How To Do A Chicken Health Check
by Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | May 28, 2024
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Chickens have a way of getting sick very suddenly. However, it’s probably not that they get sick very suddenly, it’s often they don’t make their symptoms apparent until it’s too late. Chickens are prey animals and, in the wild, survival of the fittest is the rule. A chicken will hide its symptoms so as not to appear weak and get kicked out of the flock. One way to keep track of your flock’s health is by performing a routine chicken health check on each bird. I try to do a health check on my entire flock every month to be sure that I don’t miss any hidden signs of illness. However, if you can’t fit a monthly health check into your schedule every month, at least know how to perform a thorough health check so you can examine any bird who starts to act differently or exhibit signs of illness.

What is a Chicken Health Check?

A chicken health check is exactly as it sounds… it’s an examination of the flock as a whole and of individual birds that allows you to asses their health. A monthly chicken health check is helpful for monitoring your whole flock’s health as well as each individual’s health. If you see a re-occurring issue in multiple birds as you check your flock, then you know that there is a factor that is affecting the entire flock. This is more than likely an environmental factor, especially if you have a mixed flock.

If a certain issue only shows up in one bird, then you may have a case-specific problem. However, it could also be the beginning of a disease that is spreadable and contagious. Genetics, breed, and strains within breeds are sometimes more prone to certain ailments.

Doing regular chicken health checks will help you catch any diseases, infections, or parasites before they become a serious issue in the homestead flock. Catching ailments early on makes them easier to treat, control, and gives the infected chicken a better chance of recovery.

There are 9 steps to a complete flock health check. Let’s get started!

Step #1. Observations

First observe your flock as a whole. Notice how each bird interacts with the other birds. Watch individual birds to see if they look and act normal. Here are a few sign to look for that indicate a healthy chicken:

• interacts with others in the flock
• posture is upright and alert (may vary according to breed)
• feathers are held in the normal position against the body
• walks and runs with a normal gait
• no visible signs of lumps, cuts, or other abnormalities
• healthy stools (poop)

To get a good idea of overall flock health, I highly recommend installing a droppings board or a poop sling below the roosts in your coop. This allows you to do a health assessment every morning when you clean up the droppings. Chicken poop can tell you a lot about the health of your flock! To learn more about assessing flock health based on stools, make sure you check out Chicken Poop Problems.

Sick or ailing chickens will not be as active and may even try to seperate themselves from the rest of the flock. They may try hiding in the nesting boxes, huddling in a dark corner, or staying up on perches and roosts. These can also be signs of a chicken who is getting bullied by other flock members.

Excessive preening and dirty butt feathers can indicate an external parasite problem in your flock. Also watch for odd findings on the droppings boards or in the nesting boxes. Frequent odd eggs or abnormal eggshells can be signs of respiratory disease or dietary deficiency. Blood on the droppings board (not bloody stools) can be an indication of a red mite infestation or an injury.

How to Start a Chicken Health Check…

Now that you have a general idea of the health your flock, it’s time to examine each bird individually. Chickens are masters at disguising their illnesses, so looks may be deceiving. A chicken may be acting normally, but they are trying to cover up an illness or injury. I start by picking up the bird that I want to examine and hold it in one hand. I put my index finger between its legs and my thumb grips one thigh and the rest of my fingers grip the other thigh.

Step #2. Head

I start by examining the head of the chicken. You will be examining the chicken’s comb, wattles, eyes, nostrils, beak, and head feathers. Look for these key things to indicate a healthy bird:

• bright red comb and wattles
• no torn flesh and no blood
• beak is not overgrown or mis-shaped
• no fowl (pun intended) smell coming from the face
• no mucus coming from the nostrils
• bright, alert, clear eyes
• no parasites or parasite eggs in the head feathers

For chickens who have beard and muff feathers, you will want to examine those feathers closely for external parasites who like to hide in those feathers. You will also want to pay close attention to a chicken’s comb and wattles. Notice the texture and color of the comb. A hen who is laying will have a full, waxy, and bright comb and wattles. A hen who is not laying will have a small and light-colored comb and wattles. Hens will stop laying for natural reasons (molting, age, broody, etc…), but a sudden stop in laying can also indicate illness. Here are some signs of illness to look for when examining the comb and wattles:

• Purple/dark color– restricted circulation, compromised respiration  
• Pale– not laying, illness, parasites 
• Shriveled & dry– illness 
• White spots & black scabs– fowl pox, fighting injuries  
• Black tips & swollen– frostbite 

