Keeping Healthy Chickens Healthy

Keeping your Chickens Healthy

There are quite a few different reasons to keep Chickens - whatever yours are, no doubt you want to keep

your pet Chickens healthy!

If you want to maintain Chickens health, you have come to the right place. If you want to improve your Chickens health, not only have you come to the right place, but you can take comfort in the fact that making small changes in the way Chickens are cared for can have a significant impact on their health and longevity.

Providing the Correct Feed
Here at Crawfords Feed, our experience, advice and knowledge is respected. We know and love Chickens.

If you are considering keeping Chickens, did you know that Chickens at different stages of development require different feed formulations.

We will release another online article for you on the topic of feeding, the different stages of a Chickens life and what they will require.

Access to Clean Water
This may sound like common sense, however, there are quite a few 'backyard Chickens' drinking from
waterers harboring fecal matter and bacteria that could make your pet Chickens sick. The solution is quite simple - Poultry Nipple Waterers. When you compare the disease reduction with this option to others, the results here quite simply speak for themselves - trust us, we care about Chickens and we recommend this.

Vinegar in Water?

Adding apple cider vinegar with the mother to the drinking water of chickens can improve their gut health! How? Well, it changes the PH of the water, making it inhospitable to many organisms.

Acidifying water alters the guts bacteria, slowing down the growth of nasty bacteria and giving a boost to good bacteria! Acid can also help control Coccidiosis and Clostridium bacteria, which can cause a fatal disease called Enteritis.

Limit Treats

All the daily nutrition a chicken requires is in its commercial layer feed. Too many snacks, treats and table scraps interferes with their balanced diet, to a degree - depends on the treat and the amount supplied. Limiting these snacks and treats ensures that the flock members are getting everything they need and it helps prevents obesity, feather picking, eggbinding and reduced egg production.

Keep it Clean

Cleaner coop is a healthier coop - but you knew that didn't you?
Chickens have sensitive respiratory systems which can be easily irritated by mold and ammonia from droppings. Clean coops are also less likely to house mites and poultry lice.

Keep it dry

A wet environment, regardless of cause, provides a breeding ground for Coccidia and other organisms to flourish. Coccidiosis is an internal disease that can rapidly kill your Chickens if it goes undetected and untreated.

You need to ensure the driest environment possible. - We will discuss this in another article.

Many diseases and illnesses are easily kept at bay by keeping dry living conditions.

Observe droppings

You do not need to observe these droppings as they are happening, however, an early indicator of Chicken health, can be found by observing their droppings. We will look at which droppings are normal and abnormal in another article.

Keeping a well stocked first aid kit handy to treat some of the more common illnesses and diseases early is highly recommended by us at Crawfords Feed, if you are keeping Chickens.

Break up broody hens

This typically describes a hen that will sit on a number of eggs until they hatch - whether they are fertile or not; she will stand (sit) her ground.

In the 21 day window required for the eggs to hatch, she actually will neglect her own health for the sake of her clutch. Her comb will lose colour, feathers will loosen, and you notice a weight drop. Needless to say, this is not healthy for your pet Chicken - it is so serious she can actually die without intervention.

No Supplement Light

Adolescent Chickens should not be exposed to supplemental lighting as it can cause them to reach sexual maturity too soon, resulting in egg laying before their bodies are equipped to cope with this. Consequences include Egg-binding and prolapsed Uterus.

Dust bathing areas

A Chickens equivalent to a daily dirt shower! It helps maintain their skin and feathers and keep parasites under control. This can be as simple as a dry patch of dirt in the backyard or a shallow bucket filled with sand.

So there you have it - Crawford's Feed and our advice for your Healthy Pet Chickens or as some would say advice on keeping Chickens.

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