1. You have created a social media page for your Hens
Let’s face it, when you invest in a chicken coop and purchase your first flock you have to share it with friends and family. Whether it is documenting first eggs laid in the coop to your gourmet recipes with your farm-fresh eggs you are posting it on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.
2. You find eggs throughout the house
As you start becoming more comfortable with your chickens maybe you decide to let them into your home. They never bother anybody and get along great with your other pets but occasionally you find a fresh egg in your fruit bowl or on top of your favourite armchair. Hey, at least you know they are comfortable!
3. A “staycation” is your idea of a holiday
When you invest in your first brood you feel like you are a second parent to theseanimals. You wash them, feed them, and make sure they are comfortable. Add that in with taking care of your own kids and the idea of going on holiday is the last thing on your mind. You would much rather set up a zoom background of the beach or the tropics, order in a favourite meal, and put your feet up. Ahhh!
4. You find yourself chatting with your chickens
Sometimes we just need a good therapy session with an attentive listener, and who better than your chickens. They will never talk back to you or judge you for your decisions. They may give the occasional nudge or peck for a pet but hey, it is cheaper than therapy.
5. You have pet names for your hens
After the first couple weeks of tending to your chickens you start noticing some have different personalities. Some are on the shy side, some are very particular about their feeding time, and some just want all of the cuddles in the world. What a perfect time to give them a name! Whether it is Rudy, Cleo, or Fluffy we don’t judge here because they are your pets.
6. The home is filled with fashionable fowl décor
Whether it is chicken cocktail napkins or a hen-tastic serving platter you or your friends have made sure that you have all of the latest in chicken-related home furnishings.
7. You have a carrier bag to transport your chickens
Maybe you need to take them to the vet like any of your other pets. Who says that they shouldn’t be comfortable? That is why you have the top of the line carrier to transport your chickens whenever they are unwell.
8. Dressing up your brood for special occasions
When you have spring chickens or fall fowls they must be dressed for the season. When Halloween comes around you wouldn’t put it past yourself to dress up your chickens in a matching outfit with your other pets.
9. Instead of walking the dog you find yourself walking the flock
Yes, there are harnesses for chickens because you have already researched it on Amazon. Maybe you have limited land and your chickens need to stretch their legs each day, so you take them to the local park to graze and get some fresh air. Totally normal, right?!
10. You find yourself building a chicken picnic table for feeding time
We have all seen the trend of building mini picnic tables for our squirrel friends in our backyard. If you haven’t just Google it and you will be entertained by these structures. Well, who says your chickens should have any less than the squirrels. You paint your own table to pour your chicken feed into each day so your chickens can chow down in style.
At the end of the day, we understand that when you decide to venture out into the land of chicken coops it can be a daunting process. Everyone has unique experiences and should be able to tend to their hens/ roosters in their own way. Your flock is part of your family so why skimp on their care and upkeep!
Autumn is the perfect opportunity to take some time to make sure your bunnies are happy with their setup in the garden. After a scorching summer, the more comfortable temperatures of autumn will be warmly welcomed by us and our floppy-eared friends. The change in season brings a cooler breeze, beautiful crisp leaves, and plenty more exciting sights and smells for bunnies to explore around their homes. Before the real winter chill hits, now is the perfect time to upgrade your rabbit run. So, how exactly can you transform your pet’s summer hideaway to a cosy rabbit retreat?
Extensions
First of all, take a good look at your run and assess if it is good enough for your beloved bunnies, or if there is room for improvement. Whether they have an Eglu Run, Outdoor Rabbit Run or Zippi Run, you can make it larger with practical and easily assembled extension panels. That way your bunnies have more space to run around on, and you can add more fun accessories that will keep them busy in the colder months.
Caddi
Leftover food and treats lying around the run not only makes it look a bit sad and untidy, it can also attract rodents and other pests, and if you’re not vigilant with your cleaning your rabbits might accidentally ingest something that has gone mouldy.
A great way of upgrading your run, and feeding your pets yummy and nutritious treats, is to get a Caddi Treat Holder. Fill it with fresh grass, allotment veg or some chopped up fruit, and hang from the top of the run. The rabbits will love the swinging motion of the holder as they try to grab a delicious mouthful, and the spillage will be minimal. Additionally, you will be able to keep track of when you gave your rabbits which treats, so you can alternate between different ones and make sure nothing that has gone off is still in the run.