Step #3. Respiratory Health

While you are examining the head, also take note of the respiratory health of the bird. Here are some symptoms to watch for that can indicate a respiratory illness:

• Discharge & crusty– chronic respiratory disease 
• Swelling– Marek’s disease, chronic respiratory disease, Fowl cholera, avian influenza, infectious coryza, Newcastle  
• Cloudiness in eyes- Marek’s disease, conjunctivitis, Newcastle virus  
• Watery eyes– irritation from debris, chronic respiratory disease, fowl cholera, avian influenza  

Keep in mind that chickens will occasionally sneeze to clear their airways from dust or debris. If the sneezing keeps up for more than a day and is accompanied by other signs of respiratory distress, then it will be cause for concern. Gasping is often a sign of a blockage in the throat due to gapeworms or wet pox. Other signs of respiratory distress include:

• labored breathing 
• coughing 
• wheezing  
• rattly breathing

Step #4. Feathers & Skin

Next I move on to the plumage of the bird. A healthy bird will have minimal torn or broken feathers and no blood from plucked feathers. Shiny, glossy feathers are also a sign of good health, although good laying hens may have a duller look to their feathers. This is because the good layers put their energy into producing eggs, not glossy, new feathers.

If you have a cock roaming with your hens you may see broken feathers or bare skin on the back of the hen. This is from the cock standing (treading) on the back of the hen when he mates with her. You may also notice feathers missing on the head from when the cock grabs the hen’s feathers to balance himself on her back.

If you notice feather missing around the vent or face, that can be caused from bullying for feather pecking, two bad behaviors that need to be addressed. Pin holes in the feathers and dirty vent feathers are signs of an external parasite problem.

You will also want to examine the skin of the chicken. The easiest places to examine the skin are places where there are no feather follicles, which include along either side of the breast bone, in the armpit region under the wing, and a spot of skin above the vent. A healthy chicken will have smooth and clean skin. Skin that is scabby or blistered can be a sign of red mites. Take note of the skin color. Bluish, blood-blistered, blotchy, scabby, scaly, or abnormally pale skin can be an indicator of health issues like Marek’s disease or coccidiosis. White bumps on the skin are often an indicator of Marek’s disease.

Treading Tip:

A chicken saddle is handy for protecting the back of a hen who gets a little too much attention from a cock. The chicken saddle covers the back of a hen and is strapped around the wings to keep it in place. I make my own chicken saddles using fleece and elastic, but there are many designs online that you can buy. Make sure you make/get the right size saddle for the size hen you are putting it on. If it is too big it will slip off and if it is too tight it will cause chaffing and possibly broken feathers.

Step #5. Vent

Next I flip the bird upside down, pressing its back against my body while still keeping my hold on its legs. I part the feathers where the vent is to examine for these things:

• vent is moist and wide, means that the hen is laying (only for hens, not for cocks)
• no parasites or parasite eggs (lice and mites)
• feathers don’t have poop or diarrhea stuck to them
• no blood

If the vent is dry and shaped more like a circle than the hen is not laying. A favorite spot for parasites is right around the vent and above the vent. Look for a build up of parasite eggs at the base of the feathers surrounding the vent. The eggs will look like tiny, white balls all caked together. I look for blood because blood could be a sign of a serious disease, a pro-lapsed vent, or parasites. Poop stuck to the feathers could be another sign of serious illness. Diarrhea and poop caked feathers can indicate an internal parasite infestation as well.

Step #6. Legs/Shanks

I also examine the legs and feet of the bird. The legs should have smooth scales covering the whole leg and no raised, torn, or bloody spots. They should be clean and have a waxy appearance. Lumpy scales on the leg along with visible debris under the scales are signs of scaly leg mites. Also feel for any abnormally warm or swollen joints which can indicate injury. When observing the flock, watch for any individuals who are limping, which can be a sign of injury or bumblefoot.

On breeds that have feathered feet or shanks, check those feathers for proper growth or to see if they are covering up any abnormalities on the shanks. Examine the spurs on roosters (and some hens) and make sure they are not hindering the movement of the bird. Make sure the spur is not curving around and puncturing the leg on older roosters with longer spurs.

Step #7. Feet & Toes

Examine the feet of a bird for these signs:

• smooth scales on toes
• no broken or bent toes
• bumblefoot on foot pad
• abnormal lumps
• torn nails or long nails

Toes that are bent or crooked are a condition called ‘crooked toes’, which is often a result of poor breeding or improper hatching conditions. In most cases, a chicken with crooked toes will get along just fine.

