How Can I Tell If My Chicken Has Worms?

Chickens love to eat worms (the ones that live in the ground) but unfortunately, we are not talking about those type of worms in this section. Like all other animals chickens can suffer from parasitic worms and will need regular worming to prevent them becoming infected. It is much easier to prevent worms or have a little or no worm burden than have to treat a flock with a serious worm burden.

The Life Cycle of Worms
The life cycle of worms means that getting rid of these pesky beasties can be particularly hard. Your chickens can directly or indirectly ingest worm eggs. Direct ingestion means they will eat the worm egg. Indirect ingestion means they will eat a worm or another bug that is the host of the worm egg. The worms will then happily live inside your chicken reproducing and laying eggs which will be passed out in your chickens droppings and the cycle begins again. If your chickens are infected it is much easier to get rid of the worms if you move your chickens to a new grazing area regularly. This is so your chickens won’t be continually ingesting the worm eggs which are in your chickens droppings.

Symptoms
It can be hard to tell if your chickens have worms which is why prevention and regular worming is important. Chicks and younger birds are more susceptible to worms than mature birds. A chicken with worms will go off lay, may have diarrhoea, will eat more, and in severe cases will lose weight. A serious infection can be fatal. Chickens with Gapeworm will stretch their neck gasping for air.

Prevention
As with all animals, good animal husbandry will mean less risk of your birds getting worms. This includes regular cleaning out (disinfecting) of coops, replacing a layer of soil every so often if your birds are penned within a run, and rotating free-range areas so birds aren’t foraging in the same place all the time. Making sure enclosed poultry runs are well drained and using fresh bark/mulch/needles in muddy areas may help as its acidic nature discourages parasite and bacterial growth (plus offers the chickens a drier environment to scratch around in!) Keeping the grass short will also help as the sun's UV rays will damage and kill the eggs. Garlic grated up and added to water or feed can act as a natural preventative. Research shows that it appears to have some success at helping to prevent a worm build-up but will not cure an infestation. Here at Appletons we recommend Diamol as a preventative it is an organic worming treatment that can be sprinkled on your chickens feed each week. Apple cider vinegar is said to be an excellent way to clean out bacteria (good and bad) in the gut of poultry, but scientifically, that’s all we can confirm. There are many claims about its power as a natural drench, but nothing is proven. Use it sparingly as regular use of it can lead to other health issues.

Treatment
The options available to treat worms effectively are a  Pour-on drench,  Aviverm  or Flubenol. If you are treating because you know or have seen worms then a follow up treatment will be required. You will need to treat within the “prepatent period” of the worm you are treating for. Different types worms have different life cycles. Many of the treatments have egg withholding periods so best read the instructions on the label carefully. If you are worming as part of a prevention routine, most poultry keepers worm at least every 3-6 months, between 2 to 4 times a year.  If you suspect your chickens have Gapeworm, then you will need to use treatment such as Aviverm or Flubenol. Treat all birds not just the sick one. Click on our worming blog below for lots more info in worming chickens.

Do My Chickens Have Red Mite?

Red mite (dermanyssus gallinae) can be a tricky problem to deal with when keeping chickens. Red mites are small parasitic mites that live in your chicken coop in the daytime and feed off the blood of your chickens at night. All types of chicken coops can get red mite however wooden coops tend to suffer from infestations the most.

Red Mite Treatment
Unfortunately red mite are very persistent and it may take a while to rid your chicken coop of them but with management over time it is possible. If you follow the below steps you should be able to reduce the numbers relatively quickly. The initial clean out will take a few hours for wooden coops. With a plastic coop it will take less time.

De-Mite Powder

• Natural silica powder
• Best for residual control or use as a preventive
• Apply with gloved hand or powder applicator
• Apply to perches, nest boxes, nooks cracks and crannies in hen house
• Use dry
• No withholding period
• Repeat applications necessary

Poultry SAFEguard

• Liquid Concentrate
• powerful disinfectant, killing bacteria, viruses and odour in coops.
• dissolves mites on contact
• Mix with water in a pressure sprayer and apply to all surfaces in hen house
• Use together with Appletons De-Mite powder for best results
• No withholding period
• Repeat applications required

Smite Proffessional

• Liquid concentrate
• Cleaning and disinfecting your hen house of red mite
• Mix with water in a pressure sprayer and apply to all surfaces in hen house
• Use together with Appletons De-Mite powder for best results
• No withholding period
• Repeat applications required

Poultry Shield

• Multi-Purpose Cleaner, Sanitiser and Odour Neutraliser
• Liquid concentrate
• Mix with water in a pressure sprayer and apply to all surfaces in hen house
• Use together with Appletons De-Mite powder for best results
• No egg withholding period
• Repeat applications required
• Spray and  Leave to soak for one hour and wash/brush clean if necessary.