Platforms
Everyone knows that rabbits love to hop! Adding platforms to your rabbit’s run is a great way to let your rabbit bounce to their heart’s content, whilst you make the most of the usable space that you have in their Zippi Run. Platforms will provide your fluffy friend with more places to explore, which in turn will help to strengthen their muscles as they jump up and down on their new adventure playground. The Omlet platforms are also suitable for use all year round, so you can still get the most out of this feature for when the weather gets cooler over autumn.
Shelters
The Zippi Shelters will be a great addition to your run this autumn, as they provide both (surprise surprise) shelter and an invitation to stimulating play. Rabbits have a natural instinct to seek a hidey hole, and in the wild they create ‘rooms’ in their warrens where they can come to relax and have a nap. The Zippi Shelters will provide exactly this, but in your pet rabbits’ run. They will also love running in and out of, or jumping on top of the Shelter to survey their surroundings.
Although the rabbits will always have their hutch to retreat to when it gets wet or windy, it’s great to have another spot where they can get away from the inevitable autumn showers. The shelters are sturdy and waterproof, and your rabbits will love hopping in to relax.
Treats
As it gets colder your rabbits will use more energy to stay warm, so it’s the ideal time to stock up on treats for the cupboard. Make sure you find a good balance between fresh fruit and veg and shop bought treats to put on the run, like these Nettle and Dandelion roots that are full of vitamins and minerals, or the Beaphar Crunch Sticks that encourage healthy dental wear.
For more inspiration and ideas on how you can improve your rabbit’s autumn setup, take a read of our 8 Tips for Making Your Pets’ Run More Fun This Autumn blog. And to make sure your bunny has everything they need to make this special season amazing, discover everything the Omlet Rabbit Shop has to offer.
Playdates for dogs are an increasingly popular calendar fixture for dog owners. The fact that these most sociable of animals like to socialise should not come as a great surprise. But there is, of course, far more to a successful get-together than simply unleashing a kennelful of canines into your back garden!
Our ten tips will help ensure that your pooch party goes with a woof rather than a snarl.
1. Don’t Invite Enemies!
The guest list is possibly the most obvious party-success factor of them all, but it is one that often gets ignored. For example, your friend might have a Jack Russell that your Labradoodle simply hates. And yet inviting your friends and their dogs is an obvious thing to do when arranging a doggy date. A territorial or bad-tempered dog that doesn’t get along with your pet is not going to be the life and soul of your doggy date. And, of course, your own dog needs to be a sociable hound host, too.
2. Avoid Chalk-and-Cheese Syndrome
Dogs tend to play best with friends of their own size and of a similar age. An older dog doesn’t want to be harassed by a bunch of excitable puppies, and a small terrier doesn’t always want to be stalked by an enthusiastic pack of Retrievers. An overweight or arthritic dog may suffer, too – they may want to keep up with the others, so as not to miss out on the fun, which may result in more harm than good.
The exception to the chalk-and-cheese rule is when dogs already know each other. If you know they’re friends already, invite them – although you still need to watch out for the reactions of the other guests.
3. Keep the Numbers Down
The difference between a happy group of dogs and a rowdy pack is a fine line. As a rule of thumb, keep the number of dogs to six or below on a doggy date, to keep things under control.
4. Invite Humans Too!
A doggy date isn’t an excuse for owners to leave their dogs in a crèche for a couple of hours. It only works if the owners are present; and an owner who brings more than one dog should, ideally, bring more than one human too.
5. Make Sure the Space is Suitable
There are all kinds of places you can hold a doggy playdate, whether indoors or outdoors, and the guest list should match the space. Six Huskies in a kitchen isn’t going to work, and open gates or gaps in a fence are just asking for trouble. You will also need to dog-proof the room or the garden, removing access to anything that’s fragile, toxic, edible or out-of-bounds for whatever other reason. The host dog and its guests should not have their own toys or bones lying around, either – all available toys should be neutral. If the host dog is very territorial, it simply isn’t going to work unless you arrange the playdate in a neutral space.
