How to Keep Your Hens Healthy: Essential Care Tips

Many people enjoy keeping hens for their fresh eggs and delightful personalities. These fascinating birds are relatively low maintenance yet offer plenty of fun and rewards. With proper care, hens can live well into their teens, far longer than many other domestic animals. To ensure your flock thrives, here’s a comprehensive guide on keeping your hens healthy and happy.

1. Creating a Safe and Clean Environment

Your hens’ well-being starts with a safe, clean environment. Their enclosure should protect them from predators such as foxes, which can strike during the day as well as night. A secure chicken house is essential, and it should be easy to clean to maintain hygiene.

Daily care is important: scrape perches clean and sweep the floor regularly to reduce dust, which can cause respiratory issues. Using deep bedding helps absorb waste and keeps the coop dry, which is crucial for preventing harmful bacteria growth.

Keep your chickens’ outdoor area spacious and secure, allowing natural behaviours like scratching while ensuring their safety.

2. Rodent Control and Feeding Practices

Rodents like rats and mice are attracted to chicken feed, which can spread disease. Check regularly for holes or signs of rodent activity. Avoid leaving food in the coop overnight to minimise attracting pests—feeding first thing in the morning is a better approach.

Use specially designed, rodent-proof feeders, but remain vigilant as determined rodents can still access food. Maintaining this discipline helps reduce waste and keeps your flock healthier.

3. Supplementing Your Hens’ Diet with Poultry Spice

During moulting or colder periods, you may wish to add poultry spice to your hens’ feed to provide warmth and boost their health. You can create a natural poultry spice mix at home by combining equal parts of turmeric, ginger, aniseed, fenugreek, and cinnamon powder.

Introduce this spice occasionally and in small amounts. Alongside a high-quality layer feed and fresh treats, this boost can support your hens through stressful times.

4. Regular Worming and Parasite Control

Just like other pets, hens need routine worming. Chemical wormers are available through your vet, but eco-friendly options exist on the UK market as well. Severe infestations require veterinary advice and stronger treatments.

Lice are a common external parasite that can multiply rapidly, causing anaemia and decreasing egg production. Use safe louse powders, applying gently to the feathers but avoiding the eyes.

Another troublesome parasite is red mites, which hide in cracks and attack birds at night. They are difficult to eliminate once established. Use specialised red mite powders and inspect your chickens at night with a torch to catch infestations early. Thorough cleaning of the coop or even rebuilding it may be necessary if infestations persist.

5. Providing Grit and Oyster Shells

Hens need grit in their diet to help digest their food properly. Supplementing their feed with grit or oyster shells supports digestion and helps strengthen eggshells. While hens may find grit themselves outdoors, it is beneficial to provide some in their environment regularly.

6. Encouraging Dust Baths and Good Hygiene

Dust bathing is a natural behaviour vital to maintaining feather condition and controlling parasites. Providing a designated dust bath using an old litter tray filled with sharp sand will encourage your hens to indulge this essential ritual.

Ensure fresh, clean water is always available alongside balanced, quality feed to keep your hens healthy. Watch out for unusual signs such as lethargy or changes in comb colour, which could indicate illness.

7. Regular Health Checks and Observations

Spend time observing each hen’s behaviour and physical condition. Regular checks help spot early signs of health issues, allowing prompt treatment. Early intervention can prevent disease spread and minimise suffering. When in doubt, consult your local vet for advice.

Maintaining good coop hygiene, a safe environment, and biting back parasites will keep your hens in top shape and ensure they continue providing you with fresh eggs and companionship for many years.

By following these seven essential care tips, you promote responsible poultry ownership and enjoy all the many rewards of keeping healthy hens.

For those looking to find hens for sale or learn more about poultry care, reputable UK breeders and advice resources are valuable starting points to ensure your flock’s success.