this video for cleaning your coop as an urban farmer.
Rotating Chicken Habitats
如果你有可移动的鸡笼或鸡舍，保持鸡健康的最佳做法之一是让它们轮换到新鲜的地面上。这使它们远离了自身堆积的粪便，这有助于降低它们体内寄生虫的风险，并为它们提供新的觅食之地。
Having access to more lush and diverse foraging ground increases chickens’ nutrient intake and boosts their immune systems. And of course, sunlight and fresh air are some of the best health supports available. However, even with the best care and biosecurity, there are some common contagious health problems that can trouble chickens. If you have a mobile chicken house or chicken tractor, clean the structure before moving it onto new ground, to minimize the transfer of disease.
Focus On The Basics
Make sure your birds have clean water and bedding, lots of fresh air, shelter from the rain and cold, and shade in the heat. And of course, to keep yourself and your animals healthy, always wash your hands after handling chickens. Even healthy birds can transmitdiseases like salmonella, especially to children. Ninety percent of the time, keeping yourself and your pets healthy is just a matter of preventative care and good biosecurity.
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