Natural health care for chickens

In short

• New birds go into quarantine for at least 30 days, always, no exceptions.
• Look at the flock for 2–3 minutes every morning. A fluffed-up hen in a corner is ill.
• Look for red mite at night, once a month from April to October.
• Sudden deaths, a drop in eggs, a swollen head or nervous signs: call the vet at once. Suspected Newcastle disease or bird flu must be reported by law.
• No antibiotics on your own. After any medicine keep to the withdrawal period for eggs and meat.
• Herbal remedies are support and prevention, not a substitute for the vet.

What's inside

Chapters

1. Prevention before cure
2. A healthy hen and a sick one
3. When to call the vet at once
4. Notifiable diseases
5. Common diseases of a small flock
6. External parasites
7. Internal parasites
8. Problems that are not infectious
9. Natural support and the first-aid kit
10. Medicines, withdrawal periods and dead birds
11. Common mistakes
12. Printable checklist

Worksheets

• Flock health log
• Prevention calendar
• Quarantine and night check
• Health cost calculator
• Contacts and emergency procedure