6. Meet and Greet
The dogs should all be formally introduced before the doggy date begins, even if they have met before. Owners should have their pets on a lead, and the dogs should be made to sit, in a semicircle so they can all see each other. They can then mingle on loose leads. Only when everything is looking sociable should the dogs be let off the lead completely. Any dissenters will have to be kept on a lead until they get into the spirit of the party. If, for whatever reason, one of the doggy guests falls out with another, it should be led quietly away on a lead until the situation has calmed down.
7. Allow Downtime
Some dogs have more energy, patience or bravery than others. On a doggy date, it always helps to have a hidey hole where a dog that needs to catch its breath can take time out. For smaller dogs, this can be the owner’s arms. Larger dogs will need a quiet corner, indoors or out. In a larger garden, they will be able to find their own space to chill. Dogs are very good at body language, and the others will recognise that the resting dog is doing just that, and not playing hide and seek.
8. Provide Refreshments
Busy dogs will need to drink, so one or more drinking bowls is essential. A supply of treats will keep the edge off their appetites, too.
9. Play Some Party Games
Games of fetch, hide and seek, sit and wait, agility tests or obstacle courses are all great ways to keep the party happy and active. Treats can be used as prizes!
10. Avoid Too Much Sun
If it’s a really hot day, an outdoor doggy date will needs lots of shade, lots of water and should involve only the very fittest dogs. Heat can be a health hazard for weaker animals. Remember – you can always postpone.
Like most other animals, chickens can suffer from parasitic worms. These are endoparasites that live inside your bird’s body, and are collectively called Helminths by vets.
Does my chicken have worms?
The three types of parasitic worms that your chickens are most likely to contract are:
Roundworms. There are a number of different roundworms, with the large roundworm being the most common. They live anywhere in the bird’s digestive system, and can sometimes be spotted in your chickens’ droppings.
Gapeworms. These nasty parasites attach themselves to the trachea of the chicken, hooking on without moving.
Tapeworms. These attach themselves to the lining of the intestine and can get really long and unpleasant. They are less common, but will more significantly affect the bird.
It’s not always straightforward to tell if your chicken has worms, but symptoms may include a paler comb, decreased egg production, diarrhoea and increased appetite without weight gain. A chicken who has been infected with gapeworm will stretch their neck and gasp for air. Sometimes you won’t spot an infection until it’s really serious and possibly untreatable.
To worm or not to worm
Many chicken keepers therefore choose to worm their chickens regularly to prevent them getting infected, usually once in spring and once in autumn. This is normally done using Flubenvet, a poultry specific wormer you can get at the vets that will kill both the worms and their eggs. Make sure you get a worming treatment that is suitable for chickens, and check if you should be discarding the chicken’s eggs while she is being treated. Always worm all chickens at the same time.
Other chicken keepers think it’s better to only treat chickens that have a confirmed infection. This is partly because some wormers are only effective on particular parasites, and will be pointless if your chickens have a different type of worm. Some also think it’s unnecessary to stress the system by giving the birds treatment for an issue they might not have. Additionally, it can be pricey to worm a whole flock twice a year.
If you don’t want to treat your chickens without a diagnosis, but suspect they might have worms, you can get their droppings tested for presence of eggs. Ask your vet if they will do it for you, or you can send the droppings off to a laboratory in pre-made kits.
Prevent infections
Whether you decide to treat only confirmed worm cases or worm preventatively, it’s always best to do everything you can to make sure your chickens don’t contract parasites. One of the best things to do is to regularly move their coop and run to a new patch. This will stop serious outbreaks, as it stops the life-cycle of the worms. Worm eggs are expelled in the droppings from infected birds, and survive on the ground for a surprisingly long time before they are picked up by foraging chickens. This is called a direct life-cycle, as the worm doesn’t need a host animal to get to your hens. Worms that have an indirect life-cycle on the other hand let their eggs first be ingested by for example earthworms, slugs or centipedes, where they lay dormant until the host is eaten by one of your chickens. The larvae hatch inside your hens, and the cycle repeats.
To prevent an unbreakable chain of worm infestations, it’s therefore important to regularly move your chickens. This is made easy by portable chicken coops like the Eglu Cube or the Eglu Go UP.
