Your small flock will likely stay healthy if you keep their coop reasonably clean, give them a well-balanced diet, plenty of fresh water, and keep them from being too crowded or bored (which can lead to pecking). Sometimes, however, a chicken can get sick.

Signs of Illness

prolonged diarrhea
sneezing
coughing
runny nose
gasping for breath
listlessness
no interest in food
swelling of the face around the eyes
tremors

Hens decrease or stop laying with sick, but there are other causes of “going on strike” as well, such as heat, moulting, diet, age, and winter.

Lice and Mites

Chickens love to take dust baths, digging and rolling in the dirt. This is an instinctual way of controlling lice and mites. Your chickens will enjoy dust baths whether or not they have lice or mites—it’s good clean fun for them.

Should you call the vet?

If your pet chicken is sick, you could take it to a vet, though someone will tell you you’re crazy to spend $30 on a doctor’s appointment for a $2 chicken. A great resource for diagnosis and advice is your county’s agricultural extension agent. Other resources include The Chicken Health Handbook, by Gail Damerow, and, of course, poultry websites.

The USDA also offers veterinary services via a toll-free hotline (1-866-536-7593) staffed with vets to help you with poultry disease questions.

See also:

Avian Flu
Bird Flu wiki