Causes of Common Problems of Hens
Some of the problems that backyard chicken flock keepers most frequently see in their hens are respiratory illness, feather loss, and strange eggs. The following contains some common causes for some chicken ailments. Other things could be responsible for the signs you’re seeing, but they’re less likely to be the culprits than the causes listed in the table. A veterinary diagnostic laboratory or a veterinarian who’s willing to see chickens can help you sort it out.
| Problem |
Signs |
Common Cause |
Possible Actions |
| Respiratory illness |
Sneezing, coughing, gasping, swollen face |
Mycoplasmosis (MG), infectious coryza, infectious
bronchitis |
Isolate sick birds from the rest of the flock |
| Feather loss |
All over |
Normal molt or louse infestation |
Examine feather shafts for lice |
|
|
Head, neck, and shoulders |
Feather pecking from flock mates, poking head through wire
fence |
Observe flock for signs of feather pecking behavior |
|
|
Hen’s back |
Attention from the rooster |
Provide hens with protective cloth saddles |
|
|
Vent area |
Feather pecking from flock mates |
Provide toys and veggie scraps to keep the flock busy |
| Strange eggs |
Thin shells |
Old hen, hot weather, or lack of calcium in diet |
Keep hens cool, provide oyster shell for the hens to eat |
|
|
Soft or no shells |
A scare or a stressful event, or an infection of the
oviduct |
Handle hens quietly and gently. Make their living quarters safe
from predators. |
|
|
Blood-stained shells |
Young hen, underweight hen, or vent pecking by flock mates |
Feed good quality layer diet. Place nest boxes no more than 18
inches off the ground. |
|
|
Weird-shaped shells: ridges, chalky coating, lumps, and so
on |
Stress, rough handling, too few nest boxes, or oviduct
infection |
Provide more nest boxes. Handle hens quietly and gently. |
Raising Chickens Glossary
broiler; broiler bird
Any chicken of a breed known or developed for meat; usually with deeper, larger breasts, a larger frame, and fast growth.
Raising Chickens Glossary
brooder
An enclosed area for chicks in the first few weeks of life; provides warmth and safety in the absence of a mother hen.
Raising Chickens Glossary
chiggers
A common external parasite of chickens (and humans) that feed on blood while injecting an irritant into the skin.
Raising Chickens Glossary
Coccidia
An internal parasite of chickens that lines the digestive tract and may cause serious problems.
Raising Chickens Glossary
coccidiosis
An infection by Coccidia.
Raising Chickens Glossary
coccidiostats
A medicine that controls the disease coccidiosis; often added to commercial chicken feed.
Raising Chickens Glossary
cockerel
A young male chicken.
Raising Chickens Glossary
County Extension agent
A county employee, sometimes called an educator, who is associated with a land-grant university in the same state and whose job is to take research-based knowledge and bring it to the general public.
Raising Chickens Glossary
crumbles
Medium-sized pieces of feed, actually broken-up pellets.
Raising Chickens Glossary
egg binding
The condition that occurs when a hen has an egg that she can’t pass from the oviduct for some reason.
Raising Chickens Glossary
fowl tick
An external parasite of chickens, common in the U.S. South, that feed on the chicken’s blood but do not stay attached.
Raising Chickens Glossary
gapeworm
A common internal parasite of free-range or pastured chickens, usually found in the trachea; may cause serious breathing problems.
Raising Chickens Glossary
grit
1. Small rocks or gravel; aids digestion for chickens. 2. Chicken feed supplement, made of crushed limestone and granite, available for purchase in feed stores for chickens requiring extra grit.
Raising Chickens Glossary
hybrid
A cross between two chicken breeds, usually created to take advantage of specific qualities such as increased breast meat.
Raising Chickens Glossary
layer; laying hen
Any chicken of a breed known or developed for laying eggs; will not sit on their own eggs.
Raising Chickens Glossary
lice
A common external parasite of chickens that feeds on feathers or shedding skin cells.
Raising Chickens Glossary
Raising Chickens Glossary
mite
A common external parasite of chickens that burrows into the chicken’s skin and feeds on chicken blood.
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oocysts
Immature Coccidia that are passed in fecal matter. Coccidia is an internal parasite of chickens that lines the digestive tract.
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parasite
Things that feed on a chicken’s blood, other body secretions, or its feathers; may be internal or external.
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pellets
Long, narrow, cylinder-shaped pieces of compressed feed.
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pullet
A young female chicken who has not started laying eggs.
Raising Chickens Glossary
roost
1. (noun) Any above-floor structure provided for a bird to perch on. 2. (verb) The act of perching on such a structure.
Raising Chickens Glossary
roundworm
A common internal parasite of chickens, usually found in the intestines but occasionally in the oviduct or even an egg
Raising Chickens Glossary
shelter-and-run unit
A form of chicken housing that combines an indoor, protected area with an outside enclosure.
Raising Chickens Glossary
Raising Chickens Glossary
tapeworm
A common internal parasite of chickens, usually found in the intestines and usually considered harmless.
Raising Chickens Glossary
vent; vent area
The common opening for feces in chickens.
Raising Chickens Glossary
vet wrap
A bandage, often used with animals, that sticks to itself.
Raising Chickens Glossary
zoning variance
A formal agreement with the governing body of an area to allow one individual or entity to deviate from the restrictions of a zoning area.
Raising Chickens Glossary
zoning; zoning area
1. (noun) An area or district with specific restrictions or rules about the types of buildings and activities that can take place there. 2. (adjective) Of or about the restrictions required due to the zoning area.