Another useful thing is to keep the grass mowed as the ultraviolet light from the sun can kill off potential worm eggs in your chickens’ droppings. Clean the run every week and scoop up droppings and wet bedding. If one of your chickens is infected it’ll be very difficult to get rid of all worm eggs from the ground, but every little helps!
Finally, many chicken keepers swear by the mineral supplement Verm-X. It’s a herbal formulation that works to create an environment in the gut that is able to eradicate and expel any intestinal challenges. This can be given as a supplement to your flock regularly to help their immune system stay on top.
There are five hamster species commonly kept as pets. They are all similar in their requirements, but with one or two important differences between species.
The most familiar is the Golden, or Syrian hamster, which is also the largest of the five. The others are all in the group known as Dwarf hamsters – Campbell’s, Roborovski, Chinese and Winter White.
Looking After a Golden Hamster
An estimated 75% of pet hamsters are Syrians, largely because they have been popular for many years, and are therefore widely available. This species is 15–18 cm (6–7 inches) long, and is relatively slow moving (compared to the much nippier Dwarf species). This makes them easy to handle, and that’s one of the keys to their popularity. A nervous owner will find handling very easy (i.e. the hamster isn’t going to run up your sleeve or make a bolt for the door before you can stop it!)
The Golden is a loner, and that means its owner will be its only companion – which is great for forming owner–pet bonds. The hamster will usually live for 2 to 2 ½ years, and can be hand-tamed from a very early age, so you will usually have a long and satisfying friendship with these little bundles of fun.
There are a different types of Golden hamster. One of the most popular is the long-haired ‘Teddy Bear’. There are also different colour varieties, with mixtures of gold, brown, russet, yellow, grey, black and white.
IDEAL FOR: first time hamster owners looking for a single, easy-going pet that’s easy to handle.
Looking After a Chinese Hamster
The Chinese – also known as the Striped, Grey or Rat-tailed – is the least common of the hamsters in the pet trade, although its popularity is growing all the time. There’s a lot to love in these little characters – they are very gentle, and once hand-tamed they will love their daily human interaction.
This species grows to a length of between 10 and 13 cm (4–5 inches) inches and, and is dark grey with a darker stripe running down the back. It has a long tail, by hamster standards, hence the ‘Rat-tailed’ tag. It tends to live a little longer than the Golden hamster, with a lifespan of 2 ½ to 3 years, and like the Golden it likes to live alone. This makes it bond very readily with a human companion.
IDEAL FOR: first time owners, or owners looking for something a little less common than the Golden, but with a similar personality.
Looking After a Roborovski Hamster
This is a lively little pet, and likes to live with at least one other fellow Roborovski – in a same-sex pair or small group. Single animals will do just fine, though, as long as they get lots of human company and handling. They are 10 cm (4 inches) long, and are endlessly curious about the world around them. When handling, you need to be alert, as these are fast movers.
Roborovskis are long-lived, by hamster standards, generally lasting between 3 and 3 ½ years. Being keen climbers and explorers, they will need a cage large enough to accommodate their endless expeditions, so space is sometimes an issue for would-be owners. They also have a rather strong smell, so they need cleaning out very regularly.
IDEAL FOR: owners who want to keep more than one hamster at a time, and have space for a larger cage.
Looking After a Winter White Hamster
This species is also called the Siberian, due to its wonderful colour change during the winter. It is grey-brown for much of the year, with a handsome black stripe down its back. In winter the fur becomes white, but the black stripe remains.
This little character reaches just over 10cm (4 inches) in length, and can live alone very happily, making it a good pet for someone who has lots of time to handle and bond with their pet, and who isn’t nervous handling a fast-moving, small animal. Winter Whites only live 1 ½ to 2 years, and this makes them less popular than some of the other species.
IDEAL FOR: hamster lovers looking for a change from the commoner species, and who can’t wait to see that wonderful change to wintry white!
Looking After a Campbell’s Hamster
This is another short-lived hamster, with a lifespan of 1 ½ to 2 years. They are usually kept in same-sex pairs or groups, but can thrive as singletons as long as they get lots of handling and attention from their owner. Their small size makes them tricky to handle, being both swift and fragile, so they are not suitable for young or nervous owners.
