Keeping Chickens Healthy in a Back Garden

Start with the Housing, Because Everything Follows From It

Most health problems in back garden flocks can be traced back to the henhouse. Hens are hardy birds, but they are also masters at hiding illness until they are genuinely unwell, so the aim is to let good housing do some of the work for you.

Space is the first thing to be honest about. Allow 25cm by 25cm of floor space per bird inside the coop, plus a run of at least one square metre per hen. If your birds are shut in for long stretches — during a fox alert or a spell of bad weather — double it. Crowding causes stress, feather pecking and a rapid build-up of parasites.

Ventilation matters more than warmth. A coop should be dry and airy, with vents set high and away from the perches so fresh air moves through without creating a draught at bird level. Damp and ammonia irritate the respiratory tract and lead to the coughs and rattly breathing that so often turn into something worse.

• Perches: allow 30cm of perch length per hen, with rounded tops around 5cm wide, set 45–60cm off the floor.
• Nest boxes: one for every four to five hens, about 30cm square, bedded with dust-free shavings rather than straw, which holds damp and moulds.
• Bedding: poo-pick daily, replace damp bedding weekly, and let the coop dry out in the sun whenever you can.
• Parasites: check perch ends, nest box corners and the frame for red mite every month. Fine grey dust that turns red when crushed is the tell-tale sign.

Predators rarely give second chances. Use weld mesh rather than chicken wire, fit latches a fox cannot nudge open, and bury a mesh skirt at the edge of the run.

Clean Water and Sensible Feed

Fresh water is the cheapest health measure there is, and the one most often forgotten. A drinker full of rain, bedding and droppings is a bacterial soup. Rinse and refill daily, scrub it properly once a week, and stand it on a brick so the birds cannot scratch dirt into it.

Feed a balanced layers' pellet as the foundation of the diet, and store it in a rodent-proof bin. Offer mixed poultry grit and oyster shell free-choice in separate hoppers: grit helps the gizzard grind food, while oyster shell supplies the calcium a hen needs for strong shells and healthy bones.

• Keep treats to a handful per bird a day — chopped greens, a few mealworms, a little corn in cold weather.
• Avoid mouldy or fermented food, avocado, raw potato and anything salty.
• Scatter feed rather than heaping it in one place, so timid hens get their share and bullying is reduced.

A Ten-Minute Weekly Health Check

Handle each hen once a week, ideally in the evening when she is calm on the perch. Ten minutes catches most problems while they are still small.

• Face: eyes bright and open, nostrils clean and dry, comb and wattles a good red.
• Comb colour: a pale comb can mean mites or anaemia; a bluish tint suggests circulation or respiratory trouble.
• Crop: full at bedtime but empty by morning. A hard, swollen crop that stays full may be impacted.
• Vent: clean, moist and pink, with no lice, dried droppings or signs of straining.
• Legs and feet: smooth scales. Raised, crusty scales mean scaly leg mite and need treating promptly.
• Body: the breastbone should be felt but not sharp, and the abdomen soft rather than swollen.
• Droppings: brown and firm with a white cap; watery, bloody or bright green droppings warrant a closer look.

Know the Warning Signs Early

Any hen that separates herself from the flock, sits hunched with ruffled feathers, stops eating or slows her laying needs watching closely. Keep a small isolation coop or a large dog crate ready, along with poultry-safe wound powder and a veterinary practice that will see poultry — not always easy to find.

Plan worming rather than guessing: most back garden flocks benefit from a poultry wormer two to four times a year, depending on how much bare ground they range over. Quarantine any new hen for two to three weeks before she joins the others, and wash your hands between flocks.

Caring Through the Seasons

Spring brings laying back with a rush and red mite waking up, so clean thoroughly and check perches weekly. Summer means shade, cool water twice a day and keeping flies away from small wounds. Moulting in autumn takes an enormous amount out of a hen — offer extra protein, such as mealworms, and expect laying to pause.

Winter is less about cold, which hens tolerate well, and more about mud, damp and boredom. Keep the run dry with bark chips or a covered area, hang greens to peck at, and give a little corn in the evening. Liquid water is a daily task, and a thin smear of petroleum jelly on a large single comb during a hard frost prevents chapping.

Small Daily Habits, Healthy Hens

There is no great secret. Look at your birds properly twice a day, keep water and bedding clean, feed them sensibly and act quickly when something seems off. Handle them often enough to know what normal feels like, and you will spot trouble days before it becomes serious — and enjoy the eggs, the company and a very good reason to be out in the garden whatever the weather.