How do you know your chickens are healthy?

[SandyRiverChick]

Make sure you check out how long you have to toss your eggs if you use Aquasol. I can't remember but I know that I read that on here a while back.

 

[TooCheep]

My opinions: specifically about bird flu. Take them for what they are worth. I've included a bunch of links (mostly from the CDC and USDA) to support my points. If they make sense to you, you might get some real value:
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If you are worried about the sudden rise in government/media hyperventilating about HPAI/H5N1/Highly pathogenic avian flu, the single best answer is to turn off the TV. All of the scaremongering is based on one person who got bird flu... from a cow. His primary symptom... pink eye.

Want to know how you recognize it in your flock? Most of your flock will be dead within 48 hours, often with very visible symptoms pre-death. It doesn't get any easier than that. Want to be sure your eggs are safe? Put them on a rotation and don't eat them until they are several days or a week old. Any laid several days ago and your birds aren't dying cannot have any traces of HPAI in them.

HPAI is a real thing, but the current media scaremongering sounds exactly like 4 years ago. Remember when they said Covid had a 3.4% fatality rate, but it turned out to be well under 1%? Be afraid! You have no control. Be afraid! Be afraid!

So take control. Use appropriate measures to protect yourself and your flock. Even if your birds end up sick, the odds of you getting sick as a result are very low (but not 0%). HPAI has been detected a number of times in the wild, in backyard flocks and in commercial operations in the US, but only one human has contracted it that way to date. There is no absolute protection, but living in fear and depression is definitely not the right answer.

Here is another way to look at it:
-Average deaths per year from bee/hornet/wasp stings in the US: about 70.
-Average deaths per year from HPAI in the US: 0.00 (2 infections in 3 years)

The USDA has some good info on how to recognize the disease and protect your flock.

 

[CloneFly]

I mean what if you had your flock tested and everybody was good but two months later wild birds bring it in. The more you read about this stuff and things that can be passed through the egg and things that can live in the ground for years or in the birds with no symptoms the more it feels overwhelming. If these things are so contagious and long-lasting and there are wild birds everywhere seems like all birds would have it. Then even if you tested your flock and they were fine could they not pick it up a week later? Seems impossible to know unless birds start dying. And then the Mareks vaccination doesn't do anything but suppress symptoms which seems adverse to keeping spread down...Maybe I just need to stop reading about this stuff lol

It's a very valid fear. And as some pointed out on this thread you can do everything you can to protect them and they'll still get sick. I've only had chickens for 3yrs and have done everything I can to ensure their safety and health (100% predator safe coop, avc in water, oregano, cayenne, basil, etc in the feed, immunity boosters, weekly cleanings, lots of stimulation, attention and love.) And still I've had over 8 birds die, all from a plethora of illnesses/causes and some within a week of each other...

Egg yolk peritonitis, digestive issues, heart attack, cannibalism, swallowed a random BB... and on top of that, it always seems like someone is sick or acting weird. I brought a hen to the vet a few weeks ago because she suddenly couldn't walk and the next day she was fine! Vet said all was well and unless I wanted to spend $300+ on labs, she seemed fit as a horse. Also currently have a bird that will literally starve herself to death uses she's on a steroid... fun fact: chickens dislike needles as much as I do.

Guess the hard lesson is, we can do all we can but it ultimately comes down to the cards handed to us. I'm not saying "fate determines all", but there will always be external factors involved that we have no knowledge of or no way of preventing. What we can do, is care for them in the best way we can, learning all we can, just in case, and not allowing ourselves to be discouraged when the occasional loss does occur... Chicken keeping is very rewarding, but just like anything in life it'll have it's ups and downs. If we always focus on the "what ifs" we'll never be able to enjoy what we have now


Having an mini arsenal of first aid and chicken safe meds on hand does help lower the anxiety factor though

 

[scyllarus]

I have quail. My flock likely has Mycoplasma Gallicum as I've had two birds get swollen sinuses and not recover for weeks (required culling). The rest of the flock of 20ish birds? As far as I can tell, healthy and producing endless eggs.

I've been conflicted about what to do as I've had a lot of poor hatches - which, to be fair, I know MG is passed onto the egg but I haven't heard of it impacting hatch rates - and I don't feel comfortable selling diseased eggs or birds (for hatching/breeding - MG doesn't affect edibility). But on the other hand - MG is a disease that is basically carried forever by birds and can only be symptomatically managed. It's known to be spread by wild birds as well, so I feel it would be a waste to cull my whole covey just for them to catch the disease again.

My solution is just to breed for birds that are resistant to the disease. But that's just what I've decided - I'm open to being told why I'm wrong, haha.

 

[CloneFly]

I'd use it on a chicken if I needed to. I always wonder if disease and worm build up is indicative of not enough space, chickens confined in small runs, no free-range...

Surprisingly, I've never had an issue with worms outside a nasty case of cocci a year ago. We keep the girls in a 20ft×8ft run with a 7ft×5ft coop that they never use except to lay lol. They're free ranged several times a week under supervision as we have hawks and coyotes in our area. We also give them lots of veggies and greens from our garden.

Like what? I have Corid incase a batch of babies needs it and that's it. I do have Vetricyn and Blu Kote but thats because of a dog hot spot. I'd use it on a chicken if I needed to.

Corid is very good to keep on hand, and so is Vetrycin and BluKote. I've used the latter on my dogs, quail and duck as well. Sometime last year before the state made impossible to purchase livestock meds without a prescription, we bought Oxytetracycline, Tylan50, amoxicillin, enrofloxacin, B12 and so on... These are used under the direction of a veterinarian when they are needed, and have saved us quite the pretty penny. I also purchased a basic suturing kit on Amazon as well as some packing straps, beatadine, gauze and bandage wraps which, unfortunately, have also come in handy way too many times.

As I said, some of us do all we can and still stuff happens, so having these items on hand are a big source of relief. Do I need all of them? Probably not, but my family is the exact opposite of rich and we love our animals dearly, so we end up having to do a lot of DIY treatments and have even helped others who couldn't reach or afford a vet... it's a good thing we've been in the animal rescue field for over 20yrs! But not everyone has that advantage.

Having Amoxicillin, Corid and B12 on hand is a good idea, and so is having a basic "surgical" kit and wound dressing supplies. Nutri drench, bluekote, blood stop powder/cornstarch, vetrycin and colloidal silver should all be included in any chicken first aid kit, in my opinion. All of these items are fairly inexpensive and could possibly save a lot of heartache or money. If you never need to use them, that's great! But after being played too many unlucky cards, I've learned to live by "better safe than sorry".

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

I know my flock is healthy because I check them over. And over and over again.

 

[Somshine]

Too bad there isn't a practical way for small flock owners to test all regularly.

 

[Somshine]

Well I'm just wondering, say for instance wild birds, are the ones that appear healthy really just asymptomatic? Then you think about herd immunity and wonder what's more likely, or even what's better. The immunity of a landrace or the possibility of untouched chickens

 

[Momma-Hen-Misti]

I know what you mean. I add apple cider vinegar to the water every few water changes & I use aquasol in the water once or twice a year to ensure they are wormed. Especially if you see dirty bums.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

Here's that thread. Looks like maybe no egg withdrawl, depending....
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/aquasol-dosing-confusion.1516980/