IDEAL FOR: owners who want to keep a group of hamsters together in a larger cage.
Chickens are prey animals, and that instinct runs deep. In the wild, showing weakness invites attack, so they have evolved to mask illness until they can no longer hide it. This means that by the time visible symptoms appear, a health problem may already be well advanced. That is why a hands-on, beak-to-tail health check is the single most effective tool you have for catching problems early, before they become serious.
This guide walks through a body-part-by-body-part checklist, covering what healthy looks like, which conditions to watch for, and when it is time to call a vet. Whether you are a new chicken keeper or have had a backyard flock for years, building a consistent health check routine is one of the most valuable things you can do for your hens.
What to cover in a chicken health check: eyes, nose, beak, comb, wattles, crop, feathers, body condition, legs, feet, vent, and droppings. Work through each area in the same order every time so nothing gets missed.
Why Regular Chicken Health Checks Matter
Because chickens naturally suppress signs of weakness, daily watching in the garden or run will only take you so far. You might notice a hen who seems a little quieter than usual, but the subtle physical changes that signal an early problem, raised leg scales, a full morning crop, or early vent irritation, are only found through hands-on handling.
A structured weekly check gives you something that casual observation never can: a personal baseline for each hen. When you know what her comb normally looks like, how her crop feels after a morning of foraging, and how she holds herself when she is relaxed, any change from that baseline becomes something you notice quickly. That early awareness is where good flock management starts.
Catching something early makes a real difference. Conditions like respiratory illness and crop issues can progress quickly in chickens. Early detection gives you far more options, and far better outcomes, than waiting until symptoms are obvious. Many of the most common conditions found during health checks are very manageable when caught at an early stage, and much harder to address once they have been allowed to develop.
Think of the weekly hands-on check and your daily observation as working together, not as alternatives to each other. Both have a role, but they are not interchangeable.
How Often Should You Health Check Your Chickens?
A weekly hands-on beak-to-tail check is the recommended routine for backyard flocks. This frequency gives you the best chance of catching any changes before they become a bigger concern, and it is often enough to build a reliable sense of what is normal for each individual hen.
Daily visual observation is a wonderful complement to this. A healthy hen is bright, alert, interacting with the flock, and eating and drinking normally. A hen sitting quietly alone, or one that looks puffed up with her feathers fluffed out, is worth a closer look that same day, rather than waiting for your next weekly check.
When to Check Outside the Weekly Routine
A few situations call for an immediate hands-on check regardless of where you are in your weekly cycle:
Welcoming new chickens to the flock – always check new arrivals before and during integration
After a spell of extreme heat or cold – temperature stress can have rapid effects on health
Following any kind of predator scare – stress and injury can be hidden in the aftermath
A sudden unexplained dip in egg production – this is often one of the first signs something is off
Breathing: An Early Warning Signal
Take note of each hen’s normal breathing rate and depth during your routine checks. Breathing should be quiet and relaxed, with no visible effort. Changes in breathing, any wheezing, rattling, or laboured quality, are among the earliest indicators of respiratory issues, and they are much easier to spot when you already know what normal looks and sounds like for each hen.
The Chicken Health Check: A Beak-to-Tail Guide
Working through the same body-part order every time builds a reliable, memorable routine and means nothing gets missed. Start at the head and work back toward the tail. It takes just a few minutes once you are familiar with it, and the consistency is what makes it useful.
Good handling technique is essential. Hold your hen securely with her wings gently supported against her body, taking her weight from underneath. A confident, calm hold helps her relax, and a relaxed hen is much easier to examine accurately. If she is wriggly at first, practise picking her up regularly so handling becomes familiar and stress-free for both of you.
Beak and Comb
A healthy beak is smooth and free of cracks or chips, with the upper mandible sitting directly above the lower and coming to a gentle point. The top of the beak being slightly longer than the bottom is completely normal.
A healthy adult comb (outside of moult or broodiness) is firm, bright red, and positioned as expected for the breed. A paler comb can indicate the hen is under the weather, dehydrated, or experiencing some blood loss, and is always worth keeping an eye on. Check the wattles at the same time: they should be bright red, smooth, and free of any swelling, scabbing, or unusual colouring.
