Roundworms, hairworms, tapeworms, caecal worms and gapeworms are the most common. They live in the gut or respiratory tracts of the birds. They can be picked up from free-ranging or even inside the coop if the coop is not kept clean and disinfected regularly. The most common way for the worms to spread is through the droppings of the chickens of from wild birds.

Regular worming is advised, we recommend once every 4 months with Flubenvet, but ongoing prevention is also key, keeping a clean and disinfected area, keeping wild birds away from your chicken run (pigeon poop in particular can have many parasites and bacteria), and using herbal preventatives such as Verm-X and Phytopet Wormwod. Some people prefer to only treat once they have noticed an infestation, this is entirely up to you, but we recommend regular treatments to be safe as you may not always notice the infestation.

There are many good natural preventatives for worming your chickens from Verm-X to Phytopet and even some feed will have these in already, you can use garlic cloves in their water as garlic is a natural worm preventative, however, we still recommend a good medicated worming treatment once every 4 months to be sure. It is not always easy to tell if your hens have worms and although natural preventatives can work well, they are not 100%
guaranteed to stop an infestation. We recommend Flubenvet as being the best medicated worming powder you can buy online.

Most worms live within the chicken’s intestinal tract and therefore can be seen in your chicken’s poop, so check it regularly to ensure it is healthy and parasite free, however, there is also a parasite called Gape Worm, this lives in your chicken’s respiratory system so you would not be able to check the poop for this, but you might notice some symptoms such as sneezing, runny eyes and nose and most commonly a kind of gasping or lifting of the head and gaping of the beak.

Worms and parasites can be quite common in chickens, regular worming and poo checking will help you keep on top of it. We recommend Flubenvet as being the most effective wormer you can buy online, however, this does not work as a preventative it is a treatment, but regular treating is advised to stay on top of a potential infestation. There are lots of herbal preventative treatments available such as Phytopet Wormwood, Verm-X etc.. these
can be good to give between your Flubenvet treatments.

If you are concerned about the health of your birds speak to a vet. If you suspect bird flu, you or your vet must report it immediately to the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) even if the signs are mild. Your flock will sadly have to be euthanized if you have a confirmed case as there is no treatment and it is highly contagious.

Sadly, there are none, it is 100% fatal with no treatment available, euthanasia is the only option. There is also no vaccine available for domestic poultry. As this disease is a notifiable disease if you have this in your flock your entire flock will most likely have to be euthanized and by law the illness must be reported to the APHA.

Signs of Avian Flu can include: sudden death, lack of energy, appetite, and coordination; purple discoloration and/or swelling of various body parts mostly found in feet, legs, combes and wattles, diarrhoea, nasal discharge, coughing, sneezing and reduced egg production and/or soft-shelled or misshapen eggs.

Keeping a clean environment is key, as bacteria breeds in warm and damp litter, it can also be passed by wild bird poo, bird to bird contact and through infected water and feed stations. Some medications that may help are gentamycin, amoxicillin, and the fluoroquinolone all will need a vet prescription.

The term “ear canker” is a bit misleading because it has nothing to do with the protozoan parasite Trichomonas gallinae, the organism that causes canker. Ear infections in chickens are usually caused by a bacteria and presents as a swollen ear with a nasty cheese like substance inside, this is the bacterial infection. It can be hard to treat, the infection must first be removed with tweezers and swabs and then a course of antibiotics will be needed.