When it comes to your chickens’ health, providing a safe, clean, predator-proof environment for your flock and making sure they have access to nutritious feed and fresh water go a long way. However, despite the steps you take to ensure good health, it’s still a good idea to monitor your chickens daily for symptoms of illness.
As prey animals, chickens are very good at hiding illness to avoid appearing weak, which can cause them to be targeted for pecking or attack. It’s critical to watch your flock diligently and deal with any changes in appearance or behavior immediately.
Another way to ensure your chickens’ health is to practice biosecurity. Chickens are very susceptible to a multitude of diseases that spread rapidly through a flock once introduced, so restrict outsider access to your property and your birds. Recently obtained poultry could also carry disease, so always buy chickens from reputable sources and quarantine them for several weeks before introducing them to the flock. Also be sure to carefully clean anything that might have come in contact with other poultry, including your boots or clothing, before allowing contact with your flock.
When it comes to your chickens’ health, providing a safe, clean, predator-proof environment for your flock and making sure they have access to nutritious feed and fresh water go a long way.As prey animals, chickens are very good at hiding illness to avoid appearing weak, which can cause them to be targeted for pecking or attack.