Nettex Total Mite Kill

• Ready To Use Solution
• Highly effective insecticide and disinfectant cleaner for chicken housing.
• Contains Permethrin
• No egg withholding period
• Leave to dry fully (at least two hours) before returning birds to housing.
• In times of infestation, apply initially, repeat 3 days later and then use weekly as part of your regular cleaning routine.

Do My Chickens Have Scaly Leg Mite?

Scaly legs on chickens are caused by a parasitic mite (Knemidocoptes mutans) that burrow under the scales on the chicken's legs. Usually found in older birds and where birds are infested with red mite. The damaged tissue weeps, which is what these mites feed on.

Do My Chickens Have Lice?

Lice are a fairly common parasite that chickens can suffer from and are passed on by contact with affected birds and wild birds. The most common type of lice that chickens suffer from is Menopon gallinae. Lice will live on the chicken's skin underneath the feathers. The entire life cycle happens on the chicken, so it is much easier to treat lice compared to worms. In small numbers lice don’t cause much irritation to your chickens and your chickens will try to manage their lice by having dust baths which will suffocate lice. However, if your chickens have large numbers of lice living on them, then they will need a bit of extra help from you.

Is My Hen Egg Bound?

Hens become egg bound when the egg gets stuck between her uterus and cloaca (tube by which faeces and reproductive fluids - including eggs - are expelled from the body). The hen will strain to pass the egg but will not be able to. Egg binding in chickens can be fatal if not spotted and treated.

Hen Pecking, Cannibalism and Bullying

This behaviour can be very distressing for a chicken keeper as chickens can turn very nasty when they notice any blood or red wounds. Sometimes it can lead to chickens pecking other chickens feathers out or in extreme cases cannibalism that causes death. There are a few reasons for this behaviour to develop in a flock.

Provide Distractions, Foraging Activities and Plenty of Space For Your Hens

Continuously monitor your flock  and check on their pecking order. This can change at any time. If a bird dies, gets sick or you add new pullets into the flock then dynamics within the flock gets affected. Make sure you keep your hens busy at all times. A busy, happy hen is not going to turn to her flock mate for trouble!

Does My Chicken Have an Impacted Crop?

An impacted crop is when your chicken's crop, or stomach, becomes filled with a mass they cannot digest. The crop can be filled with hay or straw, baling twine, rocks, wood chips, basically anything the hen eats that cannot pass through her digestive system.

Does My Chicken Have Sour Crop?

Sour crop is a yeast infection in the crop leading to thickening of the crop wall, dilation of the crop and birds losing condition and possibly dying. Sour Crop is caused by a disruption of the normal bacteria that inhabit the crop with an overgrowth of Candidia (a fungal species) often occurring.

Why is My Hen Laying a Soft-Shelled Egg?

A hen can lay an egg with a soft shell or an egg that has no shell. These eggs can be very misshapen. A lot of the time they will usually be broken before you get to them because they tend to be very fragile and break easily.

What is Coccidiosis?

Coccidiosis is an intestinal parasite that exists just about everywhere. It can take a heavy toll on chicks, starting from about three weeks of age. The parasite multiplies greatly in the gut of the chick, and vast numbers of "oocysts" (think of them as eggs) come out in the manure. Chicks raised on litter floors scratch and peck at the litter, looking for food, and become infected. The explosive multiplication of the coccidia can lead to dead, stunted, and sick chicks. Chicks that are exposed to only low levels of coccidia become immune without becoming sick.

Prevention
Coccidiosis is found where birds are in contact with their own manure which is virtually all birds on the floor or free range. Former battery hens being put on the floor for the first time are especially vulnerable, so they must be introduced gradually to ground where poultry have been previously kept. Warm wet bedding, a change of environment, damp, wet environmental conditions or a stress (like the move from inside to outside or from one farm to another) are likely to trigger an outbreak within a few days of exposure, so good hygiene, awareness and management practices are essential.

Treatment
Many birds suffer such a low dose of coccidiosis you might not even notice, and this helps the birds to build up an immunity to the coccidia in their environment. If a bird is badly affected, then treat quickly with an anticoccidial medication such as Coxiprol or Baycox to kill the Coccidiosis living in the gut. Follow the instructions on the medication for best results, some treatments require the birds to be dosed for a full week with a follow up treatment. If treating chicks best to keep them in a dry and draught free area and maybe place them back under heat to aid recovery. Make sure their bedding is clean and dry. Position clean drinkers and feeders so they hang or sit off the floor to reduce recontamination of the feed.