Blue or black colouring in the comb or wattles is not something to wait on. This can indicate a circulatory problem and warrants prompt veterinary attention.
Eyes and Nose
Healthy eyes are almost perfectly round, fully open, clear, and bright, with a copper-red iris and a well-defined round pupil. Any discharge from the eyes is worth investigating. Foamy bubbles in the corner of the eye are a well-known early sign of respiratory illness and should never be ignored.
The nares (the nostrils at the top of the beak) should be clean, open, and free of any discharge or crusty buildup. A hen with a runny nose will often accumulate dust or mud around her nostrils, and this is usually one of the first visible hints that something respiratory is developing. Hens with nasal discharge will also frequently wipe their beak on their shoulder, leaving a faint dirty stripe on each side, which can be a useful sign to notice during daily observation too.
Crop
The crop is a small pouch at the base of the oesophagus where food is held before digestion. Feel for it by gently touching the area at the base of the neck, just above the breastbone.
After eating: firm, roughly golf ball-sized
First thing in the morning: empty or nearly so
If the crop still feels rock-hard in the morning after a night without food, this may indicate an impacted crop. Common causes include eating long grass, fibrous material, or not having enough grit available. The hen may also seem quieter than usual and less interested in food.
If the crop feels soft and squishy and the hen has noticeably unpleasant breath, this can indicate a yeast overgrowth in the crop (candidiasis, often called sour crop). Early-stage cases can sometimes be supported at home, though persistent cases are worth a conversation with your vet. Both conditions are much more manageable when noticed early, before they have a chance to progress.
Feathers and Body Condition
Healthy feathers lie flat against the body and look shiny and well-preened. Outside of moulting season, a hen with dull, ruffled, or unkempt feathers is often telling you she is not feeling her best, since chickens tend to stop preening when they are unwell.
Bald patches, broken feather shafts, or areas of missing feathers can point to stress, feather pecking by flockmates, or external parasites. Part the feathers and check the skin underneath (which should be pale pink and smooth) when you notice any changes.
Look at the base of feather shafts, particularly around the vent and under the wings, for white clumps (lice egg clusters known as nits) or any tiny moving specks. These are easy to miss without actively parting the feathers.
Gently feel the keel bone (breastbone) as well. Good breast muscle coverage on both sides means the hen is eating well and maintaining her condition. If the keel feels prominent with little muscle around it, she may not have been eating adequately for some time.
Legs, Feet, and Vent
Healthy legs have smooth, flat scales that sit neatly against the bone and are a clean yellow colour. If the scales look raised, crusty, or flaky, this is the classic sign of scaly leg mites (Knemidocoptes mutans), a microscopic parasite that burrows under the skin.
The bottoms of the feet should be flat, smooth, and free of any scabs, swelling, or discolouration. The very earliest signs of bumblefoot (pododermatitis) are a smooth, shiny, or slightly reddened area on the foot pad. Catching it at this stage (Grade 1) means simple home care is often all that is needed. More advanced cases may need veterinary support.
The vent (cloaca) should be clean and free of any faecal pasting. In laying hens it appears pink, wide, and moist; in older hens it may be a little drier and paler. Both are normal. Any protrusion or swelling around the vent is worth prompt attention.
The vent area is where mites and lice tend to concentrate. Keep an eye out for black specks, reddened or irritated skin, a moth-eaten appearance to nearby feathers, or any visible movement around the vent region.
Droppings
Normal droppings are formed, somewhat firm, and dark brown with white urate portions. The white part is the equivalent of urine in chickens and is a completely normal part of a healthy dropping.
Caecal droppings (produced from a separate part of the digestive tract called the caecum) look quite different: they are brown, mustard-coloured, or greenish and have a stronger odour. These are produced a few times a day and are entirely normal.
Standard dropping – Dark brown, firm, with a white urate cap. Normal.
Cecal dropping – Mustard, brown, or greenish, softer, with a stronger odor. Normal, produced a few times a day.
Loose stool (over 48 hours) – Watery or very soft and persistent. Worth investigating.
