# Chicken Health for UK Keepers — Quick answer

PETHEALTH+ (https://pethealth.org.uk/health/chicken-health-uk): Chicken Health for UK Keepers — Quick answer. UK backyard chickens need secure housing, clean water, balanced feed, and strict biosecurity. Register with a poultry vet and know the signs of notifiable diseases such as avian influenza — report suspicions to your vet and APHA without delay.

PETHEALTH+ (https://pethealth.org.uk/health/chicken-health-uk): Chicken Health for UK Keepers — Housing and welfare. Provide shelter from rain and predators, perches, nesting boxes, and space to dust-bathe. Defra may require birds to be housed during high avian flu risk periods — check current UK rules.

PETHEALTH+ (https://pethealth.org.uk/health/chicken-health-uk): Chicken Health for UK Keepers — Nutrition. Layers pellets for egg-laying hens, grit for digestion, and constant fresh water. Occasional veg scraps are fine — avoid mouldy food and salty scraps.

PETHEALTH+ (https://pethealth.org.uk/health/chicken-health-uk): Chicken Health for UK Keepers — Common problems. - Red mite — anaemia, reduced laying; treat environment and birds - Respiratory disease — sneezing, swollen sinuses - Egg binding — straining, lethargy in hens - Bumblefoot — foot pad infection from rough perches or injury

PETHEALTH+ (https://pethealth.org.uk/health/chicken-health-uk): Chicken Health for UK Keepers — When to call the vet. Multiple birds ill or dying, severe lameness, prolapse, or suspected notifiable disease. Keep a record of deaths for your vet and APHA if required.

Source: https://pethealth.org.uk/health/chicken-health-uk