What is Egg Peritonitis?

Egg peritonitis occurs when the hen matures too many egg follicles at once and is sometimes the result of a condition known as EODES (erratic ovi-position and defective egg syndrome). With this illness, the yolks inside the hens' body become infected, often with E. coli bacteria.

Egg Peritonitis occurs when the yolk released by the ovary travels into the abdominal cavity instead of the oviduct. The infection can spread and make your chicken very unwell. A lot of the time this can be fatal as by the time your chicken shows symptoms they are close to death. If caught early chickens can recover. Diagnosis is pretty tricky as sometimes a chicken won’t show any symptoms before death. There are a few signs you can look out for below.

Symptoms and Signs

•          Pale comb and wattles 
  
•          Looking unwell- closed eyes, sitting still, looks droopy and deflated, lack of interest in surroundings or food. 
  
•          Drop in egg production 
  
•          Lack of appetite 
  
•          Penguin stance

Treatment
If caught early enough antibiotics can work to kill the infection and your chicken will recover. Unfortunately, a lot of the time Egg Peritonitis isn’t caught in time and will kill your chicken.

What is Prolapsed Oviduct?

A prolapsed oviduct is when the lower part of a hen's oviduct turns inside out and is left hanging outside of her vent. This condition is most common in young hens that have started laying too soon but can be inherited in some pure breeds, especially from exhibition lines.

Treatment
You must separate the hen from the rest of the flock immediately before the other hens start to peck at her. The tissue may recede back in by itself, however in most cases it will need some help from you. Take your hen and place her in warm water and try to gently wash off any dirt or poo that is around her vent or on the tissue. Using petroleum jelly gently push the tissue back inside her vent. You will need to keep the hen isolated for a couple of days. It is recommended to keep her in darkness, so she doesn’t lay any eggs to give her oviduct a rest. After a few days of rest, she can return to the flock, but you will need to keep a close eye on her to see if she prolapses again. If you don’t feel comfortable treating a prolapsed hen yourself, you should take her to the vet.

Why Are My Chickens Losing Feathers?

If your chickens seem a little scruffy or maybe even bald in patches, don’t panic. With a little love, a stress-free environment and access to a high protein quality layer feed your pet chickens will soon moult and be back to their full-feathered selves.

The Most Common Reason Is Moulting

Moulting is a natural and healthy process which usually happens once a year. It involves the shedding of old feathers and the replacement of healthy new ones. Most chickens will moult towards the end of summer and may even partially moult their neck feathers again at another time of the year. The process can seem quite slow but will normally last between 1 and 3 months. If you have heritage chickens you might be surprised at how long it takes for them to moult as they usually take longer than hybrid hens but believe us when we say that it is truly worth the wait – it is! They look better than new!
Moulting uses a surprising amount of energy and can take a lot out of chickens, so ensure your chickens have access to a quality, high protein nutritionally balanced layer feed (we recommend Westons Peak Layer) not just scraps and this should be available to them at all times. It takes a lot of protein to create new feathers, and hens are also building up calcium levels in their bones to replace the calcium they have lost over the year creating eggs. You can feed a little extra protein in the form of mealworms or cat jelly meat, to assist feather growth.
Chicken eggs and feathers are very high in protein. When your chickens begin moulting they need all the protein they can get to help grow back their new feathers, so most of them will stop laying to help their moult go smoothly. When your chickens are moulting always avoid stressful situations like changing your chicken coop or introducing new chickens to your flock. Another thing to remember is that when your chickens are moulting they are at a higher risk of contracting diseases, so avoid getting new chickens around this time.

Interesting Fact: A chick will go through one complete moult (1-6 weeks) and three partial moults (7-9 weeks, 12-16 weeks, 20-22 weeks) to get to point of lay (20 to 30 weeks of age depending on breed)
To help your growing chicks cope well at this time remember to feed them the appropriate chick crumble that is high in animal proteins. Westons Chicks Choice is high protein and energy levels designed to ensure strong growth rate and feather development.

Other Causes of Feather loss

• Lack of protein in diet can cause feathers to break off or plucked out by other birds. Ensure your chickens are on a high protein layer feed. Be aware of organic feeds that do not contain the required animal proteins essential for optimum bird health. 
• Stress caused by a fright can cause a hen to moult of neck feathers 
• Roosters running with hens can cause the feather on your hens backs and back of heads to wear and break due to mating. Omlet Chicken Jackets are handy for hens that suffer from overzealous, rough roosters. 
• Feather wear and tear caused by every day events like grazing through a wire fence, poking heads into feeders with sharp edges, jumping in and out of nest boxes. 
•  Feathers that are broken off are not replaced until the next autumn moult.