Chicken Health Checks
Published 28th August 2026
A quick weekly beak-to-tail check helps you get to know what is normal for each hen,
making it easier to spot early signs of illness, injury, parasites, or stress before they become bigger problems.
Beak-to-Tail Weekly Check List
- Beak, comb, and wattles: look for cracks, poor alignment, swelling, scabs, or unusual colour.
- Eyes and nostrils: check they are clear, open, and free from discharge.
- Crop: make sure it feels normal for the time of day and is not hard, squishy, or sour-smelling.
- Feathers and body condition: look for bald patches, parasites, ruffled feathers, or a sharp keel bone.
- Legs, feet, vent, and droppings: check for crusty scales, sore foot pads, a clean vent, and healthy droppings.
Check that the beak is smooth, uncracked, and properly aligned.
A healthy comb and wattles should look bright, smooth, and normal for her breed.
Pale, swollen, scabby, or unusually coloured areas are worth checking.
Blue or black combs or wattles need prompt attention.
They can point to a circulation problem, so contact a vet if you notice them.
Eyes should be open, clear, and bright.
Discharge or foamy bubbles can be an early sign of respiratory trouble.
Nostrils should be clean and open.
Discharge, crusting, or dirty wipe marks on the shoulders can be early warning signs.
The crop sits at the base of the neck and stores food before digestion.
- After eating: firm, roughly golf ball-sized
- First thing in the morning: empty or nearly so
In the morning, the crop should be empty or nearly empty.
If it feels rock-hard, your hen seems quiet, or she is off her food, check for possible impaction.
A soft, squishy crop with bad breath may suggest sour crop.
If it does not settle quickly, ask a vet for advice.
Leg scales should be smooth and clean.
Raised or crusty scales can be a sign of scaly leg mites.
Foot pads should be smooth and free from scabs, swelling, or redness.
Catching bumblefoot early makes treatment easier.
The vent should be clean, with no swelling, protrusion, or faecal build-up.
Also check nearby feathers for mites or lice.
Healthy feathers are smooth and shiny.
Dull, ruffled, or messy feathers outside moulting can be a sign something is wrong.
Look for bald patches, broken feathers, irritated skin, or tiny moving specks, especially under the wings and around the vent.
Gently feel the keel bone.
Good muscle coverage is reassuring; a sharp keel can suggest she has not been eating well.
Normal droppings are firm and dark brown with a white urate cap.
Caecal droppings are softer, smell stronger, and may be brown, mustard, or greenish.
Seeing them a few times a day is normal.
- Standard dropping - Dark brown, firm, with a white urate cap. Normal.
- Cecal dropping - Mustard, brown, or greenish, softer, with a stronger odor. Normal, produced a few times a day.
- Loose stool (over 48 hours) - Watery or very soft and persistent. Worth investigating.
- Bloody droppings - Any red coloring in the stool. Seek vet advice.
- All-white droppings - Entirely white with no brown. Seek vet advice.
.Food changes can affect droppings briefly.
If loose droppings last more than 48 hours, or you see blood or all-white droppings, take a closer look and seek advice if needed.
A slide-out tray, such as the one in Eglu chicken coops, makes daily dropping checks quick and easy.
How Often Should You Health Check Your Chickens?
Chickens often hide illness, so a weekly check helps you spot small changes early.
It also helps you learn what is normal for each hen, making problems easier to notice.
Early checks really help. Common issues are easier to manage before symptoms become obvious.
Use daily observation and weekly hands-on checks together for the best picture of your hens’ health.
A healthy hen is bright, alert, interacting with the flock, and eating and drinking normally.
A hen sitting quietly alone, or one that looks puffed up with her feathers fluffed out,
is worth a closer look that same day, rather than waiting for your next weekly check.
When To Check Outside the Weekly Routine
A few situations call for an immediate hands-on check regardless of where you are in your weekly cycle:
• Welcoming new chickens to the flock - always check new arrivals before and during integration
• After a spell of extreme heat or cold - temperature stress can have rapid effects on health
• Following any kind of predator scare - stress and injury can be hidden in the aftermath
• A sudden unexplained dip in egg production - this is often one of the first signs something is off
BREATHING
A change in breathing can be an early warning signal.
Take note of each hen’s normal breathing rate and depth during your routine checks.
Breathing should be quiet and relaxed, with no visible effort.
Changes in breathing, any wheezing, rattling, or laboured quality,
are among the earliest indicators of respiratory issues, and they are much easier to spot
when you already know what normal looks and sounds like for each hen.
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