Bumblefoot is a staph infection of the foot pad and depending on its severity, could cause the bird to limp. In extreme cases the staph infection moves from the foot into the rest of the body and becomes fatal. Bumblefoot looks like a black dot on the bird’s foot pad. In its early stages the black dot will be small, no bigger than a flax seed. If left un-treated, the staph infection will make the black spot grow to a size larger than a pea.

Abnormal lumps on the feet could be a sign of gout, which is often caused by excess protein in the diet. Gout is not too common in backyard chickens, but it is an important dietary-caused issue to be aware of.

During the winter, examine the toes for black or white coloring, which is an indicator of frostbite. Chickens can loose toes (and parts of the comb) to frostbite if the frostbite is severe.

Step #8. Breast & Abdomen

I then move to the breast bone of the chicken. Check the straightness of the bone and see if there are any blisters on the skin. Also feel for meat around the breast bone. If you cannot feel or find the breast bone, then the bird is more than likely fat. Obesity can lead to a drop in laying and can result in other health issues, such as organ failure.

You should be able to feel the breast bone on good layers and there should be some meat on either side of the bone. A bird is too thin if you can feel the bone and there is no meat on either side of it, also the thighs of the bird may feel thin and not plump. Obesity is often caused by dietary factors along with not enough exercise. Thinness is often caused by parasites and disease.

Also feel the abdomen for any very hard lumps or bulges. The abdomen is the area between the legs and below the vent. Lumps or bulges could indicate that a hen is egg bound, a build up of fluid or fat, or internal laying. An extremely firm abdomen could mean the build up of a fat pad, which is dangerous. Be careful not to mistake an about-to-be-laid egg for something serious. You should be able to tell the difference though by the position, shape, and hardness that you feel.

Step #9. Crop

Last of all I feel the crop of the chicken. The crop is located above the breast of the chicken below the neck. It is where food is stored during the day before being sent to the stomach to be digested. When feeling the crop, don’t massage too hard or in upward motion, which can induce vomiting!

In the morning the crop will feel small (if you can find it) and in the evening it should feel full (and maybe even look full!). If the crop does not feel full in the evening then the bird is more than likely not eating and may feel very thin. A properly functioning crop will be empty in the morning, full in the evening, and empty again the next morning.

A crop that stays full and feels hard for more than 24 hours could indicate crop-impaction. An impacted crop occurs when there is a blockage preventing the crop from emptying properly. If the crop remains full and feels squishy for more than 24 hours, then sour crop may be the issue. Sour smelling breath would also accompany sour crop. For more details on crop issues, make sure you read Sour Crop vs Impacted Crop.

Signs of a Sick Chicken

Doing regular health checks is a great way to catch early signs of an illness before the chicken starts to noticeably exhibit symptoms. However, you should also be monitoring your flock on a regular basis for signs of sickness. Some illnesses can come on rapidly in between health checks.

Here are some common symptoms to watch for that indicate a sick chicken:

• pale comb, wattles, and face; comb and wattles may be very thin and shriveled
• hunched, ruffled look; drooping tail
• dull eyes
• lethargy, lack of interest in its surroundings
• isolation
• diarrhea
• not eating or drinking
• difficulty walking
• gasping, sneezing, sinus discharge

Always quarantine a sick or potentially sick bird. This will protect it from getting picked on by the others and protect the others from potentially getting the same illness. Quarantining also makes it easier to identify and treat the issue as best you can. For more resources on monitoring the health of your flock, check out this information:

• Treating Chicken Diseases Naturally
• Preventing Disease and Death in the Homestead Flock
• What to Feed Sick Chickens
• Chicken First Aid Crash Course
• The Chicken Health Handbook by Gail Damerow

ID Tip:

I use leg bands to help me identify birds that need to be treated for a mild disease (like bumblefoot) or need some other kind of additional care. Leg bands can be very helpful if you have several birds of the same coloring that need to be treated.

Conducting a health check of your flock frequently can help you catch signs of illness in time to successfully treat sick birds. Make a schedule for yourself and stick to it as best you can. Chicken diseases, infections, and parasites can appear rapidly and suddenly! Ideally, a monthly health check is a good schedule to implement. Also practice good bio-security and cleanliness. As they say, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure! Observe and check your flock regularly to maintain a healthy and happy flock of homestead chickens!

Are you part of our modern pioneer community yet? We would love for you to join us on our adventure of raising chickens on the homestead and creating a more self-sufficient lifestyle! You can even get a copy of our Raising Chickens Like a Pioneer when you sign up to our bi-weekly newsletter!