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If You’re Happy and You Know It, Strut Around

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Tips for Raising Healthy, Happy Chickens

You may have noticed family, friends, or neighbors raising chickens and considered doing the same in your backyard. Or perhaps you already have chickens and are aware of the many benefits, including fresh eggs, nutrient-rich fertilizer, and natural composters, (some even enjoy them as outdoor pets!). Keeping your backyard chickens healthy and happy can be a challenge, even for the “old hand” owner. Raising healthy chickens requires planning, attention to detail, and fastidiousness when it comes to completing daily chores.

Check out a few of our quick tips below for raising healthy chickens, and tune into our Facebook Live on March 16, 2022, at 1 pm EST, when Drs. David Swayne and Anne Hurley-Bacon answer your questions for keeping chickens healthy and happy (if you miss it, it will be posted on our YouTube channel). — By Stephen Ausmus, ARS Office of Communications

Lavender Orpington, Australorp, Welsummer, and Delaware hens.

Meet a few of our stars for this photo narrative, hens from four different breeds: (l-r) Lavender Orpington, Australorp (the shy one), Welsummer, and Delaware. Chickens are sociable animals. Plan for a minimum of three birds when raising chickens. (Stephen Ausmus, D4814-2)
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Depending on the breed, age, nutrition, space, lighting, and management, a mature hen (> 18 weeks of age) can lay 240 or more eggs per year. As your hens age, the number of eggs laid will continue to decrease each year. (Stephen Ausmus, D4813-2)
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Fresh water and nutritious, quality food will help ensure the health of your flock and prepare your beauties like these Australorps for the “red carpet”. Feed chickens by scattering the food or putting it inside a container large enough to accommodate the number of chickens in your flock. Make sure your hens always have a clean source of fresh water. Check the water daily and clean/refill as needed. (Stephen Ausmus, D4817-1)

 
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When one chicken gets sick in a flock, others are likely to fall ill as well. Chickens are a prey species and therefore hide illness very well. Pay close attention to the health of each of your birds every day. (Stephen Ausmus, D4814-1)
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Allowing chickens to roam freely in a backyard or pasture can be a risk to their health. Make sure chickens like these “born for the camera” speckled Sussex (three in front) have a safe place to stay. Preventing contact with wild birds as well as keeping them safe from predators by constructing a solid, well thought out coop should be included in your preparations for a backyard flock. (Stephen Ausmus, D4834-1)

 

 

 

 

 

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A Golden Laced Rooster and a speckled Sussex hen.

Immature hens are called “pullets,” while immature males are called “cockerels.” Finding a hatchery that can gender chicks beforehand will save you disappointments or surprises as they grow. Shown here, a Golden Laced Rooster (right) and a speckled Sussex hen (left) prepare for their glamour shots. (Stephen Ausmus, D4833-1)
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Practice good biosecurity to help keep diseases away from your flock. Use physical separation or netting to keep out wild birds, especially waterfowl. Wild birds can carry diseases that won’t necessarily make them sick but can be detrimental to the health of your backyard flock. It is also important to quarantine any new members of your flock for at least 30 days before introducing them to the rest of your birds. (Stephen Ausmus, D4819-1)