Bloody droppings – Any red coloring in the stool. Seek vet advice.
All-white droppings – Entirely white with no brown. Seek vet advice.
A change in dropping consistency after a new food or a varied diet is usually temporary and settles within a day or two. Extended loose stool beyond 48 hours, bloody droppings, or all-white droppings are worth paying closer attention to.
The slide-out dropping tray on Eglu chicken coops makes this part of the daily routine very straightforward. A quick check of the tray each morning takes seconds and gives a useful snapshot of flock health before any hands-on check is needed.
What to Do If You Think Your Chicken Might Be Unwell
Separating any hen showing unusual signs is the first step. Many poultry conditions can spread between chickens, and giving an unwell hen her own space also reduces the stress of flock dynamics while she recovers.
Find a Poultry Vet Before You Need One
Having a poultry vet identified before an urgent situation arises is one of the most valuable things a chicken keeper can do. Not all veterinary practices treat chickens, so finding one in advance means you are never scrambling in a stressful moment. Many poultry vets also offer phone or video consultations for initial guidance, which can be a useful first step when you are unsure how serious something is.
Set Up a Quarantine Space
A simple quarantine setup, a separate coop with food, water, and shelter away from the main flock, gives a hen the calm, comfortable space she needs to recover well. The Eglu Go works perfectly for this purpose, providing a secure, easy-to-clean “hospital” space that keeps stress low during recovery. Its simple design means you can get it set up quickly when you need it, and clean it thoroughly between uses.
Monitor Closely and Keep Notes
Keep a close eye on the separated hen over 24 to 48 hours. Watch whether she is eating and drinking, how her droppings look, and whether things seem to be improving, staying the same, or getting worse. This information will be genuinely useful for a vet if you need to call one, so it is worth jotting down what you observe.
Reintroducing a Recovered Hen
Reintroducing a recovered hen to the flock only after her symptoms have fully cleared (or with vet guidance) is the best approach for everyone. It protects the rest of the flock and gives the recovering hen the best chance of settling back in smoothly. A gradual reintroduction, where she can see and hear her flockmates before full contact, helps reduce the social stress of rejoining the group. A partition can be used in an Omlet Walk In Chicken Run to create two secure but separate spaces where the recovering hen can see the others and gradually transition back into the flock.
Key Takeaways
Regular hands-on checks are the most effective way to stay on top of flock health. Chickens naturally mask how they are feeling, and watching alone rarely catches early changes.
A weekly structured routine, rather than just daily observation, is the foundation of good flock care and gives you the best chance of catching anything early.
A consistent beak-to-tail routine covering beak, eyes, nares, comb, crop, feathers, body condition, legs, feet, vent, and droppings builds the personal baseline needed to notice changes quickly and confidently.
The most common conditions found during health checks, including bumblefoot, scaly leg mites, external parasites, and crop issues, all respond much better to early attention. Most mild cases are very manageable at home when caught promptly.
Having a plan in place before you need it (a separation space, a poultry vet contact, and a quarantine setup) means that if a hen does need extra care, you are ready to respond calmly and quickly.
Omlet and Your Flock
Good housing is the foundation of good flock health. When your chickens have a clean, secure, and comfortable home, you are already reducing many of the stressors that contribute to health challenges.
Eglu chicken coops feature slide-out dropping trays that make droppings health monitoring an effortless part of the morning routine. A quick check takes seconds and gives a useful snapshot of how the flock is doing before the day gets started.
The Walk In Chicken Run from Omlet gives your chickens a safe, secure, and predator-resistant environment that supports their wellbeing and reduces the stressful events that can contribute to health challenges. A flock that is calm and unstressed is a flock that is easier to keep healthy.
And when a hen does need a little extra care, the Eglu Go makes an excellent quarantine coop. It is easy to set up, easy to clean, and comfortable enough that a poorly hen can rest and recover without additional stress.
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When you visit any website, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. This information might be about you, your preferences or your device and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to. The information does not usually directly identify you, but it can give you a more personalized web experience. Because we respect your right to privacy, you can choose not to allow some types of cookies. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings. However, blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer.
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These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable information.
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we will not know when you have visited our site, and will not be able to monitor its performance.
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
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