Chickens are generally healthy, hardy, happy animals that can also be very friendly with people and each other (and other animals). But unfortunately, one reality about chicken farming it’s just that chickens are very prone to disease, illness, and behavior problems. It never seems to matter how careful chicken farmers are: health and behavior problems always seem to arise, even with the best care and the most careful assistance is paid for. Basically, the truth is that problems arise with chicken farming.

Most problems with chickens are very common and are usually quite benign. Some require minimal tweaking to resolve. Some of the common problems, no matter how careful you are, require an immediate and severe response in order not to lose the entire herd. These are the most common problems you can expect with chickens and how you can fix them.

• predation This is a very common and harrowing problem that every chicken farmer will probably have to deal with at least once in their life. It seems that everything wants to eat chickens, from common hawks and eagles flying in the sky, to the neighbor’s dog. Raccoons, foxes, bobcats, bears, snakes, cats, owls, and many other animals are common problems. Securing your hen house properly or buying well-made products chicken coop kits it can help deter predators from taking chickens while they are in the coop (which is very common). While the hens are out of the coop, having secured chicken cumshots that it is covered will help discourage aerial predators and daytime predation. If you insist on freely raising your herd outside the confines of a fenced chicken coopprovide plenty of tree cover to stifle attacks by hawks and eagles, and buy breeds of chickens that do well and are very intelligent with predators.
• illness. Chickens are just as susceptible to viral, bacterial, parasitic and congenital diseases as any other animal. Vaccines are available to immunize your birds against common but deadly diseases such as Merick’s disease. You should check with your local extension agent or veterinarian about whether or not these diseases are prevalent in your area before purchasing chicks, or if you have healthy but unvaccinated birds. Other diseases, such as simple viral infections, can manifest themselves in chickens in many ways and are usually best left isolated, as you would a person. Practice the best sanitation you can and don’t be afraid to use products like diatomaceous earth or poultry powder. There are medications available for farm use that you can find at feed stores, but always check with a veterinarian first before medicating them. Have a quarantine system ready to go at all times, clean and prepared. A kennel lined with old but clean towels is a good start. Any sick chicken should be isolated from the flock.
• Assault. Roosters are the usual culprits, but hens can sometimes be aggressive towards people and other chickens in the flock. Aggressive chickens can be very troublesome if they attack people and other chickens. These hens can do more harm than good within the flock and are often difficult to relocate and may need to be euthanized. Fortunately, aggressive chickens are rare. Multiple roosters in a small flock with hens will almost guarantee aggression by the roosters towards each other, towards the hens (with aggressive and energetic mating behavior) and towards people. If you want a rooster, keep a single rooster for every 6 to 10 hens to help quell aggressive forced mating behavior and decrease their need for competition. If your rooster is attacking people, this is usually a problem that cannot be solved by training or adding hens to breed and protect. Roosters that are aggressive towards humans should be rehoused or, in extreme cases, euthanized. Sometimes people report that they can retrain an aggressive rooster by catching and holding it, which can work. And of course, not all roosters are aggressive towards people.
• Behavior problems that are not necessarily related to aggression. Chickens can be neurotic. They do things like cannibalize each other out of sheer boredom. They will lay eggs, then turn around and eat the eggs they just laid. They will eat things like paper clips, screws, and bits of plastic. Their pecking order can isolate a chicken and prevent it from eating. To avoid these types of behavior problems, make sure your hens are fully engaged at all times; This doesn’t mean you have to set up a 3-ring circus for your birds, but they do need to have enough room to move around and explore like they normally do. They need to be able to dust bathe and scratch the ground, explore under the stones of the logs. They need to be able to jump over things. They need a varied diet of more than their Formulated Crumb (but Scientifically Formulated Crumb is great for basic nutrition and will help prevent cravings for eggs and random junk). Offer simple and fun treats like a head of lettuce, a halved watermelon, or even a baked winter squash. Suet cakes are excellent treats in the winter. Offer plenty of natural perches and rocks for them on your close run, or risk free.

chicken farming They can be a wonderful addition to the home garden and are essential on the farm. They offer immense enjoyment and seem to just “fit” into human life. They are funny, cute and beautiful. They offer much more in return than they give them. Despite the problems chicken owners will have to deal with, it is well worth it!